Layover in Shenzhen
We have a layover from 9pm-1pm in Shenzhen (it was shorter but our flights got changed). Can we leave the airport to go to an airport hotel for the night without a visa? What I’ve read seems to say less than 24 hours with a ticket elsewhere (we’re going back to the UK from Hanoi) is fine, but I didn’t know if there are any issues since it’s a layover of flights booked together as well?
Hopefully someone who has transited recently through Shenzhen can give you a definite answer. At worse my post will bump this back up the forum list.
Shenzhen is an odd one when it comes to transits. According to the IATA Travel Centre ( https://www.iatatravelcentre.com ), their Timatic database (used by the airlines) says 24 hour Transit Without Visa does not apply to Shenzhen (SZX); and even if this program applied, it only guarantees an airside transit. To leave the airport you'd need to apply for a temporary stay permit upon arrival.
However, for British passport holders (and others), the Timatic database says the 144 hour visa free transit program for Guangdong Province does allow you to transit (fly in directly from one country and depart directly to a different country) with Shenzhen (SZX) being one of the program's approved airports for this Province; and the program allows (upon approval of application on arrival) you to exit through Immigration for up to 144 hours.
It makes no difference if you're flying on flights purchased on one ticket or purchased on separate tickets, even different airlines. Since you apparently have flights purchased on one ticket, then the transit through Shenzhen is obviously allowed, with your issue though still being can you leave the airport through Immigration.
I've seen posts that say they have transited in Shenzhen but don't remember if they left the airport and with the 144 hour visa free transit program you should be allowed to exit the airport, especially with an overnight transit. I guess the question is, if you know you would not be able to exit the airport what would you do about your flights? If nothing and at worse you'll just stay airside, then I'd just see how it works out upon arrival.
Thank you! Yeah nothing we could do so we’d just stay in the airport. I guess what it does mean is I won’t book a hotel, we will wait and see and then I assume it will be easy enough to just get a room when we arrive if we are able to leave.
I wonder how was the transit at Shenzhen airport?
Coz my flight schedule could be same with you... Overnight layover.
But i don't know where can I wait for the whole night.
Please share your experience.. :D
Our flight is tonight so we will see! But I called the airline and they gave us free accommodation. The problem is we still won’t know until we arrive if we can leave to go to it.
hey just for the record i just had a 12- 13 hour lay over in shenzhen...booked a hotel as from my research I thought I would be allowed out. Basically they told me the rules changed in Jan 2024 and I wasnt allowed out if layover was less than 24 hours. Not sure of the true policy but yea they didnt let me out so buying a hotel was a waste of money. and had to stay in the terminal.
Oh wow! We had the opposite experience. I ended up calling the airline and they offered to get a hotel for us since they changed the flight. When we got to Shenzhen we showed someone the email for the hotel and they took us to the area to get temporary transit visas. Lots of people were doing it and we filled in a form and gave it to them with our passport and our next boarding pass. It got approved and given back to us a few minutes later and then we went and sorted our hotel with the airline!
This is exactly how I’m always explaining the situation in both Shenzhen and Chengdu. If the transit is less than 24 hours, even like 18 hours they won’t let you out of the sterile transit area if the baggage gets checked through even when you have a transit hotel booking from Booking.com, Agoda or Trip.com. But if you’ve booked your hotel directly with your airline then they let you out of the sterile transit area.
Edited: 1 year agoHello, which phone number did you call to ask Shenzhen airlines for a transit hotel ? Thank you
Hello, how did you contact Shenzhen airlines? I've check my booking on trip.com but I couldn't found any contact number at all.
There is a chance that they won’t offer you a free transit hotel since you’ve booked with an agent (Trip(dot)com) instead directly with Shenzhen Airlines or China Southern Airlines. But if you still want to call the airline directly you could do a Google search and type Shenzhen Airlines/China Southern Airlines city office and the name of the city where you are flying from. By the way booking a transit hotel directly with the airline could still lead to being denied exiting the sterile transit area. It’s at the discretion of the immigration officer to give you an exit permit or not. However if you are holding a stronger passport and have booked your transit hotel directly with the airline then I don’t see any reason why they should deny you exiting the sterile transit area.
Edited: 1 year ago
