General Visa information whilst transiting in China

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Transit without Visa (TWOV)

Nationals of Australia holding confirmed onward tickets for a maximum transit time of 48 hours can transit without a visa provided they arrive and depart from Shanghai Hongqiao (SHA), or Pu Dong (PVG) airports.

Nationals of Australia holding confirmed onward tickets for a maximum transit time of 24 hours can transit without a visa provided they arrive and depart from the Beijing (PEK) airport.

All transiting passengers are subject to passport control.

Leaving the airport transit area is allowed. Overnight facilities are available outside the airport.

Transit without visa in China can only be at one city point, either Beijing or Shanghai.  If your itinerary/journey consist of more than one transiting city, then a stopover visa is required.

E.g.
CA174 14Jan12 Sydney – Beijing
CA937 15Jan12 Beijing - London
CA938  13Feb12 London  Beijing
CA934 14Feb12 Beijing – Shanghai
CA175 14Feb12 Shanghai - Sydney

All passengers who exceed the transiting time (mentioned above) will require a stopover visa which can be obtained through the Chinese Visa Centre on Level 5, 299 Elizabeth Street, Sydney NSW 2000 or you can also refer to the following websites below:

http://au.china-embassy.org/eng/

http://melbourne.china-consulate.org/eng/

http://brisbane.chineseconsulate.org/eng/

http://perth.chineseconsulate.org/eng/

http://sydney.chineseconsulate.org/chn/

Airlines are not responsible for visas. For any queries with visa regulations and conditions, please contact your nearest consulate office in Australia.