maxsevend

This is from MSC website: All in-transit cruise passengers will get visa upon arrival to Oman, Qatar and Bahrain for a stay no longer than 24 hrs.

https://www.msccruises.com/en-gl/Manage-Your-Booking/Before-Departure.aspx

click on Travel Documents and Visas for more detail.

When I contacted Celebrity regarding China visa they told me to contact Visacentral or China Consulate/Embassy directly and follow their advice/recommendation.

The following are the replies I got from China Consulate and visacentral (CIBT) in Canada when I asked them regarding China visa for my cruise. I would suggest you contact your local China consulate / Visacentral /CIBT directly if you still have question/concern.

Hope this help

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1) Reply from China Consulate (Calgary)

From: 卡尔加里 <chinaconsul_cal_ca@mfa.gov.cn>

To: ___

Sent: Friday, August 1, 2014 6:37 PM

Subject: Re: Do I need a visa for transiting Shanghai by ship (船舶过境免签) ?

If less than 24 hours, and you stay at the port of Shanghai which means inside the controlled area and without entering through the border service, you can transit without visa, in your case, you may stay on the ship.

--

Visa Section, Chinese Consulate in Calgary

1011 6 AVE, S.W. Calgary T2P 0W1 AB, Canada

Tel:403-264-3322 Fax:403-264-6656

Website: calgary.china-consulate.org/chn/lsfw/

http://www.visaforchina.org/YYC_EN/

2) Reply from visacentral/CIBT

From: CIBT Canada Customer Service <customerservice@cibtvisas.ca>

To: ___

Sent: Wednesday, July 30, 2014 1:13 PM

Subject: RE: Celebrity guest: Visa requirement for China (transit via ship < 24 hours)

Dear ____,

Thank you for this inquiry.

We have gone to the Toronto China consulate and they have confirmed that if you plan to step off of the cruise ship at any point even in transit then you require a tourist visa before departure. If you plan to stay on the cruise ship and not enter into china then you do not need a visa.

If you have any further questions, you may contact our National Customer Service Center at 1-888 665 9956 between the hours of 7:30 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. CST. Or at customerservice@cibtvisas.ca.

We value you as one of our customers.

Thank you for choosing CIBT.

Sincerely,

CIBTvisas Customer Service

Visa and Customer Service Specialist

CIBT Global Visa and Passport Professionals

Australia – Austria *– Belgium – Brazil – Canada – France - Germany – The Netherlands – Singapore – Spain – Switzerland – UK – USA

From: [mailto:___]

Sent: Tuesday, July 22, 2014 8:56 AM

To: CIBT Canada Customer Service

Subject: Celebrity guest: Visa requirement for China (transit via ship < 24 hours)

Hi,

I am interested in a booking a celebrity cruise Oct 26, 2014 that will transit a Chinese port (Shanghai) for less than 24 hours and leaving for Japan.

Celebrity advise me to contact your company for visa requirement.

I am trying to get clarification from your company if I need a China visa or not.

From your Visa requirement page: http://visacentral.ca/requirements.php, I entered the info for Connecting/Transit and your page said no visa is required for transit

Transit Regulations

There is no visa required if staying less than 24 hours. You must hold a confirmed airline ticket on to your next destination. Leaving the airport transit area is not permitted. These conditions are subject to change, you must confirm the transit regulations with your airline carrier prior to traveling.

The transit information for China in your page only list air travel but the latest exit/entry law from China since last July 2013 has indicated that the transit rule applies to not just air but also ship and train travel.

Info on the new exit and entry law from Chinese Consulate New York:

http://www.nyconsulate.prchina.org/e...wentryexitlaw/

Search for article 22 section (3)

Info from Chinese Embassy:

http://ph.china-embassy.org/eng/lsfw/visas/t960523.htm

Do I need a visa?

No visa is required if you belong to the following categories:

"2.Hold connected passenger tickets and are in transit to a third country or region by an international aircraft, ship or train via China, will stay for not more than 24 hours in China without leaving the port of entry."

http://www.travelchinaguide.com/emba...sa/transit.htm

Visa Free Transit

1. No visa is required for foreigners who hold tickets to the final destination and have booked seats on international airlines, ships, trains transiting directly through China, and will stay for less than 24 hours and do not leave the specified transit area.

Can you please advise.

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For Celebrity "No one will be allow to board unless they have a visa for China" is not entirely true. It depends on the itinerary. If the ship only visit a Chinese port and depart within 24hours to a different country, China has a 24 hours visa-free transit policy (new since July 2013) that allow you to remain on the ship visa free.

