Experience Sharing: 144-Hour Visa-Free Entry for Japanese Nationals to Qingdao, China

Hello everyone,

I found that many people use the 144-hour visa-free entry to China for transit to a third country. (My itinerary was: ① Japan → ② South Korea → ③ Qingdao → … Japan)

The conditions for the 24-hour visa-free entry are the same as for 144 hours:

1. Hold a foreign passport with at least six months’ validity.
2. Have a flight ticket to a third country. → In my case, I first traveled from Japan to South Korea, then applied to transit through Qingdao to return to Japan. This route is allowed for transit.
3. Fill out the temporary entry form for foreigners.
4. Comply with the restrictions on your stay. → I entered China through Qingdao, so I also had to depart from Qingdao. The stay was limited to Shandong Province.

At check-in in South Korea, you need to get clearance from Qingdao Customs before you can proceed. So I recommend arriving at the airport early; I waited about an hour at Seoul Airport. When entering Qingdao, there weren’t many foreign applicants, so there was no need to queue much.