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I plan to travel to Mexico this May. I am a Bangladeshi citizen with an ordinary passport and only have an Indian visa. I will get a Mexican visa this May.

I am looking into the following travel itineraries:

1. Singapore Airlines

Dhaka (DAC)>Singapore (SIN)>Beijing (PEK) [Layover in Singapore 2h 25m]

2h 30m at PEK

Hainan Airlines

Beijing (PEK) > Tijuana, Mexico (TIJ)

2. China Eastern Dhaka (DAC) > Kunming (KMG) > Beijing (PEK) [Layover in Kunming 1h 35m]

3h 20m at PEK

Hainan Airlines

Beijing (PEK) > Tijuana, Mexico (TIJ)

There will be two separate tickets, as Hainan doesn't have a partnership with anyone on this route. Bangladeshi citizens are allowed up to 24 hour transit in Changi, Singapore. Will I be allowed boarding under such situation? Will Singapore Airlines allow me to travel to China without a Chinese visa (as that is the final destination for me for the first ticket)? Also, is the KMG layover too short to complete the Chinese TWOV formalities?

I would really appreciate your suggestions and advice.

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  • I would never in a million years book option 2. 1h35m is not enough to safely make the connection in KMG (including immigration), and if you miss the connection, then you miss your PEK-TIJ flight. Personally I wouldn't book option 1 either - 2h30m (on separate tickets) just isn't enough to handle the shitshow that Chinese airports can be at times. – Doc Jul 18 '19 at 2:33
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To use TWOV, you don't need to have all flights under one reservation. You just need to have all flights booked, with a printout, to facilitate the formalities, especially for the airlines.

I would suggest to take the longer layover in PEK, for two reasons:

  1. Delays are frequent on domestic flights. You can expect your flight from Kunming to be late.
  2. TWOV formalities are very simple and fast: show up at a dedicated counter, give passport, entry card, tickets printout, and get stamped in. But after that, there's no telling how long it can take to transfer.
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    Thank you. What do you think is the minimum time frame to be safe with the procedures? I cannot find flights with 2hr+ transit at at any of the Chinese airports on my way to PEK. And thanks to your apt advice, I would try the best to give me a longer leeway at PEK. – Aftab Mar 30 '18 at 0:35
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The thing about China is that the TWOV policy for most nationals will be the same. The policy is 24 hours from the moment you land on any Chinese Airport to the moment you fly away from China to your next country.

Here's a helpful link - https://www.travelchinaguide.com/embassy/visa/free-transit-24hour.htm

As long as you meet this condition, your immigration should go without a hiccup.

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  • Bangladeshi citizens can TWOV provided the total amount of time they spend on Chinese soil is no greater than 24 hours. The hyperlink will attest to this fact. – Arnab Sanyal Jul 18 '19 at 2:45

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