Note: As of May 1, 2018, people signing up for E-Channel may be required to entry China three times as they’ve switched to a new system. How strictly this is enforced and if you can sign-up for E-Channel on your third entry or if it’s after you third entry is TBD. So far I have two entries into China after May 1 and will update after my third. (Since I now have a new resident permit I need to sign-up for the service again. This will happen annually, which is something I don’t like but will have to deal with.)
Those who know me best would describe me as a travel pro who’d prefer to be relaxing in an airport lounge instead of waiting in a line. Who wouldn’t?! I’ve got the USA all figured out in terms of TSA PreCheck, Global Entry, and airport lounges but China … that’s a whole other beast.
Anyone upon entering and prior to leaving China at an airport will need to go through immigration control. (I’ve not taken a domestic flight yet so I do not know if you go through the same process before flying; my guess is yes.) The lines at immigration control at Shanghai Pudong Airport are typically 30 minutes or longer. During my last two trips I waited over an hour on each end, which is definitely not ideal! Ugggh.
Doing some online research, I found something called “E-Channel” is available to certain foreigners living in China if they have a longer term visa or resident permit, have a passport with an RFID chip in it, still have both of his/her thumbs, can sign a piece of paper, and are not afraid of having their photo taken. With all those boxes checked, it was time to give this a spin and see if I could sign-up for E-Channel! Oh yeah, you can only sign-up upon arrival to China, which just so happened to be earlier this week for me!
After landing I followed the sheep other passengers to the immigration control corral at Shanghai Pudong Airport (PVG) airport and walked through the first checkpoint. (If anyone can tell me what that first checkpoint is for, since you just walk through something that looks like a metal detector that never goes off and no one is ever stopped, please leave a comment!) Next up it was time to look for the E-Channel sign to point me in the right direction. At the time I went through, the E-Channel application area was all the way to the right of the “immigration control hall”, or whatever you want to call the large room where all visitors need to queue up and be processed by immigration officers.
When I got to the E-Channel area there was a small table attached to a rather large support pole that had an application form that I filled out. There were some blank lines I did not know how to fill-in, so I left them blank and got in line to hand the document over to the immigration officer. When it was my turn, with a nice smile and a friendly 你好 (“Hello!”) I handed the officer my passport and the application. She reviewed the documentation, scanned my passport, looked at me a few times, and pointed to the fingerprint reader and said “Thumb”. I placed my thumb on the scanner. She said “Again”, so I lifted my thumb up and put it back on the scanner. Then she prompted me to do the same with my other thumb, ostensibly incase the next time you go through the immigration process you’re without one of your digits. (WTF?!) After having me back up a step for a picture, she handed my passport back to me and waved me away. I guess my application was approved? Only one way to find out!
As I walked to where the E-Channel queue / automated gates are located I noticed the length of the immigration queue and it had to be at least 60 minutes long. Ouch! At this point I was really hoping the system approved me and I’d have no trouble with the automated gates.
In the automated gates area there are about 20 different ones to choose from. I walked up to an empty one and noticed there was a scanner that looked like it wanted my passport. I opened it up to the picture/info page and placed it face down. Apparently that was the right thing to do — not that there was any English instructions telling me what to do — as the first gate opened. The next gate looked like it wanted my thumb print, so I applied my right thumb and backed up a little bit so my face could seen on the screen that was facing me. Voila! The second gate opened and I was past the immigration control section in less than 15 seconds!
With one hour of my life returned to me instead of waiting in a line, I can now say I’m fully looking forward to my next trip (mid-February, hello San Francisco!) and attempting to use the E-Channel line for exit immigration control line!
In short, here’s a few bullet points about applying for and using E-Channel at the Shanghai Pudong (PVG) airport:
- Ensure you have a passport with an RFID chip in it
- Be sure to have a longer term visa or resident permit; if resident permit, you might need to have it for six months before applying for E-Channel
- You probably cannot use the E-Channel line with an “L – Tourist” visa
- Apply for E-Channel on your next entry into China — you cannot apply on the way out of the country
- Upon entering the arrivals immigration hall, look for the E-Channel sign to point you in the right direction
- Fill-in the application form and wait in line for the immigration officer who will need your passport and application form
- When prompted, submit your thumbs for fingerprinting and have your picture taken
- When given your passport back, walk over to the E-Channel automated gates area and scan your passport (picture/information page face down) and walk through the first gate
- Scan one of your thumbs and have your picture taken to open the second gate
Ways in which E-Channel is better than Global Entry for the USA:
- It’s free!
- No card needs to be carried (not that I’ve ever used my Global Entry card…)
- It’s available for foreigners! (Yes, there are some residents of other countries that can use Global Entry besides Americans, but that list is small…)
If you’ve traveled through other airports, land crossings, or entered via sea-going vessels, let me know about your experiences using E-Channel in the comments section!
Rumors have it that when my resident permit expires in July I may need to reapply for E-Channel as the stored documentation may change. If that’s the case be assured another blog post will be coming!
Happy trails and travels.