Traveling abroad is often associated with travelers with a variety of documents. Often it is this reason that makes tourists refuse to visit a particular country. Most have a fear that at customs they 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 vacation for tourists. If you prepare the documents correctly, then 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 for crossing the borders of different countries while traveling to their destination.
When the trip takes place by air and a transfer is required, a transit visa is issued if the tourist leaves the airport while waiting for the next flight.
In what cases is it necessary to apply for such a visa?
There are several basic rules under which during a trip it is necessary to worry in advance about the preparation of additional documents.
- During the flight to the destination, you have to change airports and go through several terminals.
- It is supposed to travel to a country with a transfer in the capital of Germany. The exception is Air Berlin customers.
- More than two terminal crossings in the Schengen area are planned. Suppose a tourist moves from St. Petersburg to San Francisco. During the journey, he must cross Vienna and Hamburg. At this section, passengers must leave the transit zone because it is located in Schengen. 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 the transplant takes place.
- Transition within England, which takes no more than 2 days.
There are three countries in which transfers require mandatory transit visas for Russians, even if they do not leave the airport at this time:
If tourists are planning a trip crossing the borders of these countries, then in advance it is necessary to worry about obtaining a transit visa. This will help to avoid many unpleasant moments.
Trip to china
The Russian Federation has an agreement with Hong Kong regarding the border crossing 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 border crossing is glued to the tourist in the passport.
In Macau, this rule also applies, only the period of stay without a visa in this region for Russian tourists is 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 submitted to border guards. In this case, you can stay here without a visa for 21 days.
Beijing and Shanghai
In these cities, you can stay for 72 hours without 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 arrangement between countries does not apply. In this case, tourists need to contact the Consulate of China for a transit visa. This rule applies even if you leave by plane.
If you need to stay in Beijing longer than 72 hours, then before you need to submit the necessary documents to the Chinese Consulate. Then the report time for the transit will be scheduled for midnight the day after arrival in the city.
Can I get a visa-free transit for 24 hours in China?
If a transplant is required in this country, then the option of crossing the borders without additional documents within two days is possible. The agreements between countries clearly apply the basic rule in this regard.
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 coincide:
- Traveling with one airline
- planned technical stop or transfer to another flight;
- in all segments, recording on the same form with the same encoding of the reservation when traveling by different airlines.
But changes can be made directly by the customs officers of airports based on certain situations, therefore it is better to understand all the nuances with documents at the Chinese Consulate in advance. In this case, the trip to China will not be ruined due to unpleasant "surprises" during the passage of control.
In general, customs rules for traveling to China are more loyal to Russians. Therefore, the flow of tourists every year in this country is increasing. 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 a transplant in this country should contact the consulate and provide a package of documents that include:
- a completed application form on a special form, which can be executed by hand in Russian;
- 3x4 photo taken on a light background;
- a ticket for transport, where the date of arrival and the further route to another region or country are indicated;
- original and photocopies of a passport;
- information about previous visas to this country;
- copy of the Russian passport.
After checking all the information, travelers are issued a category G visa.
Features of crossing the borders of different countries
There are several rules that allow you not to draw up additional documents while traveling to a destination with transfers in different states:
- if the passenger does not leave the transit zone of the airport and the next flight is planned within a day;
- A transfer is planned in London at different airports (the time between flights is no more than 24 hours);
- Air Berlin passengers who transfer in Germany and travel to the United States, the Dominican Republic, Cuba, or Dubai.
It is worth noting that the transit territory at some airports does not work at night. Therefore, arriving at 23.00, for example, in Cologne, and the next flight is scheduled for the morning, you need to know in advance how to apply for a transit visa and make it. And also book a hotel room, because the airport will have nowhere to relax.
The USA has very strict border crossing rules. Tourists have to apply for this type of visa, even if the transfer takes several hours and the passenger does not leave the special area. And also during the technical landing of the aircraft in the country, customs control may request additional documents.
Therefore, when traveling through this country, you must first worry about applying for a transit visa. Similar rules have been introduced in Australia, except for the technical landing of an airplane 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 stays of 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, if necessary, these documents directly in their area and explain how to get a transit visa here.
Passengers who fly by planes with transfers do not need to pick up basic baggage after each flight and pass its check. Things will automatically move to the desired aircraft. This rule is valid with the condition that the transfer is planned within 12 hours from the moment of arrival in the transit zone. Small bags are allowed to carry.
At each airport there is an information service where you can find out all the questions that have arisen or sort out the strange situation that has arisen.
Before traveling, any traveler needs to know in advance which countries need a transit visa in order to avoid trouble at transfer points. This information can be found in the travel agency or on the websites of the consulates of the necessary states.