taichen From Spain, joined Jul 2001, 209 posts, RR: 0 Posted (5 months 2 weeks 5 days 5 hours ago) and read 2978 times:
Beijing will start a 72-hour visa-free stay policy for citizens of 45 countries from Jan. 1, 2013, municipal authorities said Wednesday.
Tourists holding third country visas and plane tickets can apply for a transit without visa (TWOV) in the capital city at Beijing Capital International Airport.
gabrielchew From United Kingdom, joined Aug 2005, 2512 posts, RR: 13 Reply 2, posted (5 months 2 weeks 5 days 5 hours ago) and read 2904 times:
This is a good way to encourage more visitors to stop over. I just wish they'd start doing a proper visa on arrival for tourists/business people. Having to get a visa in advance is really quite frustrating (and expensive).
Great news. I have been waiting for the announcement since I heard the rumors back in September.
I think this could be a benefit more than just Air China, particularly LCC's like Jetstar. Flights are usually pretty cheap flying from Europe into PEK, but it's a pain with visas. Flying myself with SU to PEK in a few weeks and leave with Jetstar. The new visa provisions could have been helpful to me. Had to get a visa for 65 Hours in Beijing!!
Next flights: CPH-FRA-CPH: CPH-BKK-MNL-BKK-CPH; CPH-BRU-CPH
Tdan From United States of America, joined Nov 2011, 306 posts, RR: 3 Reply 5, posted (5 months 2 weeks 5 days 5 hours ago) and read 2806 times:
It's a good start, but the real question is whether or not PEK will start allowing sterile connectivity to/from international flights. This is really key as minimum connect times will come in line with other large hub airports and would increase the viability of many many more long-haul destinations.
We will ride this thunderbird, silver shadows on the earth, a thousand leagues away our land of birth... -Captain Bruce
The article also says the following:
"According to Ji, visitors have to register at a police station with their visas within 24 hours of their arrival."
I wonder how that will work. So after having obtained TWOV and proceeding through immigration, tourists then have to pass by a policestation within 24 hours?
[Edited 2012-12-06 06:59:12]
Next flights: CPH-FRA-CPH: CPH-BKK-MNL-BKK-CPH; CPH-BRU-CPH
justinlee From China, joined Aug 2012, 306 posts, RR: 0 Reply 8, posted (5 months 2 weeks 5 days 4 hours ago) and read 2699 times:
Quoting EBGflyer (Reply 6): "According to Ji, visitors have to register at a police station with their visas within 24 hours of their arrival."
I wonder how that will work. So after having obtained TWOV and proceeding through immigration, tourists then have to pass by a policestation within 24 hours?
I checked the chinese version of this report. It means that if you choose to live in other people's apartment, you need to register in a nearby police station. That will not be an issue if you choose to live in a hotel because you are automatically registered during the hotel check-in。
EBGflyer From Denmark, joined Sep 2006, 887 posts, RR: 0 Reply 10, posted (5 months 2 weeks 5 days 4 hours ago) and read 2575 times:
Quoting justinlee (Reply 8): That will not be an issue if you choose to live in a hotel because you are automatically registered during the hotel check-in
Interesting. So is the hotel registration in China more extensive than other places and are they required to report to the authorities?
Next flights: CPH-FRA-CPH: CPH-BKK-MNL-BKK-CPH; CPH-BRU-CPH
justinlee From China, joined Aug 2012, 306 posts, RR: 0 Reply 11, posted (5 months 2 weeks 5 days 4 hours ago) and read 2525 times:
Quoting EBGflyer (Reply 10): Interesting. So is the hotel registration in China more extensive than other places and are they required to report to the authorities?
Kind of, fake ID is a serious problem in China. For Chinese, our ID card actually has an RFID chip in it. When you check in an hotel, you will be required to show your ID. The checkin agent will scan your ID card on RFID reader linked to the public security database in order to check whether your ID is faked or not. I don't know how it works for foreigners but I think the system is still the same.
EBGflyer From Denmark, joined Sep 2006, 887 posts, RR: 0 Reply 12, posted (5 months 2 weeks 5 days 3 hours ago) and read 2457 times:
Quoting justinlee (Reply 11): For Chinese, our ID card actually has an RFID chip in it. When you check in an hotel, you will be required to show your ID. The checkin agent will scan your ID card on RFID reader linked to the public security database in order to check whether your ID is faked or not. I don't know how it works for foreigners but I think the system is still the same
Makes sense, but I suppose nartional ID's are also standardized. It would be a little different with foreign passports. I'm wondering also whether they would register lack of registration in a hotel.
