Foreign Visitors Can Enjoy 72 Hour Visa-Free Stay in Beijing and Shanghai

January 16, 2013 Posted by China Briefing Reading Time: 2 minutes

Jan. 16 – From January 1, 2013, foreign visitors in China from 45 countries can enjoy a 72 hour visa-free stay in Beijing and Shanghai.

Tourists entering China with visas and departing plane tickets for another country can now apply for “transit without visa” at Beijing International Airport. The same policy also applies to Shanghai, where visitors can submit such applications at Pudong International Airport and Hongqiao International Airport.

However, for foreign visitors applying for transit at Beijing International Airport, they are only allowed to stay in Beijing during the 72 hours, and have to depart from the capital city. The same applies in Shanghai, where visitors have to stay within the city and must exit from the same airport through which they entered.

Currently, the policy does not extend to many of China’s neighboring countries including India, Pakistan, Mongolia and Vietnam. Countries that are entitled to the policy are listed below:

Argentina
Austria
Australia
Belgium
Brazil
Brunei
Bulgaria
Canada
Chile
Cyprus
Czech Republic
Denmark
Estonia
Finland
France
Germany
Greece
Hungary
Iceland
Ireland
Italy
Japan
Latvia
Lithuania
Luxembourg
Malta
Mexico
Netherlands
New Zealand
Poland
Portugal
Qatar
Romania
Russia
Singapore
Slovakia
Slovenia
South Korea
Spain
Sweden
Switzerland
Ukraine
United Arab Emirates
United Kingdom
United States

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