General Guide for Flying to China (Direct or Transfer) (Updated on November 11th)
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**Updated November 11th**
Today, China announced that all inbound passengers will only need to quarantine for 5+3, meaning that instead of staying in a hotel for 7 days, you only need to stay there for 5 days. You still have to stay in your home for home quarantine for 3 days. They announced this 30 minutes after I was released from the quarantine hotel after 7 days. Yay me.
You will also just need 1 PCR test within 48 hours of your flight’s departure time to China instead of 2, which is a huge relief. Again, yay me.
China also announced that it will not cancel flights into China like it used to. This will likely make direct flight into China much cheaper than a few days before.
Please note that these updates are still in the national government stage, and it has not trickled down to the local governments that enforces these rules. Please do not buy your ticket just now, and wait for a few days; if there are any changes, I will update this guide.
Since I finished my 7 days of mandatory quarantine in the quarantine hotel, I asked the community covid director if I can cut my home quarantine days short for 2 days. She said that the policy is still fresh, and it might trickle down to them only after I have finished the three days of home quarantine. Don’t be rash. This is just great.
As stated in the title, this is a rather simple, general, or “lite” guide for your travel to China during its lockdown. If you would like to see a more comprehensive step-by-step guide that follows my journey from Los Angeles, U.S. to China, you should click here.
This guide applies to everyone, Chinese citizens and foreigners alike. The only difference would be that for foreigners, visa is required for entrance. All previously issued visas to foreigners are cancelled, and you would need to apply for a new visa if you want to enter China. So, for Chinese nationals, you can skip to STEP 2.
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STEP 1: Visa
If you’re from a non-visa-free country (I bet that’s the majority of you here), you need to apply for a visa. Since the beginning of the Covid-19 national emergency, the government of China officially invalidated all Visas that it issued before, whether or not if its expiration date is years ahead. China recently relaxed its visa issuing standards, so this might be a good time for you to return.
China still does not allow travelers to come into the country, therefore, the only plausible visa types that you can get from the embassy are Business and Family Reunification. To be completely honest with you, it is still a rather easy process to obtain a visa if you have the right reason. I have heard the horror stories with how people try to obtain American visas, and let me tell you straight, it is not that bad. Chinese embassy staff are very informative, don’t be afraid to ask questions.
To apply for a business visa, you will need an invitation letter from a corresponding business entity within China that is preferably a “big company”. To apply for a family reunification visa, you will need a letter of recommendation from your family that states all the necessary information.
Since I obtained my visa in the United States, things might be different with you in a different country. Please check the website of the Chinese Embassy that is in your country.
For those of you who are in the United States, you must do everything online, and prepare for a 3-4 weeks long process. Even if you choose the expedite option, it will not make things go faster.
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STEP 2: Booking Ticket(s)
Booking flights going into China can be very risky. Since the beginning of the pandemic, China tends to cancel a lot of flights. Please book your ticket(s) with the state of mind that it might be cancelled at any time. There are two ways you can fly into China:
Direct Flight
This is the easiest way into China. You only have to fly into China and do not need the hassle of staying in a third country for 3 days. This is your only choice if you are flying from a neighboring country to China.
Pros:
Easiest way there
Only need to prepare once
Do not need to apply a separate visa for the third country
Shortest time
Cons:
Flight is very expensive (Los Angeles to Beijing is around 50000 — 80000 RMB for economy)
You only have a select choice of destination
You must quarantine at that destination
You can skip to STEP 4 if this is the way you want to go.
Transfer Flight (Third Country Route)
This way is much more complicated, but can be a fun experience if you have time. You can choose to transfer at countries that are very close to China, for example, South Korea, Japan, Thailand, etc.
Pros:
Flight fare is much cheaper (Los Angeles — Incheon — Dalian is around 8000 RMB)
You get to tour a foreign country
Wow there really are a lot of cons huh
Cons:
Much more complicated
You may need to apply for a visa for that country you plan to transfer with
You need to stay in a foreign country for 3+ days
You need to pay for your hotel stay in the third country, an added expense
You need to do 2 PCR tests in 48 hours while you’re there
You might not speak the native tongue of that country, which can make moving around difficult
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STEP 3: Transfer Through Third Country
This is the way that I chose, because it is much cheaper, and I get to walk around in a different country. For flights from North America, your best bet is to fly to East Asian countries. For flights from Europe, you can choose to fly to South East Asian countries. For the purposes of this guide, I will only list Hong Kong, South Korea, and Japan. This list is in no way exhaustive, you should only see it as a general guide.
