About Jinchon Ferries
Jinchon Ferries provide a passenger cruise and freight ferry service to and from the Chinese border town Tanggu and the South Korean mainland port of Incheon.
Jinchon Ferry sail from Tanggu International Ferry Terminal (50 km east of Tianjin) to Incheon twice a week, taking 25 hours.
Departure from Tianjin is at 11:00 on Thursdays & Sundays, arriving Incheon at 14:00 next day.
In the other direction, the ferry sails from Incheon at 13:00 on Tuesdays arriving Tianjin 14:00 Wednesdays and at 19:00 on Fridays arriving Tianjin 20:00 Saturdays.
Jinchon Ferries ferry ships are conventional ferries with cabins, sailing overnight and departing daily and arriving early the next morning.
The journey takes approximately 25 hours. On board, the ferries tend to accept the currency of their home country for shopping, vending machines, etc. as well as US dollar.
Jinchon Ferries Departure Procedure
Checking in
Departure processing starts no earlier than 3.5 hours before departure and ends 1 hour before departure. Therefore, travelers must be at the ferry check-in counter no later than two hours before departure to fill out a boarding pass form and a departure card for departure procedures.
Completing the Arrival/Departure Cards
While arrival cards required to enter Japan are available on the ferry, it is more convenient to fill it out at the same time as the Korean departure card before boarding.
The departure card (from Korea) must be filled out in Korean, while the arrival card for entry into Japan must be written either in Chinesee characters or English. For contact information on the arrival card, you can enter the name and telephone number of the place you will stay at on your first night.
Customs Declaration
Customs declaration areas are located on either side of the departure inspection counter. All travelers carrying expensive merchandise or valuables (cameras, watches, jewelry, fur products) are required to make a declaration.
When declaring, enter the name of the item, quantity, and price on the customs form and present both the item and customs form together. After the declaration is approved, hold on to the document for your return trip.
If you depart without a customs declaration, your valuables may be subject to taxation on return, as they will be considered as overseas purchases. Travelers with nothing to declare can go straight to the inspection counter.
Immigration Departure
Wait in line behind the yellow line of the departure inspection counter. When it is your turn, present your passport, boarding pass, and departure card.
As long as your visa is valid, the inspector will not ask questions and simply stamp your passport. The departure card will be stamped and retained by the inspector, and the arrival card will be stapled onto your passport. Keep the arrival card for when you return and go through the immigration arrival process.
Ferry Departure
Once you pass inspections, you can enter the duty free area to purchase alcoholic beverages, cigarettes, and camera film.