No matter what.. Still a good move
Next flights: CPH-FRA-CPH: CPH-BKK-MNL-BKK-CPH; CPH-BRU-CPH
LAXintl From United States of America, joined exactly 13 years ago today! , 22062 posts, RR: 51 Reply 13, posted (5 months 2 weeks 5 days 2 hours ago) and read 2302 times:
Good news. I suppose especially good news for CA which makes their PEK hub a bit more enticing.
For info Shanghai has had a 48-hour scheme for a few years now on transit passengers.
Quoting EBGflyer (Reply 10): Interesting. So is the hotel registration in China more extensive than other places and are they required to report to the authorities?
Maybe you are not aware, but hotel registrations are supplied to authorities in many nations around the the world. From France, to Turkey, to Singapore to Chine etc..
Back before computers it was common for police to drop in and manually review hotel registration cards at the front desk. Now info is digitally transmitted.
From the desert to the sea, to all of Southern California
EBGflyer From Denmark, joined Sep 2006, 887 posts, RR: 0 Reply 14, posted (5 months 2 weeks 5 days 2 hours ago) and read 2219 times:
Quoting LAXintl (Reply 13): Back before computers it was common for police to drop in and manually review hotel registration cards at the front desk. Now info is digitally transmitted.
Yeah, I guess that makes sense. I'm aware that registrations are used for such things. Just wondering what would happen in someone failed to check in at the hotel or for instance decided to couchsurf instead.
Next flights: CPH-FRA-CPH: CPH-BKK-MNL-BKK-CPH; CPH-BRU-CPH
SCQ83 From United States of America, joined Oct 2012, 461 posts, RR: 0 Reply 15, posted (5 months 2 weeks 5 days 1 hour ago) and read 2064 times:
Quoting justinlee (Reply 11): Kind of, fake ID is a serious problem in China. For Chinese, our ID card actually has an RFID chip in it. When you check in an hotel, you will be required to show your ID. The checkin agent will scan your ID card on RFID reader linked to the public security database in order to check whether your ID is faked or not. I don't know how it works for foreigners but I think the system is still the same.
Once in Shenzhen (entering from Hong Kong), I proceeded to go to the PR China border and the official in the counter took my passport for about half an hour (I just checked my watch)... he just was looking at the picture and me all the time (probably to verify if I was the same person), then checking all the pages in my passport, and finally he called some other officials and they were talking among them looking at me for about a while. They didn't ask / talk to me at all during the process (I was still in the counter, the passport control was actually empty) and finally, I was handled back the passport and they allowed me into China.
Definitely it was the weirdest experience I have ever experienced in a passport control, because I had no idea what they were looking at (fake passport, potential criminal???... no idea!)
Mortyman From Norway, joined Aug 2006, 3230 posts, RR: 2 Reply 17, posted (5 months 2 weeks 5 days ago) and read 1961 times:
and China's protests against Norway continues. All 27 EU member states plus Iceland and Switzerland are included in the scheme, which applies from 1 January. Included in the list are the U.S., Russia, Japan and most Latin American countries.
But not Norway. The relationship between China and Norway has been ice cold ever since the Nobel comitte awarded the award to Liu Xiaobo in 2010.
Wang Qin, a spokesman for the Chinese Foreign Ministry in Beijing, did not want to answer direct questions from the Financial Times on why Norway is omitted.
- But some countries are not eligible because they are a people or a government that is of low quality and behaving badly, says Wang.
ukoverlander From United Kingdom, joined May 2010, 280 posts, RR: 0 Reply 18, posted (5 months 2 weeks 5 days ago) and read 1926 times:
I transited Beijing twice this year on trips to and from the USA to Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia. Providing you are in the country less than 24 hours you could obtain an entry permit at no cost on arrival enabling you to fly in, overnight at a hotel and then return to the airport to check in for your flight (in my case the following day). No hassle, no fuss, very courteous and all conducted at a desk right next to the normal immigration desk in Beijng. A great advantage compared to the cost and hassle of getting a Chinese Visa.
