Any inexpensive visa to exit Beijing airport for less than 24 hours?

I am planning to book a flight from Munich(Germany) to Sydney(Australia) by China Airlines. Most of the connections with China airlines have a layover duration between 13-20 hours.

Since the Chinese visa is too expensive (more than 200 Euros), I am wondering if I have some inexpensive option to exit the airport and visit Beijing city for a short duration (i.e. less than 24 hours)?

Here, it says that citizens of any country can have a 24-hour free Transit Visa. But I am not sure if it means that I can exit the airport.

PS: I have a Permanent Schengen Visa and Indian passport.

Best Answer

Yes, you can use the 24 hour visa-free transit to leave the airport. After you go through immigration you will be landside anyway, so it would not be possible to prevent it! Just go directly to immigration and be prepared to show the boarding pass for your onward flight.

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Do you need a visa to leave the airport?

If you are just at the airport for a short transit, there is no need for a transit visa, but if you decide to LEAVE the terminal, you will need a visa, as you will be passing India Immigration. There, you will present your passport and they will check for your visa.

Do you need a visa for a layover in China?

1) A foreign citizen who is transiting through China by air is exempted from a visa if he/she will stay only in the airport for no more than 24 hours and has a valid connecting ticket with confirmed seating on an international flight.

How long can you stay in an airport without visa?

In most cases you can stay at the airport for up to 24 hours. This means that your layover can't be longer than that.

How long can I stay in Beijing without a visa?

The 72-hour visa-free transit policy in China allows air passengers from 53 countries to transit and stay for up to 72 hours (3 days) in 18 China cities without a visa. In order to facilitate international visitors' short stay in China, the policy is promising to be carried out in more and more cities in the future.

Transit visa china EXPLAINED properly! 24, 72 and 144 hour visa free | Air china, Shanghai airport

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