School’s out and summer is here. My next summer adventure is to spend the summer with my best friend from the US, Naomi Jenness! Naomi and I have been friends since birth, but unfortunately, I was raised in Virginia, while Naomi lived in North Carolina, which meant we were very far away from each other, but we got to see each other a few times a year. And since we moved to Beijing, it’s made our reunion even more challenging. And that is why we were thrilled when we heard the good news that we would be spending this summer together.
This is Naomi and her family’s first trip to China. They do not speak Chinese, so my mom wanted to make sure they’ll have an easy transit by flying into the Capital airport (PEK) instead of Daxing, which is much further away from us.
After the plane landed, a crowd of rushing passengers stood up to collect their carry-ons. I noticed at immigration that my friend’s family had to go through a separate line to complete customs. They also had to fill out a different form.
We got the regular entry form while they used the visa-free form.
I wanted to interview Aunty My (Aunty Mee) and learn more about the procedure of going through the visa-free transit.
Why did you choose the visa-free transit?
The process of applying for a tourist visa from the US was more complicated, and there wasn’t enough information available online. I was worried that it would take too long and be too expensive to apply for the visa. When your mom told me about the visa-free transit option, I thought it would be the simpler option of the two.
Was it hard going through customs?
It was not hard, but it did take a little while.
The line was not long, but it took the people in front of me a while to clear immigration. However, when it came to our family, the customs officer worked swiftly. Perhaps the arrivals in front of us had problems with their entry. So, then I was concerned that we would experience the same problems as the arrivals in front of us. This is our first time in China, so I was a little nervous about the process.
Was the process what you expected?
No, it took more steps than I thought it would. I thought I would go through the same entry line as other arrivals.
What are the steps of going through customs?
When I was on the airplane, the flight attendants gave us the wrong form. So when I got to the customs line, we had to take some time to fill out the proper one. When you exit the plane, follow the sign that says visa-free entry; do not follow the sign for the majority of people with a visa. There will be a counter that will have forms for visa-free/exemption to fill out. It is a separate immigration line.
Pro tip: Print out your exiting (transit) flight from Beijing, and have it ready for display.
Do you recommend the visa-free transit, or should people get a visa before entering China?
If you are planning to stay in China longer and have more time to apply for the visa, then I would recommend this. We were only staying for a few days. Visa-free is the better option. I just wish there were clear information online. If the steps for the visa-free transit are clear, then I would recommend using the visa-free transit. In the end, it was pretty easy, and I didn’t have to pay for a visa for the whole family.
China’s visa-free transit allows travelers to spend up to 240 hours in China without a visa.
Images: Clark Yap
