South African transit visa

Question

I am a South African passport holder and will be flying from Sydney via china to Bangkok. My layover is 6 hours. Is it true that I can do this visa free?

Answer

If you hold a South African passport and are planning a 6-hour layover in Beijing en route to Bangkok, here’s how the transit visa situation for the People’s Republic of China mainland works (as of the latest available information).

Key points to consider:

You are transiting through China on your way to a third country (Thailand) — that meets one of the general criteria for transit visa-exemption policies.
China has a “24-hour visa-free transit” (TWOV) policy that applies to most nationalities for stays in China of under 24 hours, provided you have a confirmed onward ticket to a third country.
However, China also has extended “72/144/240-hour” visa-free transit policies, but those apply only to citizens of certain listed countries.
For South African passport holders, standard tourist/business visa rules apply for entry into mainland China — i.e., you generally need a visa for visits unless you are eligible for one of the transit exemptions.

What this means in your specific case (6-hour layover):

Since your layover is only 6 hours and you are continuing on to Thailand (a third country), you are within the timeframe of the 24-hour transit without visa policy. The policy indicates that foreign nationals holding valid travel documents and confirmed onward tickets, staying in China for no more than 24 hours, are exempt from a visa.
Thus, for a 6-hour layover you should not require a transit visa for mainland China, assuming you do not leave the airport’s international transit‐area or otherwise clear immigration beyond what is permitted. In practice this means you stay airside or within the transit zone.
However: If you plan to *exit the airport*, go into the city, change airports within Beijing, or stay beyond the 24-hour limit, you would potentially need either a transit visa or fall under the 72/144/240-hour regimes — which you might not qualify for as a South African passport holder.

Important cautions and conditions:

Ensure your onward ticket from China to Thailand is confirmed, with seat number and departure time. Airlines and immigration may ask for it.
Your passport should be valid for at least three months (some sources say six) beyond the date of entry into China.
You must enter China and depart via different ports or, more simply, transit through an international airport to a third country; you cannot simply enter and depart returning to your origin.
The 24-hour transit rule generally means you remain in the transit zone; if you wish to pass through immigration and stay in the city (for example to visit for a few hours), this may not be covered by the 24-hour restriction unless a local temporary entry permit is issued.
Because the “72/144/240-hour” visa-free transit programmes only apply to certain nationalities (not South Africa) you cannot assume extended transit stay beyond 24 h without checking eligibility.

Bottom line: Yes — for your scenario (South African passport holder, transiting in Beijing for a 6-hour layover, onward flight to Thailand), you are likely covered by the 24-hour transit without visa policy and therefore would not need to obtain a transit visa for China, provided everything (tickets, passport validity, airport transit zone) is in order.

That said, it’s always wise to:

Confirm with your airline that they consider you eligible for the visa-free transit, since airlines sometimes enforce stricter rules.
Check with the Chinese embassy/consulate (or their visa centre) in your country shortly before travel, as policies may change.
Ensure you do not exit the airport transit zone unless you have the correct permit or visa.

South African transit visa

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