What does the transit visa free policy mean

Legal Analysis: A visa refers to a document issued by the country's exit and entry administration to foreign citizens to approve entry, and it is also an entry permit. According to the relevant regulations, visa exemption means that you do not need a visa to travel to a certain country.

Legal basis: Law of the People's Republic of China on the Administration of Exit and Entry Article 9 Chinese citizens entering or leaving the country shall apply for passports or other travel documents in accordance with the law.

Chinese citizens traveling to other countries or regions also need to obtain a visa or other entry permit certificate from the country to which they are traveling. However, except for the mutual visa exemption agreements signed by China and other countries, or as otherwise stipulated by the Ministry of Public Security or others.

Chinese citizens who leave or enter China as seafarers and work on foreign ships shall apply for seafarers' certificates in accordance with the law.

[Legal Analysis]: Visa-free is a visa-free transit policy for foreigners, which is a part of the visa-free system implemented by countries around the world, which refers to the policy that foreigners can transit without applying for a visa from the transit country to a third country in accordance with the laws or relevant regulations of the transit country and can stay in the transit country for a short period of time when they transfer from one country to a third country through the transit country. Foreigners entering the country shall apply for visas from China's visa authorities stationed abroad.

Stay in China for no more than 24 hours. Those who do not leave the port or stay in a specific area for no more than the specified time limit can be exempted from applying for a visa. There are four situations in which the country is exempt from visa:

First, according to the mutual visa exemption agreement signed between China and other countries, they are visa-exempt persons; second, holding a valid foreigner's residence permit; Thirdly, the holding of a connecting ticket on an aircraft, ship or train for international voyage from China to a third country or region, staying in China for no more than 24 hours without leaving the port, or staying in a specific area approved by *** for no more than the prescribed time limit; Fourth, other circumstances that can be exempted from visas as stipulated in ***.

Legal basis]: Law of the People's Republic of China on the Administration of Exit and Entry Article 22 Foreigners may be exempted from visa application under any of the following circumstances:

1) According to the mutual visa exemption agreement signed between China** and other countries**, they are visa-exempt persons;

2) Holding a valid foreigner's residence permit;

3) Holding a connecting ticket to take an aircraft, ship or train for an international voyage from China to a third country or region, staying in China for no more than 24 hours without leaving the port, or staying in a specific area approved by *** for no more than the prescribed time limit;

4) Other circumstances that may be exempted from visa application as specified in ***.

Transit visa exemption (full name: Transit Visa Exemption for Foreigners, TWOV) is a part of the visa-free system of various countries, and the implementation of the transit visa-free policy can promote the development of the tourism and aviation industries. Specifically, it refers to the policy that foreign nationals can transit through a transit country to a third country without applying for a visa for the transit country in accordance with the laws or relevant regulations of the transit country, and can stay in the transit country for a short time.

The policy came into force on July 1, 2013. As of November 2013, there are 17 countries with China that are visa-free or visa-on-arrival, that is, they can travel with their passports and air tickets, and Timor-Leste only needs to carry a "visa issuance permission letter" from the embassy.

Transit Visa Waiver (TWOV) means that foreign nationals can transit from one country to a third country without applying for a visa from the transit country and stay for a short period of time. The purpose of transit visa-free is to promote the construction of an international aviation hub port and the development of the cruise economy, and attract more people from Waipeng to travel and do business. Internationally, Singapore, Dubai, Malaysia, Thailand and other countries all have transit visa-free policies with different time limits, which will promote the local tourism and aviation industry.

Legal Analysis: Methods of Foreigners Entering China:

1. Foreigners holding APEC business travel cards will be suspended from entering the country.

2. Suspend the port visa, 24 72 144-hour transit visa-free, Hainan visa-free, Shanghai cruise visa-free, Hong Kong and Macao personnel Guangdong visa-free 144-hour matching split, Guangxi visa-free to ASEAN tour groups.

3. C visas for foreign affairs, official business, courtesies and entry will not be affected.

4. Foreigners who come to China to engage in necessary economic, scientific and technological activities or humanitarian emergencies may apply for visas from Chinese embassies and consulates abroad.

5. The entry of foreigners who have been issued visas after the announcement will not be affected.

Legal basisNotice on Suspending the Entry of Foreigners Holding Valid Chinese Visas or Residence Permits》 Article 1 In view of the rapid spread of the novel coronavirus pneumonia epidemic around the world, China has decided to temporarily suspend the entry of foreigners with valid visas and residence permits to China from 0:00 on March 28, 2020. Foreigners with APEC business travel cards will be suspended from entering the country. Policies such as port visas, 24 72 144-hour transit visa-free, visa-free entry to Hainan, visa-free entry to Shanghai, 144-hour visa-free entry to Guangdong for foreigners from Hong Kong and Macao, and visa-free entry for ASEAN tour groups to Guangxi have been suspended.

Entry with diplomatic, official, courtesy, and C visas will not be affected.

If travelling to or from any third country via Singapore, you may be eligible for a 96-hour Transit Visa Waiver (VFTF) if you meet the following requirements: 1. Singapore can be entered by any means of transport, but only by air or sea. 2. Must have a valid air ferry ticket to Singapore within 96 hours; 3. Must have a valid visa issued by any of the following countries Long-term Pass (valid for at least 1 month from the date of entry into Singapore by VFTF):

Australia, Canada, Germany, Japan, New Zealand, Switzerland, United Kingdom, United States Note: The visa must be valid to travel to the countries listed above.

Detailed Rules for the Implementation of the Law of the People's Republic of China on the Administration of the Exit and Entry of Citizens Article 17 The passport of the People's Republic of China shall be valid for five years and may be extended twice for a period not exceeding five years each time. The application for extension should be made before the expiration of the passport validity. In foreign countries, passport extensions shall be handled by Chinese diplomatic missions, consular offices or other foreign authorities authorized by the People's Republic of China, and passport extensions for Chinese citizens who are in China or residing abroad shall be handled by the public security departments (bureaus) of provinces, autonomous regions and municipalities directly under the Central Government and the exit-entry administration departments of the public security organs authorized by them; The extension of the passport of a citizen residing in China before leaving the country shall be handled by the exit-entry administration department of the public security organ where the original certificate was issued or where the household registration is located.