Citizens of the following countries may enter China and spend 144 hours (6 days) without applying for an entry visa for China
Albania, Argentina, Australia, Austria, Belarus, Belgium, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Brazil, Brunei, Bulgaria, Canada, Chile, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Macedonia, Malta, Mexico, Monaco, Montenegro, Netherlands, New Zealand, Poland, Portugal, Qatar, Romania, Russia, Serbia, Singapore, Slovakia, Slovenia, South Korea, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Ukraine, United Arab Emirates, United Kingdom, United States
South African citizens are only given a 24 hour visa-free entry.
There are some important criteria to consider, however.
Please inform us during your booking process if you wish to use the Chinese visa-free entry so we can prepare the necessary documents.
1. Passengers may choose to enter or leave China from Beijing Capital International Airport (PEK Airport), Daxing International Airport, Beijing West Railway Station, Tianjin Binhai International Airport, Tianjin International Seaport, Shijiazhuang International Airport or Qinhuangdao International Seaport.
This means if you wish to use a transit visa you CANNOT use the train in or out of the DPRK.
2. When arriving at the flight check-in counter, the passenger must present printed documents before boarding their flight to China. We will email a scanned copy of these two documents to you.
- Your confirmed flight itinerary to the DPRK (Pyongyang)
- Your valid entry visa to the DPRK
Please note: DPRK visas are not released by the DPRK embassy in Beijing until a couple of days before the tour commences. If you wish to use the visa-free entry on your flight into Beijing, it’s best to arrive the day before the tour to make sure the visa has been issued before you depart whilst still allowing yourself time to deal with any delays at immigration.
3. When arriving into China after your DPRK tour with us you must prepare your printed flight itinerary showing your flight exiting Mainland China that must include your name, flight number, time and date, and confirmation number. Having it on your phone or tablet is not satisfactory to both North Korean or Chinese immigration.
Multiple transits within mainland China is not acceptable for the transit visa. Your flight must arrive or depart in China from or to another country. Taiwan, Hong Kong or Macau are considered outside of mainland China.
For example: your departing flight leaves London and arrives into Beijing Capital Airport. Your next flight departs Beijing Capital Airport and arrives into Pyongyang, DPRK. This complies with transit visa requirements. Okay!
Your departing flight leaves London and arrives in Guangzhou International Airport to transit onwards to Beijing Capital Airport. Your next flight will depart Beijing Capital Airport to arrive into Pyongyang, DPRK. This does not meet the transit visa requirements and you will be stopped at Chinese immigration.
4. You may put forward your request for transit to your airline in advance, so that the airline can declare this to immigration inspection prior to your visit.
5. Customers are responsible for ensuring these policies and requirements are followed and accept that YPT will bear no responsibility for any costs they incur if they do not arrange the visa-free entry correctly. We strongly advise all travellers to check the diplomatic situation between China and their home countries as conditions may change at any time.
6. It’s important to note that the decision to grant a transit visa ultimately lies with the Chinese immigration officers at the airport. We recommend, as best practice, that you apply for a double-entry visa in advance entering China so your visa is already secured. If you are unable to receive a Chinese visa in time and/or prefer to use the transit visa, then please follow the above points and recommendations to decrease the likelihood of a refusal. YPT bears no responsibility for transit visa refusals.
