Connection time calculator, immigration and security, and how to move between terminals at PEK.
At Beijing Capital airport, passengers connecting between two international flights can usually stay in the transit area without going through immigration. If you connect from an international to a domestic flight, you enter the country here: you go through immigration and collect and re-check your bags.
The airport has 2 terminals or concourses (Terminal 2, Terminal 3).
Connecting passengers go through a transfer security screening.
Is your layover at PEK long enough? Pick your connection and get an estimate with the times of this airport.
Terminals / concourses: Terminal 2, Terminal 3
Getting between them: Between T2 and T3: free landside inter-terminal shuttle bus (operates 24/7). Within T3: airside Automated People Mover (APM train) and airside shuttle buses linking T3-C, T3-D, and T3-E.
Terminal 3 concourses (T3-C, T3-D, and T3-E) are connected airside via the APM train and shuttle buses. Terminal 2 and Terminal 3 are not connected airside; transfers between T2 and T3 require exiting landside.
Connections between domestic and international flights require border control/immigration. International-to-international transit passengers within 24 hours are exempt from regular border inspection under China's direct transit policy.
Estimate based on typical times at this airport, not your airline's official minimum connection time. Immigration and security lines change with the time of day and season. On a single ticket, the airline must rebook you if you miss the connection; on separate tickets, it does not.
Sources: en.bcia.com.cn · bcia.com.cn.
Data checked on October 18, 2026. Times are estimates: always check with your airline.
