Experience Sharing: Maximizing the 144-Hour Transit Visa-Free Policy When Returning to China from Australia

I left China 7 years ago and recently decided to visit my family. Since I didn’t have time to apply for a visa, I planned to use the 144-hour transit visa-free policy.

Normal Route: Country A → China (144 hours) → Country B
Maximized Route: Australia → Singapore (transit) → City 1 in China → Within 144 hours, depart from City 2 in China → Return to Australia

City 1 and City 2 are within the same region. The 144 hours start counting from the day after entry (see Picture 2 for details).

Before Departure: I researched online and thoroughly read the policies to ensure this route was feasible (most people seem to take the standard route). However, next time, I’ll definitely apply for a visa in advance.

1. Departure from Australia: Since I didn’t have a Chinese visa, they refused to issue my boarding pass for the Singapore-China flight. This seems to depend on the airline. At check-in, the counters for the two airlines were next to each other. One said it was fine, but my airline insisted that Singapore doesn’t count as a third country. Airlines have the right to refuse boarding, so it’s better to book the Australia-Singapore and Singapore-China tickets separately.
2. Arrival in Singapore: I had to enter Singapore and re-check in. I was worried they wouldn’t let me check in because I only stayed in Singapore for a few hours, and my entry and exit cities in China weren’t the same. I even considered buying a new ticket from Singapore to City 2 in China. I’m really grateful to the check-in staff in Singapore. They ran back and forth three times to confirm whether I could fly, each time taking more than ten minutes.

However, since it was early morning, Chinese authorities weren’t working yet, so there was no confirmation. She gave me the boarding pass anyway, but mentioned it was their first time encountering a situation where the entry and exit cities in China were different. If China said no, I’d have to come back out. The whole process took over two hours, with one hour spent running around and another hour waiting for China to start working.

Also, it’s better to print your return ticket in advance. The airline required a physical copy of my ticket, so I had to pay $2 to print it on the spot. She also mentioned wanting to visit Beijing to see Menglan (a famous panda). It seems the fame of “San Taizi” (a nickname for the panda) has spread far and wide, haha!

3. Arrival in China: Before the plane had even started deplaning, there was an announcement calling my name, asking me to go to the front. I initially thought I needed to find that blue entry card, but as soon as I stood up from my seat, someone was there to accompany me the entire way. They took me to fill out the card at the counter, then led me to the foreigner’s lane to get my passport stamped.

The staff told me that Singapore had already called earlier in the morning to confirm. If the entry and exit cities are the same, it’s fine; if they’re different, it requires border control confirmation. Throughout the entire process, everyone was incredibly friendly, and I didn’t feel targeted or delayed in any way.

My friend came to pick me up at the airport, and even before I got home, the community police called my family to remind me to register as a temporary resident foreigner.

I made it back to China smoothly! I’m so grateful to everyone who helped me along the way. I’m so happy—I’m going to start enjoying some delicious food right away!