Travelling to China from Taiwan
Getting a visa
Transit without visa (TWOV)
Getting a visa
There are two possibilities for you to obtain a visa for China:
- Obtain the visa at the Hong Kong International Airport
In this case, you will have to present the following documents:
- Your passport
- A picture (identity/passport form)
- A copy of the travel itinerary
- A proof of the hotel reservation in China for your entire stay
- The visa fee, to be payable in cash (HKD)
The issuance of the visa normally takes 2 working days.
For more information, please consult the following websites:
- Obtain the visa through a local travel agency (in Taiwan)
It is also possible to obtain the visa through a local travel agency (in Taiwan), for instance:
- STtVisa (勝達國際旅行社) – price of approximately 4900 NTD
- Liontravel (雄獅旅遊) – price of approximately 4100 NTD
You will have to bring the following documents:
- A copy of the Alien Resident Certificate (ARC) (valid for at least 6 months) - if you do not have an ARC, you will not be able to request a visa
- Your passport (valid for at least 6 months)
- 2 pictures (identity/passport form)
- A copy of the travel itinerary
- A proof of the hotel reservation in China for the entire stay
- If you are a student : a copy of your student card and a proof of your registration at the university
The procedure takes up to 10 working days – sometimes even longer if it is a first time application.
Transit without visa program (TWOV)
China’s transit without visa (TWOV) program allow a traveler arriving at certain ports of entry to be admitted to China and stay within a specified geographic area for 72 or 144 hours visa-free before continuing their journey to a third country or region (incl. Hong Kong, Macau or Taiwan).
144h
- Shanghai, Jiangsu and Zhejiang
- Designated ports: Shanghai Pudong Airport and Hongqiao Airport, Shanghai Port International Cruise Terminal, Wusong Passenger Transport Center, Shanghai rail ports, Nanjing Lukou Airport and Hangzhou Xiaoshan Airport.
- Specified geographic area: Shanghai Municipality, Jiangsu Province, and Zhejiang Province.
- Beijing, Tianjin and Hebei
- Designated ports: Beijing Capital International Airport, Beijing West Railway Station, Binhai International Airport, Tianjin International Cruise Home Port, Zhengding International Airport, Qinhuangdao Port
- Passengers are allowed to enter and exit from any of these ports and move around the three places.
- Liaoning Province: Zhoushuizi International Airport, Taoxian International Airport
- Chengdu: Shuangliu International Airport
- Xiamen: Gaoqi International Airport and sea ports
- Wuhan: Tianhe International Airport
- Kunming: Changshui International Airport
- Qingdao: Liuting International Airport and sea ports
- Guangdong (to be implemented soon)
- Passengers will be allowed to enter via Guangzhou Airport, Shenzhen Airport, or Jieyang Airport, and travel within Guangdong Province.
72h
- The following cities allow visitors to enter with the transit without visa programme:
- Chongqing, Harbin, Xi'an, Guilin, Changsha
- Beijing, Tianjin, Shanghai, Shenyang, Dalian, Nanjing, Hangzhou, Shijiazhuang, Qinhuangdao, Chengdu, Wuhan, Xiamen, Qingdao, Kunming - extended to 144-hour Visa-free Transit (see above)
- Guangzhou – to be extented to 144-hour Visa-free Transit.
- Specified geographical areas for cities with the 72-hour free entry policy only:
- Passengers transiting in Guangzhou, or Changsha are allowed to travel in the whole province.
- Passengers transiting in Chongqing, Harbin, or Guilin cannot leave the transit city.
- Passengers transiting in Xi'an Xianyang Airport are permitted to travel in Xi'an and Xianyang.
- Specified geographical areas for cities where the 72 hours scheme has been extended to 144-hour transit without visa (TWOV):
- Passengers transiting in Shanghai, Zhejiang, or Jiangsu can move around the three places. With the implementation of the 144-Hour Visa-Free Transit Policy, they can actually stay for as long as 144 hours.
- Passengers transiting in Beijing, Tianjin and Hebei can also move around the three places freely for 144 hours.
- Passengers stopping over in Dalian or Shenyang can travel in the whole of Liaoning Province.
- Passengers transiting in Chengdu, Kunming, Wuhan or Xiamen cannot leave the transit city.
- Passengers transiting in Qingdao are allowed to move freely within the whole Shandong Province for 144 hours.
6 Steps to Apply for Visa-Free Transit
- Inform the carrier when boarding
- Fill an Arrival/Departure Card
- Apply for the 72/144-hour visa-free stay permit upon arrival
- Claim the luggage
- Go through the customs
- Leave the airport
Documents needed
- Passport valid for at least 3 months from the date of entry
- Onward ticket to a “third country or region” (not the originating country and not in Mainland China) with a confirmed date and seat within the time limit. The arriving and departing tickets may be on different airlines.
- Visa to a Third Country (if applicable)
- Fully Completed Arrival/Departure Card
How to count the layover time?
- Beijing, Guilin, Harbin, Kunming and Shenyang aiports usually count the hours between the scheduled arrival and scheduled departure.
- Other cities counts from 00:00 of the day following passengers’ arrival.