Extending the 24 hour Vias to 72 hours sounds even better.
ontime From United States of America, joined Jul 2007, 58 posts, RR: 0 Reply 19, posted (5 months 2 weeks 5 days ago) and read 1926 times:
Does an onward ticket to HKG count as onward travel to another country? I have a trip to HKG next year, and I would love to do a stopover in PEK for a day or two on the way. I know HKG has its own immigration (and no visa required for UA citizens), but curious whether I could fly LAX-PEK (1-day stopover), then PEK-HKG without a Chinese visa?
justinlee From China, joined Aug 2012, 306 posts, RR: 0 Reply 21, posted (5 months 2 weeks 5 days ago) and read 1800 times:
Quoting Reply 19): Does an onward ticket to HKG count as onward travel to another country? I have a trip to HKG next year, and I would love to do a stopover in PEK for a day or two on the way. I know HKG has its own immigration (and no visa required for UA citizens), but curious whether I could fly LAX-PEK (1-day stopover), then PEK-HKG without a Chinese visa?
I check the legal file for this which is called "The Policy To Appropriately Extend Part of Foreigners' Non-visa Transit in Beijing Custom" (Just want to show how strange the chinese legal files are ). The policy is applied to those who "transits to the third country or territory". In chinese legal files, "territory" basically means Hong Kong, Macau and Taiwan. So I think LAX-PEK-HKG should be ok. But you'd better call the airline first.
bennator From Singapore, joined Mar 2012, 22 posts, RR: 0 Reply 22, posted (5 months 2 weeks 4 days 17 hours ago) and read 1463 times:
Quoting Reply 19): Does an onward ticket to HKG count as onward travel to another country? I have a trip to HKG next year, and I would love to do a stopover in PEK for a day or two on the way. I know HKG has its own immigration (and no visa required for UA citizens), but curious whether I could fly LAX-PEK (1-day stopover), then PEK-HKG without a Chinese visa?
In 2009, I traveled HND-SHA,PVG-TPE visa free using the 48 HR TWOV policy for Shanghai. I contacted the Chinese embassy first, they said there was no problem. When I arrived in SHA I was detained for about 15 minute while the officer got out his rule book and found the rule for TWOV. But, yes, HKG, Taiwan, Macau, etc. are not considered part of the chinese "customs territory" and thus count as a third country for this purpose.
legacyins From United States of America, joined Aug 2003, 1842 posts, RR: 0 Reply 23, posted (5 months 2 weeks 4 days 17 hours ago) and read 1460 times:
Quoting Mortyman (Reply 17): - But some countries are not eligible because they are a people or a government that is of low quality and behaving badly, says Wang.
What an insult to the People and Government of Norway. I am glad the Norwegians are above it all and that shows the strength and dignity of the Country. The Foreign Affairs spokesman should take a few ELS courses and realize what an insulting thing he said, IMO.
swissgabe From Switzerland, joined Jan 2000, 5265 posts, RR: 37 Reply 24, posted (5 months 2 weeks 4 days 7 hours ago) and read 1430 times:
There is already such a rule in place for certain nationalities. I'm able to transit via China and have a 24 hrs exemption of the visa rule provided I have a connected onward connection of our China within 24 hrs respective 48 hrs. As per timatic I'm even allowed to transit via another chinese airport to that departure flight. However, afaik this is only available at PEK (24 hrs) and PVG/SHA (48 hrs).
I did it two month ago and it went pretty well. There is a special counter, the passport was stamped upon entry only and there was no charge.
Smooth as silk - Royal Orchid Service /// Suid-Afrikaanse Lugdiens - Springbok
Sponsor Message: 
From Spain, joined Jul 2001, 209 posts, 
From Hong Kong, joined Mar 2007, 719 posts, 
From United Kingdom, joined Aug 2005, 2512 posts, 
From Denmark, joined Sep 2006, 887 posts, 
From Serbia, joined Aug 2009, 2579 posts, 
From United States of America, joined Nov 2011, 306 posts, 
From China, joined Aug 2012, 306 posts, 
From Lebanon, joined Sep 2006, 6780 posts, 
, 22062 posts, 
From Norway, joined Aug 2006, 3230 posts, 
From Singapore, joined Mar 2012, 22 posts, 
From Switzerland, joined Jan 2000, 5265 posts, 
Printer friendly format 
