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transit in urumqi longer than 2.5 hours

Sydney, Australia
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213 posts
48 reviews
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transit in urumqi longer than 2.5 hours
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I will be going from Sydney to Tashkent, returning Astana to Sydney on China Southern. There will be 2 stops in China (Urumqi and Guangzhou) during each trip and each trip within China will be just under 24 hours. I understand that I could rely on Transit Without Visa because of less than 24 hours transiting through China. However, I've heard of transit time restriction in Qrumqi: apparently, the transit at that airport cannot be longer than 2.5 hours. My transit there will be longer.

Does anyone know if this time restriction for Urumqi transit is true and is enforced? Did anyone spend longer than 2.5 hours in Urumqi transit in the current year?

36 replies to this topic
Sydney, Australia
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1. Re: transit in urumqi longer than 2.5 hours
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I am afraid you may be denied onboard the flight from Astana to Urumqi as the 24 hours transit without visa policy is not applied at Urumqi Airport. You can contact the Chinese General Consulate in Sydney regarding the visa issue.

Sydney, Australia
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213 posts
48 reviews
39 helpful votes
2. Re: transit in urumqi longer than 2.5 hours
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Thanks, seems I will need to get visa for this journey.

Beijing, China
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3. Re: transit in urumqi longer than 2.5 hours
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To date, nobody knows exactly who or why this limitation appeared in TIMATIC last year. The 2 hour limitation for transits at Urumqi is not being enforced, in fact queries to immigration staff there have resulted in definitive answers that there is no such restriction being followed and that as long as total time in China is under 24 hours, they will admit you for Transit Without Visa. China Southern Airlines seems to know this, not sure about other carriers. Note that there are a few nationalities that cannot use TWOV through Urumqi at all.

Edited: 5 years ago
Sydney, Australia
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213 posts
48 reviews
39 helpful votes
4. Re: transit in urumqi longer than 2.5 hours
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Thank you - I will check with China Southern.

Melbourne, Australia
1 post
1 review
1 helpful vote
5. Re: transit in urumqi longer than 2.5 hours
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Hi, It would be nice to get your recent experience transitting in Urumqi. My wife and kids are returning to Melbourne from Tehran with CZ. The flight has two stops in Urumqi (1.5 hours) and Guangzhou (4 hours) before arriving in Melbourne. Do they need a visa as Australians? As far as I see on the website, in Urumqi they have to collect the baggage and check in again, is it true? Since I'm not accompanying them, it is a bit stressful how they can manage it.

Sydney, Australia
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213 posts
48 reviews
39 helpful votes
6. Re: transit in urumqi longer than 2.5 hours
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I went from Astana through Urumqi airport on my way to Guangzhou and Sydney on 28 August. Yes, we had to collect our luggage and then check in again. They could not check my luggage through at Astana airport. My luggage was checked through all the way to Astana when leaven Sydney, though. So going out it was possible to check my luggage right through and pick it up at final destination, but coming back I had to pick it up in Urumqi and check it in again.

When we got off in Urumqi, there was a special check a few meters ahead of Immigration desk. Two men in green uniforms (army, I presume) asked us to show them our China visa before we could progress to the Immigration counters for passport and visa check. I am not sure what would they do in case of people who rely on 24 hour transit-without-visa clause.

Once you get through the Immigration, collect your luggage and get through the customs, there is a China Southern transfer service desk just before exit from the airport. I did not bother to go up to the desk because I had 7 hours layover and did not wish to go to a hotel. I preferred to stay around the airport. This was a mistake as they did not let me back into the airport but took me to a hotel. Right from outside, with all my luggage. Apparently everyone who has a longish transfer at Urumqi must go to the hotel.Please do not just walk out into fresh air but go to the China Southern transfer counter.

I must add that on advice of China Southern, I've got a G visa (transit visa) for this trip. I was thus able to show it to the soldier who was checking them.

Also, when you fill in the yellow immigration form on your entry, do keep your filled in Departure part of it. It will save you scramble for a pen and delay while trying to fill it in before you come to the Urumqi Immigration counter.

By the way, the hotel that China Southern sent me to was rather good, the minibus staff helped with my luggage and everyone, including security, were pleasant.

Beijing, China
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15,320 posts
7. Re: transit in urumqi longer than 2.5 hours
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These days, Urumqi city including all transportation hubs, are under strict security which includes stringent identity and documentation checks. Even though Transit Without Visa is possible for most nationalities, the current situation is such that I recommend getting either a regular tourist visa or a transit visa (like the above poster did) OR avoid routing through an Urumqi connection.

Dunedin, New Zealand
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for Dunedin, New Zealand
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66 reviews
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8. Re: transit in urumqi longer than 2.5 hours
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Just to update on #6 - I had a transit through Urumqi earlier this week. My flights started in Tbilisi and terminated in Christchurch, via Urumqi and Guangzhou. Luckily, before I left I had read that a visa is needed if your stopover in URQ is longer than 2 hours or if you are not leaving from there directly to an overseas destination. Since I was going against both requirements, I had a G transit visa, which is not optional. In Tbilisi, both the airport check in staff and the Georgian immigration officer insisted on seeing that I had a visa before proceeding.

Once in Urumqi, it is relatively straight forward - just keep following the signs for domestic transit. About half way through you go through a security check and X-Ray, where they will take your cigarette lighter off you: OK if it is a cheapo, but if it is precious, that will cause some pain. This was also something they looked at at Guangzhou airport, so it seems to be a nationwide policy. Both airports have smoking rooms with built in electric lighters.

Transit through Urumqi is a pretty grim experience: there are a few food shops all selling quite similar looking items, but they don't take credit cards and there is no ATM - one person did offer to take dollars, but not $NZ. I had had a variety of stopover lengths available when I booked: I am glad I took the shortest available (I could have carried on on the same plane to Beijing, but that would have meant an extra airport to contend with).

For those also transiting through Guangzhou: I did not see any ATM airside and even those cityside are quite obscure. There are none in the arrivals hall: you have to go up to the departures hall, to the very back, where there are three of them. I had nine hours in Guangzhou - plenty of time to hop on the metro and get into town (8 yuan each way).

4 posts
1 review
9. Re: transit in urumqi longer than 2.5 hours
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HI

I am Australian citizen.

Can somebody please clarify me if I need to get Transit Visa G on my route Australia-> China ( Beijing- Urumqi) >Kazakhstan

from Sydney --> Beijing -- >Urumqi by Air China arriving in Terminal 2

Despatch from Terminal 3 Urumqi to Alamaty ( Kazakhstan) by Air-Astana

The whole route in China is less than 24 hours and I have only handbag so no any luggage

The thing is I will have to exit Terminal 2 on arrival and enter Terminal 3 in Urumqi to despach.

Thank you in advance.

Dunedin, New Zealand
Destination Expert
for Dunedin, New Zealand
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4,002 posts
66 reviews
38 helpful votes
10. Re: transit in urumqi longer than 2.5 hours
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How long is the transit through Urumqi? If over two hours, a visa is needed. They say none is needed if the transit is for less than two hours but you can't leave the airport - so unless there's an internal airside connection between the two terminals, even then you'd need a visa.

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