Watch this before using a transit visa in China | Held in custody at the Beijing Airport!

Watch this before using a transit visa in China if you don't want to be held in custody!

This sounds overly dramatic, but a couple of weeks ago: we were held in custody at the Biejing airport for 2.5 hours while we tried to sort out whether or not the would let us in!

It was a pretty horrible experience, especially after such a long flight. We were tired, grumpy, scatterbrained and HUNGRY. Not a good mix when you're told that your ticket out of the country isn't valid to use with the Free 144 hour Transit visa we were planning on using. The problem? our flight included a 2 hour and 10 minute layover at an airport located in a different province in China. A province that wasn't included in their Visa free districts!

We weren't the only ones that this happened to, either. There was another fellow on our flight who experienced the exact same thing.

The solution? We had to book a completely new flight out of the China before they would let us into China!

To make matters worse, the Cinese government blocks most websites we use in the west (including google and gmail) making it nearly impossible to search for new flights home.

This is a video we threw together to share our story and hopefully help others avoid making the same mistake that we did.

If you liked this video, and want to stick around for more: please consider tossing our channel a follow, we would love to have you around!

What we film on:

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Thanks so much for watching!
Joey and Peter

00:00:00 - Intro
00:00:40 - Setting the tone and starting the story
00:01:10 - Surprise phone call from Peter's Dad
00:01:24 - He's ordered a robot delivery!
00:02:08 - What went wrong
00:02:48 - Our experience being held in detention
00:03:50 - What made the problem worse...
00:04:13 - The solution
00:05:28 - Ask Jeeves works in China?
00:06:08 - Then our driver forgot where he parked the car!
00:07:28 - What to expect next
00:07:57 - Getting to Amsterdam

[Zerpentsa]

Not just China. Modt countries reserve the right to refuse entry if you don't comply to the letter. The rules for the 144 hours visa free entry are quite clear. You MUST LEAVE CHINA after 144 hours. Not leave one city, and stop in another in China . So the next flight booked must be to a different country. Don't try to dodge that because the previous people who did got refused. You are not special. The same law will apply.

[DanBurgaud]

You forgot to get VPN on your phones. With it, you can browse like you would back in your native country.

[saahan-nnfe]

If you use a VPN in China, you can access your program normally. It is not illegal to use a VPN in China, but the person who makes the VPN will break the law. The VPN I am using now only costs $1 per month. Welcome to try it.

[KathyTrithardt]

I like that they make the robots cute so we don't get too scared of them...

[lifeisgood]

The issue is that the transit visa only valid in certain provinces, which causes confusion to some visitors. What they need to do or should do is to make it valid for all provinces. Thus, will eliminate future confusion.

[doinggrownupstuff]

Can’t believe we even have to say this, but if you can’t express an opinion without being blatantly racist AND unkind, don’t bother leaving one. We have zero tolerance for that kind of behaviour on our channel, and you will be immediately reported.

To everyone who’s been able to have civil, reasonable conversations within the comment section: thank you ❤

[coastersandculture]

I know this is old so you may not see it, but could you confirm if you were on the same airline the whole way or two separate tickets?

I understand why this was flagged, but curious if I have say a delta open jaw for LAX—>PVG and then HKG—>LAX with a one way flight on day Cathay from PVG—>HKG will that count?

[tiger]

Thanks for sharing your China transit visa experience. I noticed there wasn't much emphasis on the importance of adhering to the visa regulations, particularly regarding entry and exit points and how to navigate it .

Clear communication about visa terms can benefit your viewers who may be considering a similar trip. Overall, your video was informative, but highlighting these key points could make it even more helpful for others planning their travels. Safe travels! 🌍✈️

[WillitzerMattoon]

I was in China for a few months city hopping via high speed trains. It's like playing in a massive, massive wonderland. Everyday is an adventure. I really missed China's safety, freedom, conveniences, awesome sceneries and assorted cultures.

[nanobio]

Really appreciate your kind outlook and how you showed empathy to others (like the driver). Definitely subscribing due to you portraying things honestly (including acknowledging the friendliness by which you were treated).

[SpontaneousSojourns]

I hear they can reject these visas randomly even if all paperwork and documents are in order.

So it is wise to be prepared for a rejection.

I also heard they recently updated the transit visa for up to 10 days and you can visit many more provinces.

[KarlitaaLagos]

China has strengthened tourism cooperation with various countries and launched a number of high-quality tourist routes to allow tourists to have a deeper understanding of China's customs, history and culture.

[LEgoiste]

As a seasoned traveller I had a nightmare experience in Beijing airport, no one at the airport appeared to know what they were doing by directing us to the wrong areas.
Our flight was delayed leaving Japan which resulted in us missing our connection in Beijing to Paris. The airline had arranged for us to fly out the following day with an overnight stay at a downtown hotel with transfer included, simple or so we thought.
Having to queue and sign some forms by a rude individual in a uniform who just barked orders and pointed we were then directed by others at various points in the airport which resulted in a 1.5hr loop of several security checks only to end up us ignoring the directions after completing a loop to choose a different direction which took us to the driver waiting for us. What a farce, for sure get a VPN as Wifi is next to useless there.
Put it down to again.

[WendelKuehnhold]

Thank you for sharing your experience. It is indeed unpleasant to encounter such an experience during the trip, but I think when traveling to a country, you should first understand the relevant policies to avoid many problems.

[Liam]

This summer I went from Taiwan --> Beijing --> Seoul. Taiwan did a good job checking that I qualify for the visa, and the airlines doubled checked before I boarded the flight. VPN and an E-SIM is recommended when you go to China, even if you have VPN on your phone, you can't turn on the VPN when using a Chinese SIM or hotel wi-fi. One thing I did not like in China was all the apps I had to download and if you don't have your phone, you basically can't pay or its very inconvenient.

[TheBudgetTraveller]

I tried this back in 2019 while travelling from ISB (Pakistan) - PEK - LAX as a US citizen. The Air China staff did not let us on. Even with a US Passport, they were insisting that we will be deported from China on arrival due to entering from Pakistan. Nowhere was this rule mentioned that we could not enter from Pakistan. Air China's station manager dumped the blame on us but after insisting and even recording him, he finally gave in and took our passport pics and said our new tickets will be emailed to us when the airline office opens up as the rebooking was not possible in the airport. Alhamdu Lillah, we were thankfully rebooked at no charge to a flight with a 2.5 hour stop in PEK. But Air China was not too willing to do this.

When I visited the Chinese consulate in US they too had no idea of such a rule and blamed the airline. In LAX, the Air China staff were more apologetic but acknowledged that travelling from Pakistan has some unwritten technicalities, regardless of nationality, and would have allowed me to board had I attempted the 144 hour transit w/o visa if I did the route the other way around.

I dont wish to criticize Chinese people but the lack of clarity is really an issue with these transit without visa policies.

[joeymelbourne]

Yes, the rule is you need arrive and leave at the same city. They should have checked your tickets, wouldn't have let you on the plane to China anyway lol The thing is lots of European countries have got visa free visit 15 -30 days already, but UK gov adversary attitude towards China, so it might take a while for British people travel to China visa free. Anyway, things are improving, hopefully

[JosephineHunter-de]

Transit visa free: During the period of no more than 144 hours of visa free stay in designated cities, short-term business visits can be conducted

[dutchylondon]

When I read about this visa on arrival it’s clear on the terms.

[youtubemonitor]

Which province in China you should go so we will not book it that province