Shanghai/China 144 hour visa free transit explained

[Stickman1990]

She has no idea what she is talking about!

 

But ultimately the cruise lines make (up) the rules so will be the ones to decide on allowing boarding 

 

However as a you can see the cruise lines and Chinese authorities make this into a potential ordeal 

[cougarx6]

On 1/11/2020 at 2:17 AM, Kayak25 said:

This afternoon, following an email to Norwegian head office in Miami, I had a phone call informing me that a full Chinese visa will not be needed to board the ship in Singapore. So good news, I will now go ahead with the 144 hour visa and hope for the best.

Unless I can get it in writing from NCL that they will accept the 144hour visa exemtion then I will have to fork out for the full visa , not worth taking the risk

[Kayak25]

50 minutes ago, cougarx6 said:

Unless I can get it in writing from NCL that they will accept the 144hour visa exemtion then I will have to fork out for the full visa , not worth taking the risk

I agree and will continue to try and get something in writing. I just feel that if this is their policy they should be making far more noise about it, through emails to everyone and have it spread across their website. I think it will be a quiet cruise ship if all those without the full Chinese visa are not allowed to board. I can't believe that everyone will turn up with a full visa on boarding in Singapore.

 

 

[Betty in Cozumel]

Just tried to do my pre-application for the 144 hr TWOV on-line at the Chinese government site for my upcoming cruise in Feb/Mar and got a Error404.  I was able to enter all the information and save it but got the message so I will be holding off before submitting until I KNOW it saves properly.

 

Here is the website for those who need it:

 

https://gaj.sh.gov.cn/crj/ka144/enlogin/enindex

 

 

[tybrkr17]

2 hours ago, Betty in Cozumel said:

Just tried to do my pre-application for the 144 hr TWOV on-line at the Chinese government site for my upcoming cruise in Feb/Mar and got a Error404.  I was able to enter all the information and save it but got the message so I will be holding off before submitting until I KNOW it saves properly.

 

Here is the website for those who need it:

 

https://gaj.sh.gov.cn/crj/ka144/enlogin/enindex

 

 

 

Can you pre-apply for the other TWOV's as well besides the 144 hr? 

[Betty in Cozumel]

On 1/16/2020 at 3:26 PM, tybrkr17 said:

 

Can you pre-apply for the other TWOV's as well besides the 144 hr? 

 

I believe it is the same for all.   I entered Feb 28th arrival.  Leave China March 1.   That requires us to get a 72hr TWOV.

[Miaminice]

On 1/14/2020 at 7:22 PM, tybrkr17 said:

 

Just to make sure - I would be eligible for a B2B transit visa for my Best of Japan round trip Shanghai cruise?

 

A.) USA

B.) Shanghai (Board Ship)

C.) Japan

-------

A.) Japan

B.) Shanghai (Disembark Ship)

C.) USA

 

(Note: Both times in Shanghai will be less than 24 hrs.)

Yes

[helenb]

My husband and I did an Asian cruise (Osaka to Bangkok) in 2004 and we ended up staying on the ship rather than getting off at the Shanghai port stop, because of the expense and hassle of getting the visa. I wish that they had had the in-transit visa-free exemptions then!

 

We are finally going back to Asia next year. We just booked a Shanghai to Anchorage cruise for June 2021. We will fly from the US, stay less than 144 hours, and board the ship. Qualifies for the exemption, right?

 

But now we have a wrinkle. We don't know if/when we will ever be back in the area. So my husband wants to spend part of our 144 hours touring in the Beijing area: Great Wall, Forbidden City, etc. But I gather that this is not allowed, because Beijing and Shanghai are not in the same 'zones'? So USA - Shanghai - South Korea (first cruise port) is okay, but USA - Beijing - Shanghai - South Korea is not. 

 

BUT... China Highlights offers a 6 day tour arriving in Beijing and then taking the bullet train to Shanghai. How is this possible? Can we do this on the 144 hour exemption or do we need the full visa? I'm trying to avoid the visa because it is a hassle. We live in the San Francisco Bay Area so in addition to everything else, we need to produce letters from our employers stating the nature of our jobs, our salary, etc. Ugh... painful...  But if we have to do it, we have to do it. I'm just trying to see if there is a way that we can avoid it and explore all options before applying for the full visa.

 

So, anyone here have any advice?

[Hoyaheel]

If you go to more than one region within China, you get 24 hours max TWOV (for those eligible passports). If you want to visit Beijing after flying in to Shanghai, and then cruising etc, you'll need a visa. [assuming American passport]

 

I know you need to list profession in a Chinese visa application but have never heard of needing salary info or letters from employers (I've needed that as I've had business visas for China). Do you have what China would consider sensitive jobs - journalism?

