24 Hour TWOV in China
I am planning on traveling from Germany to Indonesia on an Indian passport. Air China seems to be dirt cheap but I have a few things to clarify though:
The layover time is 10 hours while going and 19 while coming at Beijing (PEK), and I wish to use the 24 hour TWOV service. I have read sufficient reports about people randomly being denied the temporary stay permits when they applied at the airport. Given that I have traveled to Turkey in the past and I am traveling alone now, I feel I may very well get turned down.
1) What I want to know is, who are the people providing these permits? The immigration officers or a different counter from where I collect some pass and try clearing the immigration later?
2) If I am refused the permit at some desk which is not immigration desk, do I need to declare in future that I was refused entry into Mainland China?
3) If I get my permit from the desk and proceed towards immigration, and the immigration officers deny me entry, will they put any sort of stamp on my passport?
PS: I have no Turkish or Islamic background besides the fact that I traveled to Turkey for 4 days for tourism purposes earlier this year. I hold a long term German residence permit.
Best Answer
Just adding my experience as you already have a pretty good answer. I entered China on a 24h TWOV in February 2019 with a Polish passport and no previous travel to the country. I travelled on Air China, arriving from London around 12pm and my onwards flight to Singapore was leaving that same evening.
My only mildly controversial stamp was a weekend in Istanbul, travelling in & out IST airport. I handed in my passport with a completed form and onwards boarding pass and no one asked me any questions or looked at me twice at neither the visa counter or inbound/outbound immigration. From what I've seen in the line, it's mostly Brits/Europeans and Australians queued up and applying for these, and the only ones asked any questions are ones applying for a 144 hours visa to stay for a few days (proof of hotel booking etc).
It's worthwhile to mention that coming back (arriving from Singapore and departing to London later the same day), my inbound flight into Beijing was delayed and when approaching the visa counter, the man said it's too little time (around 7.5h at this point) and I was unable to convince him. From what I've read online there is no magic number (seemingly around 8h minimum) so just be mindful that your plans can be ruined by a 1.5h delay.
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How do I get a 144 hour visa for China?
ConditionCan you transit in China without a visa?
24-Hour Direct Transit Under the 24-hour visa-free transit rule, no visa is required for international flight, ship, or train passengers who transit directly through mainland China and will stay for less than 24 hours. Passengers should hold tickets to a third country or region and have a confirmed seat.Does China allow transit?
24 hour visa-free transitForeign citizens travelling to a third country or region through China by plane, ship or train may stay up to 24 hours in China without a visa. The application for a preliminary entry permit at the Chinese border is a requirement for the visa-free entry.How long can I stay in China without a visa?
The government of the People's Republic of China allows holders of ordinary passports issued by some countries to travel to Mainland China for tourism or business purposes for up to 15, 30, 60 or 90 days without having to obtain a visa.Monkeys Singing Chinese! (1 HOUR VERSION)
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