I will be on a Celebrity cruise that sail from Tokyo to Hong Kong visiting Shanghai for less then 24 hours to a 3rd country. I have received written confirmation from documentation officers on board that Celebrity cruise ship and I was told I'll be able to board the ship without a China visa in Tokyo.

Other cruise line (Princess/HAL etc.) may have different policy regarding China visa I believe they require one regardless if you are staying on board the ship or not or even if the sailing meet the 24hours visa-free transit policy.

The 1st 3rd country restriction is only for 72hour visa free transit

http://www.travelchinaguide.com/embassy/visa/free-72hour/

Restrictions of the 72-hour Visa-free Transit:

1. This regulation does not apply to passengers who travel on round trip flights (e.g., Hong Kong - Beijing - Hong Kong), which means the destination and place of departure can not be the same. That is to say, only those who make transit through International Airports in one of above cities to the third country are eligible for this policy.

http://www.travelchinaguide.com/embassy/visa/intro2.htm

2. For Direct Transit

No visa is required for foreigners who hold tickets to the final destination and have booked seats on international airlines, ships, trains transiting directly through China, and will stay for less than 24 hours and do not leave the specified transit area.

There is no 1st 3rd country restriction for direct transit since you are not going thru immigration/border control (remain on the ship/or at the airport transit area). The only restriction is the flight or ship must leave within 24 hours and to a 3rd country.

The tricky point is "a 3rd country". In our case, is JAPAN as regarded "a 3rd country" or "a 1st country"? Of course CHINA is the 2nd country.

Japan is regarded as a 3rd country. Third country means any country/region other than China (except Hong Kong/Macau/Taiwan).

For immigration purposes, Hong Kong, Macau and Taiwan are not considered part of China. They have their own exit and entry protocols, including visa requirements.

If your itinerary is same as mine (Nagasaki, Japan - Shanghai, China - Okinawa , Japan), I think we should need a visa even we stay on the ship because in our case Shanghai is not a transit point in this fragment of itinerary. The ship comes from and return to Japan. The 24-hr direct transit policy does not apply.

Yes the itinerary is the same. I think you may have confused the 72-hr visa free entry rule vs 24-hr visa free transit rule. For 72-hr visa free entry you cannot fly round trip from same country ie fly from Japan and fly back to Japan. For 24hr visa free transit since you are not entering the city (ie stay in airport transit area or stay on the ship) there is no restriction on where you are from as long as you are going to a 3rd country and leave within 24 hours.

I have written confirmation from Visacentral, China consulate as well as Celebrity document officer onboard the Millennium indicating no visa is required if staying on ship in Shanghai.

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showpost.php?p=44035837&postcount=358

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showpost.php?p=44084670&postcount=378

I will be on a Celebrity cruise in Oct that will transit Shanghai and leave within 24 hours to a 3rd country. I got confirmation from Visacentral/China Consulate/Celebrity CS/my TA that no visa is needed if I am staying on the ship.

Someone mentioned that I will be denied boarding if I do not have a China visa when I board the ship in Japan. I am pretty sure that is not the case but I want to be certain so I contacted RCCL/Celebrity port agent in Japan as well as the document officer on board the Celebrity cruise ship for an official answer.

For my particular sailing, both the port agent and the document officer confirmed that I do not need a China visa if I am staying on the ship and I will be able to board the ship without a China visa.

If your sailing meets the particular transit rule (leave within 24 hours to a 3rd country) and you do not want to go ashore you can stay on the ship without a China visa.

Please note that the above information is only for RCCL/Celebrity/Azamara/Costa only as other cruise line (Princess/HAL etc.) may have different policy/rule in place (ie. China visa required regardless if the cruise meets the 24hours visa-free transit rule and passenger is staying on the ship).

Hope this help.

for those anting to fly to Shanghai then take a cruise, the issue, as stated above, is to board the plane. Airlines rely on a database called Timatic. This is up to date and is the only reliable source accepted by airline personnel. One can see it here: http://www.staralliance.com/en/services/visa-and-health/#

And there is no mention of a ship exemption. It says that a visa is required unless "holding confirmed onward airline tickets to a third country" So, if one wants to fly to Shanghai to get on a cruise, the airline will not even let you board the plane.

Whether one can cruise to Shanghai then catch a flight, it should be checked with the cruise company to see if they will let you on the ship in the first place.

