Short, direct answers to the things that come up most often about transiting through Shenzhen — with every number checked against current National Immigration Administration rules.
If your passport is from one of the 57 eligible countries, no. You need three things: a passport valid for at least 3 months, an onward ticket to a third country or region that is already booked before you land, and entry at one of the 65 approved ports. Everyone else needs a visa, or another visa-free arrangement.
Both exist, and they are different policies. The 24-hour exemption applies to every nationality but you must stay inside the port's restricted area. The 240-hour version gives you ten days with freedom to travel; it applies to 57 nationalities and needs an eligible entry port plus an onward ticket. Most travellers want the 240-hour one.
From 00:00 on the day after you enter — not from the moment you land. Arrive on the 1st and you must be out by 23:59 on the 11th.
On the 240-hour transit, yes — you can leave freely and travel around. On the plain 24-hour transit you may not leave the restricted area by default; if you want to, you must ask the border inspection officer for a temporary entry permit, and they decide on the spot.
No. Shenzhen's land crossings — Luohu, Futian, Huanggang, Shenzhen Bay, Liantang, Man Kam To, Sha Tau Kok — are exit-only for this scheme. From Hong Kong there are two lawful entry points: West Kowloon Station (high-speed rail, cleared inside the station) or the Hong Kong–Zhuhai–Macau Bridge, which lands you in Zhuhai rather than Shenzhen.
No. The place you enter from and the place you go on to must be different. Hong Kong → Shenzhen → Macau, or on to any third country, qualifies. Hong Kong → Shenzhen → back to Hong Kong does not.
You need a confirmed ticket to a third country or region with a date and a seat — and it must be issued before you land. Planning to buy it once you are inside China does not work. This is the most common reason people are refused at the counter.
Yes. Walking across at Luohu or Futian needs no bus or train ticket. But you still have to show your onward leg — normally the confirmed flight out of Hong Kong — so book that before you arrive.
One of the 65 approved ports across 24 provinces. Guangdong has ten, including Shenzhen Bao'an Airport, Shekou, West Kowloon, Guangzhou Baiyun, Pazhou, Hengqin, the HK–Zhuhai–Macau Bridge, Zhongshan, Jieyang Chaoshan and Nansha. Exit is much looser: from any open port in Guangdong.
Within the permitted areas of 24 provinces and municipalities, and you can travel between them. From Guangdong you can go anywhere in the province — Shenzhen, Guangzhou, Zhuhai, Foshan, Dongguan and the rest of the Pearl River Delta — then on to the other covered provinces.
Your passport (valid 3+ months), the confirmed onward ticket, and your accommodation details. Expect fingerprints and a photo. Print the ticket or screenshot it — do not rely on mobile signal at the counter.
Yes. There is no fee for the 240-hour transit permit. Anyone at an airport charging you a “transit visa fee” is not legitimate.
No. It covers tourism, business meetings, visiting and family visits. Work, study and journalism need a proper visa obtained in advance.
In a hotel, they register you automatically. In a private home or homestay, you or your host must report to the local police station within 24 hours of arrival.
Contact the local Exit-Entry Administration as soon as you know, with the airline's delay notice. Documented reasons such as a cancellation or illness are normally handled without penalty. Overstaying without applying can mean fines from ¥500 a day.
The full rules, port list and country list are on the Visa & Entry page; the step-by-step arrival side is on Landing & Transport. For a specific case, the NIA hotline 12367 answers in English 24/7.