Foreign Visitors Can Enjoy 72 Hour Visa-Free Stay in Beijing and Shanghai

Jan. 16 – From January 1, 2013, foreign visitors in China from 45 countries can enjoy a 72 hour visa-free stay in Beijing and Shanghai.

Tourists entering China with visas and departing plane tickets for another country can now apply for “transit without visa” at Beijing International Airport. The same policy also applies to Shanghai, where visitors can submit such applications at Pudong International Airport and Hongqiao International Airport.

However, for foreign visitors applying for transit at Beijing International Airport, they are only allowed to stay in Beijing during the 72 hours, and have to depart from the capital city. The same applies in Shanghai, where visitors have to stay within the city and must exit from the same airport through which they entered.

Currently, the policy does not extend to many of China’s neighboring countries including India, Pakistan, Mongolia and Vietnam. Countries that are entitled to the policy are listed below:

• Argentina
• Austria
• Australia
• Belgium
• Brazil
• Brunei
• Bulgaria
• Canada
• Chile
• Cyprus
• Czech Republic
• Denmark
• Estonia
• Finland
• France
• Germany
• Greece
• Hungary
• Iceland
• Ireland
• Italy
• Japan
• Latvia
• Lithuania
• Luxembourg
• Malta
• Mexico
• Netherlands
• New Zealand
• Poland
• Portugal
• Qatar
• Romania
• Russia
• Singapore
• Slovakia
• Slovenia
• South Korea
• Spain
• Sweden
• Switzerland
• Ukraine
• United Arab Emirates
• United Kingdom
• United States

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