If you are thinking of visit China without a visa, then you are in luck. As of January 1 2016, China has allowed travelers and foreigners to travel and visit many cities in China without having a formal visa for over 144 hours on 6 days. Transit Without Visa or TWOV policy provides a transit pass to travelers that allow travelers to go through the Chinese immigration and leave the airport without going through the hassle of applying for a visa before having the trip.
However, TWOV comes with many restrictions and conditions, including registering with the local police. Most hotels will complete the process of registration for you. If you are thinking of traveling to China or plan to visit China more than only once, it may be better to apply only for a standard tourist visa. China is now offering a 10-year visa for more than one entry to US citizens and anywhere else.
You may use TWOV like a tourist as long as you are not going to stay for too long, and you also arrange the flights in any specific way, so you don’t have to fly directly back just the way you came. But you can not easily use TWOV to visit multiple cities in China or enter and exit using different ports.
A few countries must have a passport from one of them to request entry to China using TWOV. The following are the eligible Nationalities:
· Albania
· Argentina
· Australia
· Brazil
· Canada
· Chile
· European Union
· Iceland
· Japan
· Mexico
· Monaco
· Montenegro
· New Zealand
· North Macedonia
· Qatar
· Russia
· South Korea
· Switzerland
· Ukraine
· United Kingdom
· United States
When does the clock start?
If you are thinking of increasing your time in china to the maximum, the clock begins at midnight of the day after you arrive in China. Arriving at any time during December 31, the clock will begin on January 1. This means that December 31 will be just an extra day you will get. You will have either 72 or 144 hours that means you should leave by 23:9 on January 3 for a 72 hours transit pass or on January 6 for a 144 transit hour pass.
What should I need to travel to China or from it?
It would help if you remembered that the name of this policy is Transit Without Visa. It is designed to let you transit to china while you are traveling from a country to another. It isn’t designed for people and travelers who intend to make china their primary destination. You may still get away with this if you come with a clever routing, but this helps you understand the policy intent.
It would be best if you were traveling from a country to another, having china In the middle.