The new 24 hours visa-free transit that include air, ship and train is in effect since July 2013 and it could take a while for some websites to update the information. I believe most airlines are aware of this new rule otherwise the transit example from airport to port will not be possible.

http://上海边检总站.中国/listPageEn.aspx?lx=37&id=3066

The above is form Shanghai Immigration Inspection Station (I believe this is a government website) it did say they process a 24hours visa free transit for 2 Americans flying on flight CI501 from Taipei to Shanghai and connecting to a cruise ship leaving Shanghai port to Jeju Island (S.Korea)

For transit from ship to airport, Costa website said you will need a visa for China but the example show that passengers on Costa Atlantica cruise did actually transit visa-free from port to airport so they must be able to board the ship without any visa.

http://www.sh-immigration.gov.cn/listPageEn.aspx?lx=37&id=2943

For Direct Transit

No visa is required for foreigners who hold tickets to the final destination and have booked seats on international airlines, ships, trains transiting directly through China, and will stay for less than 24 hours and do not leave the specified transit area."

The specified transit area means the transit lounge at the airport. You do not go through customs and do not leave the airport. If you go from the cruise terminal, you will have to go through customs and then travel through the city of Shanghai before you can get to the airport. That is my take on this. For my cruise I have to get a double entry as we will be in Beijing and then sail to Korea and Japan before coming back to Shanghai.

The specific transit area actually means the entire city (not just airport) otherwise how can a passenger transit via train or ship? They will need to travel from airport to port/train station or vice versa.

If you have a valid transit connection ie from air to ship or ship to air within 24 hours, you will go thru immigration and custom and they will stamp your passport with a temp entry permit so you can travel from airport to port or vice versa.

The 2 past cases I included both indicated cruise passengers traveling from port to airport or vice versa with a temp entry permit. Not just restricted to airport only.

In your case if you do not want to get a double entry visa and if your cruise meets the 24hours transit rule you can consider the following:

Fly into Tianjin (TSN) since the port is in Tianjin not Beijing and get on the ship that leaves within 24 hours the ship must sail to a 3rd country. When your ship arrive Shanghai you will need to fly out within 24 hours to a 3rd country.

If you are just transiting China via flight/ship/train within 24 hours you do not need a visa.

http://www.travelchinaguide.com/embassy/visa/intro2.htm

"2. For Direct Transit

No visa is required for foreigners who hold tickets to the final destination and have booked seats on international airlines, ships, trains transiting directly through China, and will stay for less than 24 hours and do not leave the specified transit area."

See past cases of 24hours visa-free transit:

1) From ship to airport:

http://www.sh-immigration.gov.cn/listPageEn.aspx?lx=37&id=2943

2) From airport to ship:

http://上海边检总站.中国/listPageEn.aspx?lx=37&id=3066

You may also want to contact the cruise line to confirm since some cruise line (Princess etc.) will require you to have visa to board the ship even though it is not necessary for direct transit.

3) For cruise ship transiting in and out of same port:

I contacted visacentral/CBIT/China Consulate/Celebrity regarding visa requirement for a cruise that will transit Shanghai for less than 24 hours and sail to a 3rd country. Visacentral/CBIT/China Consulate told me no visa is needed if I stay on the ship. Celebrity customer service told me I do not need a China visa to board the ship (they will not check) since all passport will be collected when boarding and only those passengers with valid China visa will have their passport back to enter the Chinese city.

I even contact RCCL/Celebrity port agent in Shanghai and he confirmed no visa is needed if remain on the ship.

If you are planning to stay on the ship no visa is needed. If you want to enter the city, you will need to get a visa.

China had updated its entry/exit law last year (2013) and the 24hours visa free transit include not just air but also ship and train.

Here's the latest information from China Consular Affairs (in Chinese)

http://cs.mfa.gov.cn/wgrlh/lhqz/cjwdn_660600/t1175678.shtml

Translated to English:

http://translate.googleusercontent.com/translate_c?depth=1&hl=en&prev=/search%3Fq%3Dcs.mfa.gov.cn%26biw%3D1440%26bih%3D767&rurl=translate.google.ca&sl=zh-CN&u=http://cs.mfa.gov.cn/wgrlh/lhqz/cjwdn_660600/t1175678.shtml&usg=ALkJrhjD0gkSwbHoF-S3lr9tzTCPHLhX4w

Past examples of cruise passengers using the 24hours visa free transit in Shanghai

http://www.sh-immigration.gov.cn/lis...?lx=37&id=2943

http://www.sh-immigration.gov.cn/listPageEn.aspx?lx=37

The new rule is already in place for some time but cruise lines haven't update their website with the new information.

