Planning Asia Trip - Need Help with Shanghai Visa-Free Trans

Question

Hi everyone,

We’re currently planning an Asia trip and are considering including Shanghai—if we can enter visa-free.

Our itinerary would be:

Flying from London, UK to Shanghai

Staying in Shanghai for 3 nights

Then flying onward to Bangkok

We will have confirmed flight tickets for both legs and hotel bookings in Shanghai. However, since check-in for the Shanghai–Bangkok flight will only open 24 hours before departure, we won’t have seat assignments yet.

Can anyone confirm if this will be an issue for the 144-hour visa-free transit in Shanghai? Do we need a seat number, or is the confirmed itinerary enough?

Thanks in advance!

Let me know

Answer

Shanghai offers a 144-hour (6-day) visa-free transit for travelers from eligible countries, including the UK. This allows visitors to stay in the Shanghai area without a Chinese visa for up to 6 days, provided certain conditions are met.

For your itinerary, here are the important points regarding the 144-hour visa-free transit:

You must have a confirmed onward flight ticket to a third country (in your case, Bangkok) that departs within the 144-hour period.
Authorities usually require proof of a confirmed ticket and travel itinerary, including the date and destination. A seat assignment is not strictly required, but you do need a confirmed booking showing the date of departure and destination.
Hotel bookings are recommended to show your accommodation during your stay, which you already have for the 3 nights in Shanghai.
Your passport must be valid for at least 3 months beyond your date of entry, and it should be in good condition.

Regarding your concern about flight check-in opening 24 hours before departure:

As long as you have a confirmed ticket for the onward flight—even if the seat assignment is not yet available—you should meet the requirements for the 144-hour transit. Immigration officers mainly need to see a confirmed itinerary with the flight number, date, and destination.
If possible, print or have an electronic copy of your flight confirmation to show at immigration. This can be the e-ticket or booking confirmation from your airline.

Additional tips:

Make sure to enter Shanghai via one of the approved airports or ports for 144-hour transit, such as Pudong or Hongqiao airports.
Stay within the approved areas (Shanghai municipality and certain nearby cities) during your visa-free stay.
Carry hotel confirmations and onward flight confirmation in a readily accessible format, either printouts or on your phone, to facilitate the immigration process.

In summary, your current plan should work fine for the 144-hour visa-free transit. The confirmed itinerary for your Shanghai–Bangkok flight is sufficient; you do not need a seat assignment at the time of entry.

Planning Asia Trip - Need Help with Shanghai Visa-Free Trans

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