Traveling abroad is often associated by travelers with the execution of various documents. Often it is this reason that makes tourists refuse to visit a particular country. Most have a fear that customs will find any errors and inconsistencies in the papers.
This is the wrong position. Before traveling, it is necessary to familiarize yourself with all the nuances of obtaining visas in advance, and then not a single checkpoint will be able to "spoil" the rest of tourists. If you prepare the documents correctly, the registration will take no more than a few days.
What is a transit visa
Often, to get to a certain country, you need to cross the borders of several others. In this case, travelers do not stay in these states for more than a few days.
But so that customs checkpoints could control the movement of such tourists, transit visas were created. They are issued for no more than 72 hours and are used by travelers only to cross the borders of different countries while traveling to their destination.
When travel is by air and requiredtransfer, then a transit visa is issued if the tourist leaves the airport while waiting for the next flight.
When is it necessary to apply for such a visa?
There are several basic rules under which during the trip you need to take care of the execution of additional documents in advance.
- During the flight to your destination, you have to change airports and go through several terminals.
- It is supposed to travel to the country with a change in the capital of Germany. The exception is Air Berlin customers.
- More than two terminal crossings planned in the Schengen area. Suppose a tourist is moving from St. Petersburg to San Francisco. During the journey, he must cross Vienna and Hamburg. On this section, passengers must leave the transit zone, because it is in the Schengen area. As a result, the tourist makes more than two transfers. In this case, it is necessary to apply for a transit visa at the Austrian embassy, because this is the first state where a transplant takes place.
- Transition within England, which takes no more than 2 days.
There are three countries where transfers require mandatory transit visas for Russians, even if they do not leave the airport at that time:
- USA.
- Australia.
- Canada.
If tourists are planning a trip crossing the borders of these countries, then you need to worry about obtaining a transit visa in advance. It will helpavoid many unpleasant moments.
Trip to China
With Hong Kong, the Russian Federation has an agreement regarding the crossing of the border by tourists. Russians can stay in China for up to 14 days without a visa. When arriving here, a special sticker with the date of crossing the border is pasted into the passport of the tourist.
In Macau, this rule also applies, only the period of stay without a visa in this region for Russian tourists has been increased to 30 days. You can get to Hainan Island as part of a group whose members are listed on a special list that is served to border guards. In this case, you can stay here without a visa for 21 days.
Beijing and Shanghai
You can stay in these cities for 72 hours without applying for a transit visa to China. This rule applies only to tourists who travel by plane. In this case, it is allowed to leave the transit zone at the airport and move within the city.
When traveling by train, this agreement between countries does not apply. In this case, tourists need to apply to the Chinese Consulate for a transit visa. This rule applies even if the departure will be by plane.
If you need to stay in Beijing longer than 72 hours, then before departure, you need to submit the necessary documents to the Chinese consulate. Then the report time for transit will be scheduled for midnight the next day after arriving in the city.
Can I get visa-free transit for 24 hours in China?
If a transplant is required inthis country, then it is possible to cross the border without additional documents within two days. In the agreements between the countries, the basic rule on this matter clearly operates.
The flight necessarily takes place only through one airport.
But, as in other cases, there are exceptions, which are also spelled out in the legislation of the two countries, if the place of arrival and departure do not match:
- travel with one airline;
- scheduled technical stop or transfer to another flight;
- record in all segments on the same form with the same booking coding when traveling with different airlines.
But changes can be made directly by employees of the customs service of airports based on certain situations, so it is better to sort out all the nuances with the documents in the Chinese consulate in advance. In this case, the trip to China will not be spoiled due to unpleasant "surprises" during the control.
In general, the customs rules for traveling to China are more loyal to the Russians. Therefore, the flow of tourists to this country is increasing every year. But in certain situations, you still have to apply for a transit visa to China.
How to get it when traveling to this country?
Tourists who plan to transfer in this country must contact the consulate and provide a package of documents, which include:
- filled out application form on a special form, which can be filled out by hand in Russianlanguage;
- 3x4 photo taken against a light background;
- transport ticket, which indicates the date of arrival and further route to another area or country;
- original and photocopies of the international passport;
- information about previous visas to this country;
- copy of Russian passport.
After checking all the details, travelers are issued a G visa.
Features of crossing the borders of different countries
There are several rules that allow you not to issue additional documents while traveling to a destination with transfers in different states:
- if the passenger does not leave the transit zone of the air hub and the next flight is scheduled within 24 hours;
- transfer scheduled in London at different airports (time between flights no more than 24 hours);
- For Air Berlin passengers connecting in Germany and heading to the US, Dominican Republic, Cuba or Dubai.
It is worth noting that the transit area at some airports does not work at night. Therefore, having arrived at 23.00, for example, in Cologne, and the next flight is scheduled for the morning, you need to find out in advance how to apply for a transit visa and get it done. And also book a hotel room, because there will be nowhere to rest at the airport.
The US has very strict rules about crossing borders. Tourists have to apply for this type of visa, even if the transplant is carried out withinseveral hours and the passenger does not leave the special zone. And also during the technical landing of the aircraft on the territory of the country, customs control may request additional documents.
Therefore, when traveling through this country, you need to think about obtaining a transit visa in advance. Similar rules have been introduced in Australia, with the exception of the technical landing of the aircraft at its airports.
Validity of such a visa and its nuances
In each country, the time for which these documents are issued is different. Most often, a transit visa is valid for at least 24 hours. Basically, many states issue it for 72 hours, but there are countries where such documents allow stay up to 10 days or more.
Visas of this type can be issued in advance at the consulate of the country where the transplant is planned. And also some airports around the world offer to make these documents directly in their zone if necessary and explain how to get a transit visa here.
Passengers who fly with transfers do not need to pick up the main luggage and go through its check after each flight. Things will automatically move to the correct plane. This rule is valid on the condition that the transfer is scheduled within 12 hours from the moment of arrival in the transit zone. Small bags are allowed.
Each airport has an information service where you can find out all your questions or sort out an incomprehensible situation.
Any traveler shouldbefore traveling, find out in advance which countries need a transit visa in order to avoid trouble at transfer points. This information can be found at the travel agency or on the websites of the consulates of the countries concerned.
