On Nov. 24, 2023, China decided to offer visa-free entry to travelers holding ordinary passports from France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Spain and Malaysia from December 1, 2023, to November 30, 2024. Citizens from those countries are able to enter China without a visa and stay for no more than 15 days for business, tourism, family visits and transit purposes.

Updates: In order to further promote personnel exchanges between China and foreign countries, China has decided to expand the scope of visa-free countries and implement a pilot visa-free policy for ordinary passport holders from six countries: Switzerland, Ireland, Hungary, Austria, Belgium, and Luxembourg. From March 14 to November 30, 2024, ordinary passport holders from the above countries can enter China without a visa if they come to China for business, tourism, visiting relatives and friends, and transit for no more than 15 days.

So if your nationality is one of those countries, you do not need to follow below instructions to apply for the transit visa, just please go to immigration directly.

1. How to get the “Transit Visa” and where to find our booking counter? (Please print it out or save it to your phone)

Apply for Transit Visa Stamp (Picture I)

Immigration (Picture II)

* Please follow below instructions if your flight landing at Beijing Capital Airport Terminal 3

Step 1: When you get off the airplane please follow the sign “Exit, Baggage Claim”. Please keep walking until you see “24/144-hour International Transfer (Apply for Leaving Airport)”. (The opposite of the arrival gate E29) (Please see the picture I)
Please DO NOT stop on the way, such as: “Exit & Entry Certificate Service Office” and “Transit for international Flights within 24 hours”. You might never be allowed to come out.

Step 2: Please waiting for the line at the “24/144-hour International Transfer (Apply for Leaving Airport)”you can get the “Visa-free Permit ” there. You need to fill a form “Arrival Card for Temporary Entry Foreigners” (Blue one) while you are waiting. (You can get the form at the desk nearby)

Step 3: After you get the Visa-free, please walk to the left and pass through the “China Inspection and Quarantine”, waiting for the line for “Foreigners” to pass through the immigration. (Please see the picture II)

Step 4: After you pass through the immigration, there is an escalator. Please follow the escalator downstairs. Then you will see a little train station.

Step 5: Please get on the train, and get off the train at the terminal station (T3 C).

Step 6: After you get off the train at “T3 C”, follow the sign “Exit” you will see Exit “B“. Pass through the Exit “B”, you can see our booking counter on your right side.

* Please follow below instructions if your flight landing at Beijing Capital Airport Terminal 2.

Step 1: When you get off the airplane take a escalator up please follow the sign “Exit, Baggage Claim“. Please keep walking until you see “China Inspection and Quarantine“.
Please DO NOT stop on the way, such as:“Transit for international Flights within 24 hours”; “Entry Visa”; “Visa Application”. You might never be allowed to come out.

Step 2: Please walk through the “China Inspection and Quarantine” follow the yellow arrow on the ground “144-Hour Visa-free Transit“. At the “CHINA IMMIGRATION INSPECTION” there are several access for “Foreigners“, please go through those access. And then you can get the “Visa-free Permit”.
You need to fill a form “Arrival Card for Temporary Entry Foreigners” (Blue one) while you are waiting. (You can get the form at the desk nearby)

Step 3: Continue follow the sign “Exit, Baggage Claim“ take an elevator down you will see “CUSTOMS“, through the “CUSTOMS”, please go to “Gate 5 or 7” to take the 24 hours free shuttle bus to terminal 3, our booking counter is on the second floor arrival hall.

* Please follow below instructions if your flight landing at Beijing Capital Airport Terminal 1.

Terminal 1 is a domestic terminal, there is no “Immigration” or “Customs”, after your arrival, please go to “Gate 5” to take the 24 hours free shuttle bus to terminal 3, our booking counter is on the second floor arrival hall.

Notice: Our booking counter working time is 6am-2pm every day. Please book the tour with our travel advisor during this time frame. The visa free line is very long in winter, so please go to apply it as soon as you landing. Thank you!

Beijing layover tour booking counter
Beijing layover tour booking counter (The right side of the Exit B)

2. Flight delay/cancel & Refund? (Apply to private tours only)

If your flight delays and without your notice, our guide and driver will wait you till you arrives and finish the tour if possible. If there is not time to finish the tour, we will refund you the deposit after deducting the fee for the tour guide and driver.

In case that your flight cancels or delays, please let us know at least 4 hours in advance. This way, we can refund you the deposit in full.

3. How to book a layover tour?

Tell us the itinerary in the website you are interested in and also your modification ideas regarding to the itinerary, by filling an online inquiry form, by email, by phone or by fax. We are available 24 hours every day.

4. How to pay? (Apply to private tours only)

To book a layover tour, please pay 50% of tour fee as deposit in advance. We use PayPal online payment, which is more safe and convenient. Our travel advisor will give further details about it. The balance half could be paid upon arrival directly to the tour guide in cash, either USD or RMB. If you want to pay the rest of tour fee by credit card via PayPal as well, please pay before you landing Beijing.

5. Are these your best tour prices?

Yes, all of our tour prices are our best prices we can do. But if you can get more people join your tour, the tour price will be cheaper. You can see our Best Price Guarantee Policy at: https://www.beijinglayovertour.com/why-choose-us/.

6. How to assure a layover booking?

We will send you a Tour Confirmation via email (usually within 6 hours) after the receipt of your deposit, passport info and flight info. In this way, your booking is finally confirmed.

7. Luggage storage for the layover/Where to leave your luggage for the layover?

Leave your luggage with your airline. Passengers on layover tours arriving and departing from Beijing Capital airport will normally have their luggage sent to their final destination from their airport of origin.

Leave your luggage with us, load on our vehicle, our driver will watch for you while the tour.

If you’re looking to ditch your bags while you explore Beijing, the airport offers left Luggage counters at all the three terminals. You can leave your luggage for few hours to few days.

For example: A layover in Beijing in between flights from Amsterdam, the Netherlands to Manila, the Philippines. Luggage will be sent directly from Amsterdam to Manila. The information is only a guideline and it’s always recommend to check precise details with your airline.

8. Money exchange?

It’s advisable to exchange some money at the airport counters or ATM as you need to purchase meals or other personal expenses. Its handy to have some RMB when you arrive. There are 24 hour currency exchange counters at Beijing airport in all terminals as well as ATMs.

9. Visa-free Policy?

Please see details at: https://www.beijinglayovertour.com/visa-free-policy/.

10. What are the differences with other tour companies? What are the advantages do you have?

Please see this page about the differences between our company with others. https://www.beijinglayovertour.com/why-choose-us/.

216 comments on “How to Get “Visa” & Find Our Counter

  1. Andrea says:

    Hello, I am going to land in Beijing around 2am. How fast can I go through the immigration and 144 hour visa counter? Are there some opening hours or does it work nonstop?

    • admin says:

      Hi Andrea,

      Thank you for contacting us!

      The transit visa counter will be open 24 hours. No worries!

      Please let us know if you have any other questions.

  2. Izel says:

    Hi, we are arriving in Beijing on May 25 2024 at 9:40 and departure 19:30, is there a possibility to go in Greatwall? Thanks in advance.

  3. Justin says:

    Hi, we are arriving in Beijing on the 17th March at 5:00 and departing at 14:10 on our next flight. Would we have time to do the 7-11am Great Wall Group tour? Or otherwise a private tour? Thanks

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