If you are flying in and taking a cruise to a 3rd country within 24 hours from the same city you should be fine. Going on a cruise and leave a Chinese port within 24 hours after the cruise or transiting a Chinese port to a 3rd country within 24 hours is a bit tricky since you may be denied boarding the ship at the embarkation port (although the above example seems to indicate certain cruise line (Costa) will let passenger board the ship without a China visa. May be the cruise lines are aware of the new rule but haven't update their visa requirement)

It's best to call cruise line directly and ask for clarification whether a visa is required for transiting a Chinese port. In most cases the cruise line will probably tell you to get a visa. If you can get a definite answer from the cruise line that no visa is needed then make sure they advice the port agent at the port of embarkation so you won't be denied boarding. Keep all correspondences from cruise line and bring them with you when boarding.

With more ships going to Far East/Asia it will be the cruiselines best interest to clarify China visa requirement for transiting Chinese ports (especially Shanghai or Tianjin) since it will gather more interest for those sailings if no China visa is required.

If you are arriving in Beijing on an aircraft and leave on a cruise ship, then a visa WILL be required. You are not leaving from the same port of entry. This includes arriving on the same day and going to the ship and leaving on the same day. Different ports. Arrival port is Beijing Airport and departing port is Tianjin Cruise port. My take on this.

True Beijing and Tianjin are two different cities so the 24 hours transit visa-free rule does not apply. However if you fly into Tianjin airport (TSN) and leave from Tianjin cruise port or vice versa within 24 hours that should be fine. Note that you must fly into Tianjin directly from another country (Korea, Japan, Hong Kong, Taiwan etc.) if you fly to Beijing/Shanghai and then connect to Tianjin you will need a visa when you arrive in Beijing/Shanghai etc.

For an 11 hours visit, the 72 hours visa exemptions are irrelevant. Every nation qualifies for a transit of up to 24 hours visa-free.

Not sure that your experience is relevant to the question being asked as the OP wants to take a cruise that departs from China. This is clearly not allowed by the rules.

New rule was already in place since last July. China 24-hour transit visa-free policy now include ship and train (in the past is air only).

As long as you arrive and leave the same port within 24 hours by air/ship/train to a 3rd country you do not need a visa.

More information:

New exit and entry law can from Chinese Consulate New York:

http://www.nyconsulate.prchina.org/e...wentryexitlaw/

Search for article 22 section (3)

Info from Chinese Embassy in Philippines

http://ph.china-embassy.org/eng/lsfw/visas/t960523.htm

See # 2)

http://www.travelchinaguide.com/embassy/visa/transit.htm

See Visa Free Transit # 1)

http://www.sh-immigration.gov.cn/lis...?lx=37&id=2943

British couple arrived Shanghai on a cruise ship (Costa Atlantica) and left Shanghai by Air (Pudong airport) within 24 hours and no visa was required.

http://www.sh-immigration.gov.cn/listPageEn.aspx?lx=37

American citizen arrived Shanghai airport and left Shanghai sea port by ship within 24 hours again no visa was needed.

Looks like this 24-hour transit visa-free policy was already in effect since July 2013

http://www.sh-immigration.gov.cn/listPageEn.aspx?lx=37&id=2943

British couple arrived Shanghai on a cruise ship (Costa Atlantica) and left Shanghai by Air (Pudong airport) within 24 hours and no visa was required.

http://www.sh-immigration.gov.cn/listPageEn.aspx?lx=37

American citizen arrived Shanghai airport and left Shanghai sea port by ship within 24 hours again no visa was needed.

Similar info on the new exit and entry law can also be found from Chinese Consulate New York:

http://www.nyconsulate.prchina.org/eng/lsyw/lszjx/newentryexitlaw/

Search for article 22 section (3)

We are thinking of booking an Asian cruise which has only one stop in China, Shanghai for 8 hours. My question is, if we do not get off the ship do we need a Visa:confused:

Effective Sep 1, 2013 no visa is required if you are transiting any Chinese port to another country.

http://ph.china-embassy.org/eng/lsfw/visas/t960523.htm

Do I need a visa?

No visa is required if you belong to the following categories:

"2.Hold connected passenger tickets and are in transit to a third country or region by an international aircraft, ship or train via China, will stay for not more than 24 hours in China without leaving the port of entry."

http://www.travelchinaguide.com/embassy/visa/transit.htm

So if the ship's stay is less than 24 hours and is going to a third country, you do not need a visa

Hope this help