Since February 2016, the State Council of Shanghai has adopted a 144-hour visa-exemption transit policy (6 days stay) for eligible passport holders. The purpose of this Temporary entry permit or visa exemption is to support and fund the construction of Shanghai Science and Technology Innovation Center.
The Visa exemption is available at the following ports of entry in Shanghai:
- Shanghai Pudong International Airport
- Shanghai Hongqiao International Airport
- Shanghai Port International Cruise Terminal
- Shanghai Wusongkou International Cruise Terminal
- Shanghai Railway Station
- Nanjing Lukou International Airport
- Hangzhou Xiaoshan International Airport
On arrival at a Shanghai port of entry, the Shanghai immigration inspection authority has set up dedicated inspection lanes for 144-hour visa-exemption transit passengers within the entry inspection areas at all the ports of entry. There is no government visa fee for the Visa exemption transit stay in Shanghai. Note that the foreign visitor must provide the Immigration officer with the following documents:
1. Passport
2. Onward air/vessel/train ticket to a third country (region) with confirmed date and seat within 144 hours upon arrival.
Can the applicant travel and stay anywhere in China for 144 hours?
No, the visitor must stay within the administrative precincts of Shanghai Municipality, Jiangsu Province and Zhejiang Province for 144 hours.
The following 51 countries are covered by the Visa Exemption policy, in Shanghai:
Albania, Argentina, Austria, Australia, Belgium, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Brazil, Brunei, Bulgaria, Canada, Chile, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Macedonia, Malta, Mexico, Montenegro, Netherlands, New Zealand, Poland, Portugal, Qatar, Romania, Russia, Serbia, Singapore, Slovakia, Slovenia, South Korea, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, United Arab Emirates, Ukraine, United Kingdom, United States of America.
VisaConnect: Migration Agents and Lawyers
As a tourist, you may be eligible to apply for the Shenzhen Visa on arrival. Generally, if you are traveling to China for Business, you need a Letter of Invitation and a business visa stamp, from the Chinese Consulate.
However, if you are not prepared or you didn't have time to get to the Chinese Embassy, in your country of residence then you could visit Shenzhen for up to 5 days, Single entry, as a Tourist, and still attend meetings, business expos and exhibitions. The visa on arrival cannot be extended.
Note that the Visa on Arrival does not allow you to enter the whole of China. You are not permitted to travel outside the Shenzhen Special Economic Zone. In other words, you cannot just jump on a train to Guangzhou or Dongguan or take a flight to Shanghai.
Citizens of the following countries can get a Visa On arrival:
Germany
Switzerland
Netherlands
UK
Austria
Italy
Australia
Canada
New Zealand
Russia
Spain
South Korea
Indonesia
Thailand
Malaysia
Passport holders of India and Philippines are not eligible for the application and even get fined for arrival without a valid Chinese visa.
You can get the Visa on Arrival at the following ports of entry:
Lo Wu (7:30-23:30)
Huanggang Border (24hours)
Shekou Ferry Port (9:00-16:30)
The procedure at the above port of entry is that you need to complete the white paper form, with your personal details, the take a ticket from the machine and wait until your number is called.
Once your number is called, you present your passport to the Chinese officer, and they check your visa eligibility, take a photo of you, with a web cam, and then you return to your seat.
The next step, involves waiting for your number to be called again, and then you need to make the payment of the visa application fee, which is about 168 Chinese Yen (RMB) except that UK citizens pay a higher fee of 304 RMB. Payment can be made in cash or credit card.
The last step occurs when your number is called again, and you simply collect your passport with your visa label. Finally, you need to queue up and present your passport and Immigration Entry card to the Immigration officer, who stamps your passport, with an entry date stamp, and then you proceed through security, and arrive in Shenzhen.
So, the total time spent from the moment that you get to the Immigration Entry office is about 15 minutes, at quiet times (early mornings during the week and not public holidays) up to about 1 hour at busier times.
Note, that if you are arriving at Lo Wu port from Hong Kong, the train travel time is approximately 1 hour and 15 minutes from Central, and you would need to change lines twice.
VisaConnect: Migration Agents and Lawyers
