Traveling the World with a German Friend / 144-Hour Visa-Free Transit to Guangdong

Currently, I’m traveling the world with a German friend, and we didn’t have time to apply for a visa for my friend. We were already aware of the 144-hour visa-free transit policy. After making three calls to the National Immigration Administration and Guangzhou Immigration, we confirmed that my friend meets the entry requirements!

So today, we went ahead with the 144-hour visa-free transit! We flew from Manila, Philippines, directly to Guangzhou. We were quite nervous for a while, worried that the airline might deny boarding or that we might be sent back after landing.

But we successfully entered the country! A big thank you to the professional immigration officers at Guangzhou Baiyun Airport.

Remember, you must fly to a third country, not back to the country you came from. You must show a ticket to the third country. The police may ask for a hotel reservation, but since we’re staying at home, we had to explain this to the immigration officers. After arriving home, you must register at the police station within 24 hours.

Upon landing in Guangzhou, fill out the “Foreigners’ Entry Card”!

After leaving the plane, follow the signs and make sure to show your health code. Our code was applied for 24 hours before boarding, so it had expired, and we had to reapply using the airport Wi-Fi. After submitting the health code, don’t head towards the immigration area—look to your right for the sign that says “72/144-Hour Transit” and follow the directions! There are usually no staff on duty during the early morning hours, so you might have to wait.

We arrived at Guangzhou Baiyun Airport’s Terminal 2 at 2:30 AM. Since it was so late, there were no staff available in the immigration permit processing area, so I went back to the entry stamp area. The staff there asked me to wait, and we waited for about 20 minutes.

After landing in Guangzhou, you can only stay within Guangdong Province. If you enter through Shanghai, you can stay in the Jiangsu, Zhejiang, and Shanghai regions!

This policy is only available to eligible countries, such as most European countries, Japan, South Korea, New Zealand, Australia, and 53 other countries.

This policy is really great for international couples in a hurry to meet or for couples who need to return home urgently for family matters. Sharing this with everyone!