 

Edited January 19, 2020 by Hoyaheel

[helenb]

2 hours ago, Hoyaheel said:

If you go to more than one region within China, you get 24 hours max TWOV (for those eligible passports). If you want to visit Beijing after flying in to Shanghai, and then cruising etc, you'll need a visa. [assuming American passport]

 

I know you need to list profession in a Chinese visa application but have never heard of needing salary info or letters from employers (I've needed that as I've had business visas for China). Do you have what China would consider sensitive jobs - journalism?

 

 

 

There are special considerations for people who live in the San Francisco Bay Area or Washington DC. They need the employer letter. See part 7 on this site.

 

https://www.mychinavisa.com/visas/tourist

 

The travel agency we visited today (local to us, which serves the large Chinese population in our community) gave us more details on what the letter has to include, and that included salary.

[Hoyaheel]

I checked my own visa agency (I had to use as I didn't feel like going up to DC to do myself) I even selected "SF" and they didn't note those salary/employment letter issues. So, I used the DC consulate for my business visas and my employer letter never included salary info. But I absolutely acknowledge 1) business and tourist visas are different animals; 2) China changes its regulations all the time.

 

Bottom line - most Americans will be granted a 10 year L visa. If you want to go to Beijing - on this trip or in the next 10 years - get the visa. If not, set up your flights & cruise so that you can take advantage of TWOV.

 

 

[helenb]

Yes, after much research this weekend, we've come to the conclusion that we will have to go through the pain of getting the Visa. But on the good news side, we will get to visit the Great Wall. 

 

Regarding the employment information... not only did we find it on that visa agency site, we visited a local travel agency in person that exclusively arranges Chinese travel. They confirmed the need for the employment letter.

Edited January 20, 2020 by helenb

[Hoyaheel]

I'm just saying a different visa agency (with offices in SF) didn't note those requirements on their website when I selected SF as my location. 

 

The agency I used has been flexible for me in the past - submitting to different consulates to try to get me the 10yr business Visa. (China apparently doesn't consider academic research to be "business" because they never did give me the 10 yr - just many 1 yr.....)

[Kayak25]

On 1/16/2020 at 7:05 AM, cougarx6 said:

Unless I can get it in writing from NCL that they will accept the 144hour visa exemtion then I will have to fork out for the full visa , not worth taking the risk

Having sent another email to NCL I received another phone call from them telling me I won't need a Chinese visa to board the ship in Singapore. I was told I am a British citizen and will not be stopped from boarding ship. If I am refused a 144 hour visa in the port at Shanghai I will have to stay on the ship, which I am quite willing to accept. Unless I get anything specifically from NCL telling me something different then I shall rely on getting the 144 hour visa in Shanghai.

[Hoyaheel]

TWOV = transit WITHOUT visa. There is no 144 hour "visa". It is a visa exemption.

[Kayak25]

20 hours ago, Hoyaheel said:

TWOV = transit WITHOUT visa. There is no 144 hour "visa". It is a visa exemption.

Fair enough, though it is still a visa of sorts because without it you are going no where!

[Hoyaheel]

It's "just semantics" until you confuse the heck out of an airline gate agent or the Chinese immigration asking for something you DON'T want. There actually ARE some Chinese transit visas (the G visa)! (I don't believe Americans are eligible, but this is why I make these annoying posts - sometimes that difference matters!!!)

[cougarx6]

On 1/24/2020 at 11:34 PM, Kayak25 said:

Having sent another email to NCL I received another phone call from them telling me I won't need a Chinese visa to board the ship in Singapore. I was told I am a British citizen and will not be stopped from boarding ship. If I am refused a 144 hour visa in the port at Shanghai I will have to stay on the ship, which I am quite willing to accept. Unless I get anything specifically from NCL telling me something different then I shall rely on getting the 144 hour visa in Shanghai.

 

 Just noticed NCL have changed their Visa info on their website for China; 

 

Visa Requirements for China

Passports holders from the below mentioned countries do not require a visa to visit China.

Bahamas, Barbados, Belarus, Bosnia & Herzegovina, Brunei, Ecuador, Fiji, Grenada, China, Japan, Macau, Mauritius, Qatar, San Marino, Serbia, Seychelles, Singapore, Taiwan, Tonga, United Arab Emirates

Passport holders from ALL other countries require a visa to go ashore in Chinese ports of call.

The 144-hour visa exemption policy does not apply to guests visiting Chinese ports as ports of call. The only guaranteed way to be granted permission to go ashore in China is to obtain a Chinese visa from a Chinese embassy or consulate.

On cruises that visit Shanghai as the first Chinese port of call, our tour operator can apply for a 15-day visa on behalf of guests who are booked on a Norwegian Cruise Line excursion. The 15-day visa does not apply for overland tours that include transportation by train or plane to another city in China. The 15-day visa is also not guaranteed to be granted by Chinese immigration in Shanghai, and we will not know if it has been granted until the ship arrives. Passports must be valid for a minimum of six months to participate in the 15-day visa option on sailings where applicable.

