Can you fly to Hainan Island with a layover without a visa in China?

Currently, citizens of Russia and other countries can fly in transit through China with a layover or even multiple layovers without obtaining a visa, simply by applying for a free visa-free transit upon arrival (often mistakenly called a free visa by bloggers). At the same time, travelers have a reasonable question: can they fly with a layover through other airports in China to Hainan Island, to Sanya Airport? After all, a visa is not required for vacationing in Hainan, and there is also a visa-free transit.

But unfortunately, the answer is not positive:

If you strictly follow the written rules, visa-free transit is only permitted for flights through China from one country to another. That is, for example, flying from Russia or any other country to Thailand, Vietnam, etc., is possible because you arrive in China from one country and depart to another. However, flying from Russia to Hainan with a layover in other airports without a visa is not allowed, as you will not have international transit, and accordingly, a visa is required.

On the other hand, you might think that since you can vacation in Hainan without a visa, you don't need one at the layover airport either. But again, strictly according to the rules, visa-free entry to Hainan is only possible upon arrival strictly by a direct international flight, i.e., a flight with a layover through China does not qualify in this case.

Ultimately, from the current rules, it turns out that you cannot fly to Hainan with a layover through another airport in China without a visa; you will have to obtain a visa in advance. Therefore, we would not risk you being denied boarding without a visa or refused visa-free transit at the layover airport. Possibly, there may be some clarifications or additional permissions on this matter; you can check them by contacting the consular department of the Chinese Embassy in Russia directly.

For more details on the current visa-free transit rules, you can read here - https://nashaplaneta.net/besopasnost/novye-pravila-tranzita-cherez-kitaj-10-dnej-bez-vizy

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