Hong Kong
Why here: It is the cheapest out of all three
Price: (From LAX): Around 4000 RMB
Price: (To other cities): Around 1500 RMB
1 Pro: No need for PCR tests there
1 Con: Only fly to select cities
South Korea
Why here: Second cheapest
Price: (From LAX): Around 6000 RMB
Price: (DLC): Around 2000 RMB
1 Pro: Fly to most northern cities
1 Con: Don't have too many things to do
Japan
Why here: If you like Japan
Price (From LAX): Around 4000 RMB
Price (To DLC China): Around 6000 RMB
1 Pro: Fly to most northern cities
1 Con: Most expensive
Since Hong Kong is a part of China, if you fly to Hong Kong, you do not need to take daily PCR tests while you’re there. After that, you can choose to either be taken to Canton/Shenzhen through the bridge, or you can choose to fly to a different city. The problem with Hong Kong though, is precisely that. You must fight for a spot to go to Mainland if you choose to go through the bridge, and that’s about 2000 people for 20,000 spots, daily. There is a schedule, and you must compete with everybody else to get the ticket in. If you choose to fly, Hong Kong has only maximum 6 flights a day to 6 cities in China, and that list updates everyday; so if you miss it, you miss it for good. If your destination is not one of the cities that Hong Kong flies to, you will have to quarantine at that city’s quarantine hotel for 7 days, and have to quarantine another 3 days at your destination’s quarantine hotel or your home. Again, this way is the cheapest, since flight fare inside China is extremely cheap; but you risk getting more exposure to the virus and disconnected flights. That’s why I chose against going through Hong Kong.
Both South Korea and Japan are good ideas for those of us who want to fly to a northern city. I am going to Dalian, and only South Korea and Japan offer that flight path. I happen to know a couple of friends who reside in Korea, but if you don’t know anyone there, I would recommend Japan, which has more things to do as a tourist.
But other than that, any third country functions the same as your origin country.
ALWAYS CHECK IF THE THIRD-COUNTRY REQUIRES ADDITIONAL REQUIREMENTS FOR ENTRY. Even though Americans do not need a visa to go to South Korea, it still needs all Americans to do a pre-check on its K-ETA website, and it must be done 72 hours before the flight, or your application may be rejected. Every country is different, please do research into that before buying your ticket.
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STEP 4: PCR Tests
I have only done research on Hong Kong, Japan, and South Korea, so my knowledge of other third-countries are limited. However, they should generally be the same. You should check your destination’s Chinese Embassy’s website to be sure. If you’re going straight to China, then the procedure is the same.
To enter China, you need 2 PCR tests in 48 hours. The first one should be two days before the flight. For example, if your flight leaves on the 3rd, then you need to take your first PCR test on the 1st, preferably in the morning.
Your second PCR test must be 24 hours apart from your first PCR test, and must be within 24 hours of your flight. It sounds convoluted, but it’s simple. I will use a three day schedule to help you understand, as it was my plan. Every number point should represent one calendar day. Assume your second flight to China leaves by 1PM.
Action
1: Arrive in the third-country, get to your hotel. Rest.
2: Take your first PCR test at 10 AM in the morning. Input test result into the declaration website, and after being approved, you will get a blue colored QR code.
3: Take your second PCR test at 1:30 PM or later in the afternoon.
4: Show both the blue colored QR code and the second PCR test result to the crew at the ticketing station at the airport.
It is not recommended, at least not from me, that you schedule to go take your first PCR on your day of arrival. Your flight may be delayed, and you might not get to your PCR testing site on time. It is best that your do your first PCR test on the second day or arrival.
DO YOUR FIRST TEST IN THE MORNING. This is important, because it saves you a lot of time frrom doing the guess work. Plus, you must separate your two PCR tests by 24 hours. If you do your first one in the afternoon, it might not leave enough time between your two tests.
DO YOUR SECOND TEST IN THE AFTERNOON. The timing of the second test is very important. The second test must be 24 hours after your first test, but within 24 hours of your flight’s departure. Never buy a ticket to China that flies past 5 o’clock, as you will never have enough time to get the results from your second test back. If you must, you can try to do the second test immediately after the testing facility opens; but it is going to be a 5-hour wait in most cases, and in some places, you will need to go back and grab the report yourself; you must balance the time very carefully.
I scheduled my first test at 10 AM, second test at 1:30 PM, since my flight leaves on 1 PM. It is best that you schedule a time slot with two Chinese embassy approved testing facilities, because they will know what to do. They will have their list of approved facilities on their website. Schedule ahead of time, and get there on time.