The 15-day visa can only be arranged if Shanghai is the first Chinese port visited. Cruises that visit another mainland Chinese port (not including Hong Kong) before visiting Shanghai are not able to take advantage of this visa option. A Chinese visa issued by a Chinese embassy or consulate is required to go ashore if the ship does not visit Shanghai as the first port of call. All guests who do not have a Chinese visa or who are not granted a 15-day visa will be detained onboard while the ship is in Chinese ports.

 

 

 

 So what they are saying now is 144 hour exemption is only for embarking & disembarking 

 If you book an NCL excursion they might get the 15 day tour operator visa

 But if all else fails you have to stay on the ship

 

 Which means you will no longer be denied boarding without a full China Visa

 Now we have it in writing

[Kayak25]

Thanks for that information, that's good news.

[Betty in Cozumel]

Well just received an e-mail that Holland America is changing our Feb 29th cruise from Shanghai - Hong Kong to Tokyo - Tokyo.  So no more worries about the 144 hr TWOV or coronavirus.

[4774Papa]

On 8/17/2018 at 8:15 AM, Miaminice said:

Hi,

 

since this is a confusing topic I thought I´d try to explain the visa exemption rules in simple terms.

Please note that this is no legal advice but rather the information I collected before travelling to Shanghai myself under the 144 hour visa exemption rule. Please doublecheck if you are citizen of a country to which the rule applies.

 

In simple terms the 144 hour visa exemption can be called the three country rule.

You need to travel from country A to country B (China) and leave to country C within the 144 hours.

 

Applied to cruises this translates as following:

The stop before China has to be another country than China. On many cruises that would be South Korea or Japan.

The country you are leaving to has to be a third country and can not be China or the country you arrived from. You need to leave on a direct flight or a flight with no stops within China. Hong Kong in this case is not considered China and would be OK.

 

Example:

Jeju, South Korea sailing to Shanghai, leave within 144 hours to the US or the UK = OK

 

The documents you need are copies of you cruise itinerary, hotel reservations and flight tickets as prove that you are leaving within the 144 hours.

 

Here is some further explanation of the procedure on the cruise. This is how it is done on Celebrity.

However, since this procedure fulfills the immigration requirements it should be of interest for passengers of other cruise lines as well.

 

Before the end of the cruise you will receive a blue transit immigration card. On Celebrity Millennium it came with the shown letter explaining which documents you need to present during immigration. The documents were already checked by Celebrity during embarkation.

 

 

 

 

Here´s also a link to a website giving understandable information:

https://www.traveltothemagic.net/visa-free-travel-shanghai-disney-resort/

 

Yes, it is not an official website. However, it puts into simple terms what can be found on official websites of Chinese immigration departments, Shanghai customs etc. like this one:

http://www.sh-immigration.gov.cn/listPageEn.aspx?lx=40&id=4414

 

BTW: we arrived in China/Shanghai two times - one time without visa, one time with a visa (because we had more stops in China).

Both times it took the same time to pass immigration, there were no shorter or longer lines.

https://www.npr.org/2020/02/07/803843303/on-cruise-ship-quarantined-in-japan-any-new-cases-would-reset-the-isolation-cloc

These people may be on their ship for a long time.

[schildiams]

On 10/23/2018 at 2:22 PM, PCWalton1 said:

Mid 2017 we were seeing articles online that China was going to expand the 144 hours visa free to the Tianjin/Beijing area in Dec 2017. All I saw was a savings of at least $450 dollars that could be shifted to more important things such as tours. 

It was cut and dry that we qualified, we were arriving by cruise ship from Korea and after three days in Beijing flying home to the USA. Our concern was having Royal Caribbean not recognizing it and refusing to let us board in Singapore because the exemption was so new to that area. I ended up emailed the CEO's office where I got an email acknowledging from Royal we could use the 144 hour exemption. Once we arrived on the ship in April it was apparent that they not only knew of the exemption they had a process in place to handle all the people getting the exemption. 

The process was a little slow once we arrived in Tianjin but we were in the parking lot locating our guide by 10 am even though we had to be processed through two separate line to satisfy the Chinese officials. I didn't think that was an unreasonable delay considering the money we saved. 

Now that this exemption has been in place for over 10 months I wouldn't hesitate using it again. 

I am having an issue getting this same info from rcl - do you happen to still have that email you received from the executive office?

Thanks!

[PCWalton1]

On 10/12/2023 at 7:11 PM, schildiams said:

I am having an issue getting this same info from rcl - do you happen to still have that email you received from the executive office?

Thanks!

Sorry no