The Air France check-in agent asked me to present my Chinese visa, which, of course, I did not have. I tried to explain in French that I could go to China through this new policy, but the agent insisted, “Non, c’est pas possible.” Foolishly, I plugged “10-day visa-free transit China” into Google on my phone and presented the results to him. He sighed, switched to English, and said, “That is not official. That is AI Overview.”
I asked if there was anyone at Air France I could talk to, and the agent shook his head. Maybe he softened when he saw the panic creep across my face because he then phoned a colleague, an Air France agent who was Chinese. The other agent explained that I was correct, there is indeed a new 10-day transit policy, and all I had to do was present my onward ticket to the Philippines, which I did have saved as a screenshot on my phone.
May my failure to properly prepare be your reminder to print out everything, including your flight and accommodation info, as well as the official visa-free transit policy. If there was ever a time to be a type-A traveler, it’s this.
Arriving in China on the 10-day visa-free transit visa
Once in China, the process becomes much smoother. All international travelers are required to fill out a digital arrival form, whether they have a visa or not. The form asks if you have a visa for China and, when you select no, offers a drop-down menu where you can declare that you are visiting through the 240-hour visa-free transit policy. Once that’s done, the form gives you a QR code that confirms you’ve completed the form; screenshot this code, just in case. Then go through the immigration line, approach the immigration officer, and present whatever is asked of you, like that QR code or your onward ticket, when prompted. That’s it!
For my journey, I got to Pudong Airport in Shanghai, logged onto the airport Wi-Fi, completed the form, and went into the immigration line. They didn’t ask for the QR code but they did ask for my ticket to Manila. Once everything looked good to them, they stamped my passport with a transit visa—a little sticker that declared my date of entry into China and when they expected me to leave. I was cleared to go, and I stepped into the duty-free shopping area, located right before baggage claim, feeling giddy and satisfied that it all worked out.