Can I do a visa run by going through immigration at the airport and then immediately going back?
I have a 10-year China visa that has a 2-month limit on each stay. I usually take the opportunity to do a quick trip somewhere and see some friends around Asia, but sometimes I don't have the time to do this. Today I am making a quick 1-day trip to Korea and back, but I've started to wonder if there is a loophole.
If I book a cheap flight, go through immigration and get my exit stamp, is that enough? Could I "conveniently" miss my flight, the last of the day, and be allowed to pass through immigration, as if I just arrived on a flight, and be granted re-entry? Do I need to physically board the plane to complete the process or do they already consider I have left the country?
Best Answer
Trying to avoid your visa run by just passing immigration is inviting trouble you don't want to have.
Work your plans out ahead of time and enjoy a day of vacation in somewhere nice!
From your question I read that you are living permanently in China, i.e. that you have a long-term rent contract there and probably also some type of work (promotion, teaching English, the usual suspects...). This at least used to be standard practice and tolerated by the officials, but rules/attitudes have changed recently. So while the visa runs you are doing used to be a part of popular culture, they are maybe not so advisable anymore.
This just as an intro as to why you might want to avoid additional scrutiny by the officials.
Because additional scrutiny (and plenty of it) is what you will get when you attempt this hack. As you state you have to fill in a yellow arrival card every time you do a visa run, and there you have to put down the vessel number you arrived with. I know that the immigration officials have a system in place that checks flight bookings (for the 72h visa-free transit) against names and they could have no problem checking if you arrived on the vessel you did claim, maybe even in real time while you are at the immigration desk. And there is where you get into trouble, as you have never really left the country, you are effectively overstaying and violating the terms of your visa. That is a bad thing. Next time you have any official business with immigration (and you have frequently as you have to do the visa runs), you will be anxious if they have found out and taken consequences. Avoid all of this trouble by going somewhere nice, or do the quick Jinmen, HK or Mongolia runs mentioned above if need be.
And one more practical issue: from as far as I can recall airside arrivals and departures are separated at least in PVG, so you might have extra scrutiny already when trying to get out of the airport again.
Pictures about "Can I do a visa run by going through immigration at the airport and then immediately going back?"
Do you need a visa to enter the country you are going to after you transit Canada?
You need a transit visa if: your international flight stops at a Canadian airport on its way to another country. you'll be connecting between 2 international flights at a Canadian airport. you'll transit through Canada in 48 hours or less, and.Do you need a visa when taking a connecting flight?
Re: Do I Need A Visa For A Connecting Flight Through The US? Yes. There is no transit at US airports and you will need to clear both Immigration and Customs at your first point of entry into the US regardless. You will need either an ESTA or a Visa.How does a visa run work?
A visa run is a process when a traveler goes through to stay for longer than their original visa allows. It involves leaving the country you wish to stay in, so you can re-enter with a new visa on arrival. The length of a visa run depends on the visa policy of the country the traveler wants to return to.How soon can I re enter the USA on tourist visa?
There is no limit on the number of times you may enter the U.S. under either ESTA of a visa. However, if reentering the U.S. using ESTA soon after staying for nearly 90 days, you can expect to be questioned in detail by the immigration officer about the purpose of your visit.USA Port of Entry Experience + Tips | CR1 Visa 🇺🇸🇵🇭
Sources: Stack Exchange - This article follows the attribution requirements of Stack Exchange and is licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0.
Images: Nurlan Tortbayev, Benjamin Suter, eberhard grossgasteiger, Bagus Pangestu