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Hello I’m planning to visit Beijing and Shanghai and wanted to check my understanding of the TWOV process.

I’m planning to fly Glasgow - Amsterdam (4hours between flights) - Beijing and stay 4 nights. Then get the train to Shanghai and stay for 3nights. I will then fly from Shanghai to Hong Kong to continue my holiday before returning to Glasgow from Hong Kong via Amsterdam (3hours between flights).

UK passport and hoping to TWOV. Am I correct in thinking that this itinerary will work for TWOV?

Thanks

Answer

Your planned itinerary — flying from Glasgow to Beijing (via Amsterdam), staying in Beijing and Shanghai, and then flying onward to Hong Kong — can qualify for China’s Transit Without Visa (TWOV) policy under the 144-hour visa-free transit rule, provided you meet certain key conditions. Let’s break it down carefully to ensure your route is compliant.

1. Basic rule of the 144-hour Transit Without Visa (TWOV):

The 144-hour TWOV allows travelers from eligible countries (including the UK) to enter specific Chinese cities or regions without a visa if they are transiting through China en route to a third country or region. The crucial condition is that your inbound and outbound destinations must be in different countries or regions.

Your inbound leg: Amsterdam → Beijing
Your outbound leg: Shanghai → Hong Kong

Since Hong Kong is considered a separate region for immigration purposes, this satisfies the “third country/region” requirement — meaning you are not simply returning to the same country you came from. Therefore, your inbound and outbound segments are valid under TWOV rules.

2. Travel within Mainland China (Beijing to Shanghai):

Because you are planning to travel between Beijing and Shanghai during your stay, you’ll need to rely on the 144-hour visa-free transit for the “Jiangsu-Zhejiang-Shanghai region” or the 144-hour visa-free transit for the “Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region.” However, there’s an important limitation: each region operates its own 144-hour transit zone, and you cannot cross between different zones under a single TWOV entry.

That means:

Beijing belongs to the Beijing–Tianjin–Hebei region.
Shanghai belongs to the Shanghai–Jiangsu–Zhejiang region.

Traveling between these two regions (Beijing to Shanghai) means crossing from one TWOV area to another, which is not permitted under a single 144-hour TWOV stay. You would effectively need to exit one TWOV zone and enter another — which isn’t possible without a visa.

3. What this means for your current itinerary:

Although your inbound and outbound legs meet the “third region” requirement, traveling between Beijing and Shanghai disqualifies you from using TWOV for the entire route as planned. The 144-hour TWOV only allows movement within one regional area. To summarize:

You can use the 144-hour TWOV in either Beijing or Shanghai — but not both in a single trip.
If you wish to visit both cities, you must obtain a tourist visa (L visa) before traveling.

4. Alternative options to make TWOV work:

Option 1: Stay only in Beijing under the 144-hour TWOV, then fly directly from Beijing to Hong Kong.
Option 2: Adjust your flight so that you enter China via Shanghai and only stay within that region (e.g., Shanghai, Suzhou, or Hangzhou) before flying to Hong Kong.
Option 3: Apply for a regular Chinese tourist visa if you want to include both Beijing and Shanghai in one trip.

5. Key TWOV travel tips:

The 144-hour (6-day) clock starts from 00:00 on the day after arrival in China.
You must have a confirmed onward ticket to a third country or region (like Hong Kong) before arrival.
You can stay only within the permitted TWOV region of entry.

Conclusion:

While your inbound and outbound flights technically meet the TWOV’s international transit rule, your plan to travel between Beijing and Shanghai crosses two separate TWOV regions, which makes your itinerary ineligible for the visa-free transit. To include both cities, you’ll need to apply for a regular Chinese tourist visa. Alternatively, if you adjust your plan to stay in just one region — either Beijing or Shanghai — your trip would qualify under the 144-hour TWOV policy.

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