How to transit China for 72 hours without a visa: The complete guide

 Pudong International Airport, Shanghai

When traveling in Asia, oftentimes you’ll have to pass through a Chinese airport. For some time now, if you have a stopover in one of the airports listed below, you have the option of visiting China (for less than 72 hours, or three days), without needing a visa.

In which Chinese cities can I get a visa exemption for 72 hours?

Transit without a visa is permitted only if you stopover in one of the following cities:

• Beijing (Beijing Capital International Airport);
• Shanghai (Shanghai Pudong International Airport or Shanghai Hongqiao International Airport);
• Guangzhou (Guangzhou Baiyu International Airport);
• Chengdu (Chengdu ShuangLiu International Airport);
• Chongqing (Chongqing Jiangbei International Airport);
• Shenyang (Shenyang Taoxian Internatioanl Airport);
• Dalian (Dalian International Airport);
• Xian (Xian Xianyang International Airport);
• Guilin (Guilin Liangjiang International Airport);
• Kunming (Kunming Changshui International Airport);
• Hangzhou (Hangzhou Xiaoshan International Airport).

While visa exemption for stops lasting no more than 72 hours in Shanghai or Beijing (where it went into effect back on January 1st 2013) isn’t exactly news, the same cannot be said for cities such as Kunming or Hangzhou, where it’s only been possible to request an exemption since October 2014. This seems to be the trend and the next candidates for the exemption are cities such as Wuhan and Harbin.

Remember that you cannot go outside of the stopover city. Therefore, if for example you stopover in Shanghai, you can’t go beyond city limits (or else you risk ending up in big trouble in the event you’re stopped by the police).

What documents must I have for an exemption?

Besides a valid passport, you’ll have to have a visa for your destination country (if required) and an airline ticket – with a departure time within 72 hours, – for the country you are traveling to.

Note that the countries of origin and  destination cannot be the same. For this reason a ticket Rome-Shanghai-Milan won’t allow you an exemption; you’ll need a ticket such as Rome-Beijing-Tokyo or Rome-Shanghai-Seoul. The final destination can also be Hong Kong, Macau or Taiwan.

Be advised that the 72 hours begin the moment you receive permission for transit at the border, and not when your plane lands in China.

For more information you can call the following numbers:

Beijing General Station of Immigration Inspection: 0086-10-56095400;
Shanghai General Station of Immigration Inspection: 0086-2151105100;
Guangzhou General Station of Immigration Inspection: 0086-2032090088.

Nationals of what countries have the right to transit?

You may receive a right of transit only if you have a passport from one of the following countries: Argentina, Austria, Australia, Belgium, Albania, 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, Netherlands, New Zealand, Poland, Portugal, Qatar, Republic of Montenegro, Romania, Russia, Serbia, Singapore, Slovakia, Slovenia, South Korea, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, United Arab Emirates, Ukraine, United Kingdom, United States.

How do I request the 72 hour exemption?

You can forward your request for transit to your airline in advance, so that the airline can declare this to the Immigration Inspection prior to your visit.
Source: http://www.saporedicina.com/english/how-to-transit-china-for-72-hours-without-a-visa-the-complete-guide/