A Korean Experience with the 144-Hour Visa-Free Transit into China

This note might not be useful to many, but as a Korean, I want to share my experience with the 144-hour visa-free transit into China.

To make this visa-free transit effective, you must meet the following four conditions:

1. A valid passport.
2. A flight ticket to a third country (since using this visa-free entry is considered a transit through China).
3. A completed temporary entry card for foreigners.
4. Adherence to the stay range.

Provinces (Regions) and Applicable Cities/Stay Range:

• Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei Region: Beijing, Tianjin, Hebei (Shijiazhuang, Qinhuangdao) / Beijing, Tianjin, Hebei Province.
• Jiangsu-Zhejiang-Shanghai Region: Shanghai, Nanjing, Hangzhou, Ningbo / Shanghai, Jiangsu, Zhejiang Provinces.
• Guangdong Province: Guangzhou, Shenzhen, Jieyang / Guangdong Province.
• Liaoning Province: Shenyang, Dalian / Liaoning Province.
• Shandong Province: Qingdao / Shandong Province.
• Chongqing: Chongqing / Chongqing City.
• Sichuan Province: Chengdu / Chengdu, Leshan, Deyang, Suining, Meishan, Ya’an, Ziyang, Neijiang, Zigong, Luzhou, Yibin.
• Shaanxi Province: Xi’an / Xi’an City, Xianyang City.
• Fujian Province: Xiamen / Xiamen City.
• Hubei Province: Wuhan / Wuhan City.
• Yunnan Province: Kunming / Kunming City.

If your first port of entry into China is Shanghai/Zhejiang/Jiangsu, you can stay within this region and then leave China from this region within 144 hours.

When purchasing a ticket to a third country, keep these points in mind:

1. You must fly into and out of China from abroad.
2. You cannot transit domestically in China, e.g., Edinburgh → Beijing → Shanghai → Seoul. If you arrive in Beijing, it counts as entering Beijing, so you can only stay in the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei area and must leave from there.

My flight was: Edinburgh → Helsinki → Shanghai → Seoul. This worked fine.

Upon arriving in China:

1. Connect to Wi-Fi at the airport (see picture 2).
2. Go to the self-service fingerprinting area for foreigners (see picture 3).
3. Fill out a temporary entry card for foreigners (Chinese address: use the address of the hotel you booked). You need to ask airport staff for this card, as only they have it (see picture 4).
4. Queue at the 24/144-hour transit area (see picture 5), submit your completed card, show your passport, and your flight ticket to the third country.
5. Finally, the border control officer will place a sticker in your passport (see picture 1).

It’s that simple! With the correct documents, the whole process takes just about an hour!

When departing China:
1. Use your flight ticket and passport to check in.
2. Submit your completed temporary exit card to border control (see picture 6). Do not lose this card! Losing it could delay your departure from China.

I had a great time in China! I’ll definitely go again, but next time I need to arrange for a formal Chinese tourist visa. Haha.