All French nationals wishing to travel to Chine must obtain a visa. This is issued by the competent Chinese authorities in France for a length of stay that varies depending on your application.

Let's be honest—obtaining a Chinese visa can sometimes feel like an uphill battle. Countless documents are often required, and many travelers find themselves puzzled about how to obtain them. Moreover, the requirement to secure a visa even for a brief stay of just 1 or 2 days can be frustrating and quickly become a significant inconvenience.

Fortunately, this situation is no longer unavoidable for everyone. Since January 1, 2013, Chine has implemented a visa exemption policy for transits lasting a maximum of 72 hours.

What is the 72-hour transit visa?

Today, nationals from 51 countries, including France, can enjoy a 72-hour transit without a visa in certain major cities of Chine.

This new visa exemption policy aims to facilitate short stays lasting a maximum of 3 days. However, to benefit from this visa exemption, you must meet certain conditions.

Requirements for obtaining the 72-hour transit visa

To benefit from this transit visa, you must be a national of one of the 51 authorized countries (see below) and be transiting through Chine before traveling to another country. Any second stopover in Chine will jeopardize your visa-exempt entry authorization. It is also essential that your outbound flight departs from the same airport.

Additionally, please note that only passengers on flights transiting through Chine will be exempt from visa requirements for 72 hours. Other modes of transport (train, bus, or ship) do not meet the conditions for this exemption.

Finally, it is clear that all stays of less than 72 hours with round-trip flights within Chine require an entry visa, since this type of stay does not involve transit to another country. For such requests, we recommend contacting an agency such as Visachine.fr or Action-visas.com, for example.

If you meet the conditions for obtaining a transit visa, you must have a valid passport, your dated and confirmed flight ticket to the third country, and a visa for that country if necessary.

The 51 countries exempt from visa for transit

Since January 30, 2016, 51 countries can benefit from this visa exemption:

37 European countries: Albania, Austria, Belgium, Bosnia, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Macedonia, Malta, Montenegro, Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Russia, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Ukraine, and United Kingdom.

6 Asian countries: Brunei, Japan, Qatar, Republic of Korea, Singapore, and United Arab Emirates.

6 American countries: Argentina, Brazil, Canada, Chile, Mexico, and United States.

2 Oceania countries: Australia and New Zealand

Airports offering the exemption

It is important to note that transits are only accepted at certain Chinese airports:

• Beijing (capital airport) since January 1, 2013,
• Guangzhou (Baiyun airport) since August 1, 2013,
• Chengdu (Shuangliu airport) since September 1, 2013,
• Chongqing (Jiangbei airport) since December 30, 2013,
• Shenyang and Dalian (Liaoning Province, Taoxian and Zhoushuizi airports) since January 1, 2014,
• Guilin (Liangjiang airport) since July 28, 2014,
• Kunming (Changshui airport) since October 1, 2014,
• Harbin (Taiping airport) since August 1, 2015.

Since January 30, 2016, a relaxation of the exemption policy now allows 144-hour transits for stays in Shanghai and the provinces of Jiangsu and Zhejiang. You may therefore arrive and depart from any of the following: • one of Shanghai's airports • Nanjing airport (Jiangsu) • Hangzhou airport (Zhejiang) • one of Shanghai's seaports • one of Shanghai's railway stations

The conditions remain the same for this particular exemption as for the 72-hour transit.

Procedure for benefiting from a visa exemption

• First, when purchasing your airline ticket, ensure that your stopover does not exceed 72 hours between your arrival date and time and your departure date and time for the next flight.
  • At your first check-in, inform your airline of your wish to benefit from the 72-hour transit visa. They will conduct an initial verification of your eligibility, which may help avoid unpleasant surprises once you arrive in Chine.
  • On the plane, complete the yellow arrival and departure card that will normally be distributed approximately half an hour before landing. Make sure to complete each requested section correctly (front and back).

• Once you arrive at the airport of one of the cities allowing 72-hour transit visas, head to the immigration counter specifically for 72-hour transits. If it is closed, you can simply ask a staff member or wait at an immigration counter; staff will be happy to direct you to the correct location.
• You will need to present your passport, your confirmed flight ticket for your next flight, and the yellow card you completed earlier.
• Keep the "departure" section of your yellow card—you will be asked to present it when you return to the airport for your next flight!

You can also visit the France Diplomatie website to stay informed about the latest updates.

If you have any questions about these transit visas, feel free to contact us or leave a comment below!