You must also take your PCR tests in two different testing facilities that use two different testing methods. I personally did not care much about the second requirement, but if you want, you can always ask the clinicians for help.
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STEP 5: Pre-Boarding Preparations
Arrive at the airport three hours before the departure time. You can come earlier, but in my case, they did not start examining documents until exactly 3 hours before the departure time, so I sat on my butt for an hour before they started showing up.
Have all your documents with you in your hands, as it will make the lives of both you and the person who examines you much easier. You will need the blue QR code that was generated after your first PCR test and the second PCR test result.
You will also need to install the app “WeChat” onto your phone. It is a Chinese super-app that encompasses everything in Chinese people’s lives, from chatting to payment. In your case, you need to use WeChat to scan a WeChat specific code at the ticketing station, and it will open a customs health declaration mini-app for you. Fill out that information when you get there. I did not know that, and a lot of older folks did not know that. I ended up helping all those folks at the airport with their application, but I doubt someone will be as friendly as me when everybody is busy preparing themselves.
After you input your information onto the health mini-app on WeChat, you will get a one-time QR code that has a yellow background. Present that to the examining person when asked. Only after that can you go to the counter and get your ticket.
After getting your ticket, which should leave you 1+ hour left before boarding. Go through security check, and then quickly find a restaurant inside the airport. You will not get food for the entire duration of your flight to China, and the same will happen until you finally check in at the quarantine hotel. Stuff yourself with food, you will thank me later.
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STEP 6: Arrive in China
This should be the easiest part of this guide. After your plane lands in China, stay on your seat until being told. It will take a while for them to get ready, and hand you a badge to wear around your neck that has your name, a test tube, and a number on it.
When being told, get off the plane, and line up to get tested. I know the people in the white robe/overall can look intimidating, but they can be very friendly. They are still police officers, so don’t do anything stupid. After doing your test, fill out a customs card at the Border Inspection area, and wait for your turn.
There were 2 Americans on board, including me. We got stuck until the very last, and our passports were taken away briefly. The officer was very friendly, but it still took us 1+ hour just to go through border inspection. Currently there is animosity between China and the U.S., so if you’re an American, be prepared to be treated more seriously than other people.
After getting your bags, which they didn’t check like they always did before, you will be instructed to get on a bus which will drive you to a quarantine hotel of their choosing. There are specific quarantine hotels in China, and you do not get to choose which quarantine hotel it is. Bring enough shampoo, body wash, and toothpaste, depending on the region you’re going, they might not have enough of that in the hotel room. The hotel that we were sent off to is an extremely old hotel, older than me. It is livable, but don’t expect to actually get a good hotel experience from the money you paid. Bring enough of everything to make your life comfortable. Here is a list of things I recommend getting in your country of origin:
Power plug converter
Power bar (some hotels are too old to have more than one outlet)
Shampoo, body wash, toothpaste (washroom accessories)
Towels (they might not be the cleanest)
Snacks (food provided to you might not be enough, and they don’t take orders, or let you order them from outside, at least in my region. Some areas allow you to order takeout from outside)
VGA/HDMI cord (so you can connect your laptop to the hotel TV. Make sure to bring both, some hotels have really archaic TVs from the 2010s.
Hard drive full of TV shows/movies, or 100 books, enough to read for 7 days.
I am lucky enough that my family lives less than one mile away from my quarantine hotel, so they can bring me stuff that is necessary. However, if you are a foreigner who knows no one here in town, or if you are transferring to a different part of China, make sure to pack enough of everything I listed earlier.
You are supposed to quarantine for 7 days at the hotel and 3 days at home, or you can choose to quarantine for 10 full days, which will make you a free man to do whatever you want to do. However, your first day of arrival does not count as your first day, your second day counts. Which means, if you arrive on the 1st, the earliest date you can leave is the 9th. You are required to quarantine for 7 full days. This also depends on region, as I am allowed to leave on the 7th day’s evening.
If you choose to quarantine at home for the last three days, they will drive you to your destination, and then seal the doors with tape. If you choose to quarantine for 10 full days, then you will need to charter your own way home. You’re free, have fun with it.
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I know I said this is a “lite” version of my guide for your return to China, but it kind of just spiraled on. Since the information out there is specifically made to confuse you, I hope this guide helps you. If you’re thinking about going through my route, which is Los Angeles to Seoul then to Dalian, click here.