Transit visas for South Korea and China with a Japanese visa

Hi, I’m Algerian and I have a residence permit in France. In two months, I’m traveling to Japan with a Japanese visa, and I have a 16-hour layover in Incheon, South Korea. Do I need a visa to leave the airport and visit the area, or not? On the way back, I have a 20-hour layover in Beijing, and same question—do I need a visa to leave the airport or not?

Thanks for your help!

hi,

with an Algerian passport, you’ll need visas to leave these airports. After that, it won’t cost you anything to try to get an exemption on the spot... worst case, it’ll keep you busy during those long transit hours.

Hi,

Yes, for both countries, if you have an Algerian passport, you won’t be able to leave the transit zone without a visa. 🙁

Sure, 16 and 20 hours is a lot. But when you factor in the time to exit and then go through immigration (3 to 4 hours?), not to mention the trips to and from the airport (which can be really long), you might wonder if it's worth the hassle given all the administrative steps involved. Not to mention the risks of traffic jams, getting lost, or not ending up in the right place to see something interesting. And on top of that, what do you do with your luggage if it’s not checked through "in transit"? A good book might just do the trick 😕