I'm heading to Beijing and Taipei for a holiday and wondered what sort of visa would best suit my needs (travelling on a UK passport) - a double entry for both China and Taiwan or a single entry visa just for Beijing? From what I've learned so far, a visa is required for travel to China but not for Taiwan (or have I got this wrong?)

Are there stamps from any other countries which are likely to be a problem for the Chinese authorities? Given the sometimes strained relationship between the Chinese and Taiwanese authorities, am I going to have issues with visiting both places on the same trip?

Hope someone can advise.

You need a visa (how many entries depends on how many times you plan to enter!) for mainland China, but not for Taiwan. There is absolutely no problem at all with Taiwan stamps in a passport going to to the mainland or vice versa.

You need a visa (how many entries depends on how many times you plan to enter!) for mainland China, but not for Taiwan. There is absolutely no problem at all with Taiwan stamps in a passport going to to the mainland or vice versa.

With the UK passport to enter Taiwan, you don't need a visa if you stay less than 14 days. If you plan to stay more than 14 days, you can apply for a landing visa (good for thirty days) when you arrive in the airport before you go through the immigration.

I'm heading to Beijing and Taipei for a holiday and wondered what sort of visa would best suit my needs (travelling on a UK passport) - a double entry for both China and Taiwan or a single entry visa just for Beijing? From what I've learned so far, a visa is required for travel to China but not for Taiwan (or have I got this wrong?)

Are there stamps from any other countries which are likely to be a problem for the Chinese authorities? Given the sometimes strained relationship between the Chinese and Taiwanese authorities, am I going to have issues with visiting both places on the same trip?

Hope someone can advise.

To count your entries for China, you can think it this way:
When you enter Taiwan, you "leave" China. So if your trip is Beijing-Taipei-Beijing-home, you need two entries for China visa. If you do Taipei-Beijing-home, you need one entry for China visa.

I plan on entering China three times within a six month period in 2005 on a schedule something like this:

Late January
Mid February
Mid May

All stay are under 30 days. I can see that in addition to a double-entry 30-day tourist VISA, they also have a six-month unlimited-entry Visa. The problem is that, per the information posted on the Chinese embassy website, these six-month VISAs require proof of a relative in China or ownership of property in China. These are six-month or one-year business and student Visa's, but I don't qualify and can't provide the appropriate documentation.

Am I out of luck and must instead apply for two 30-day Visas -- one for January/February and one for May?

A good travel agent in Hong Kong could get you a 6 month visa at 24 hours notice if you are coming in that way. See, for example:
http://www.chinatravel1.com/english/useful/chinesevisa.htm

The problem is that, per the information posted on the Chinese embassy website, these six-month VISAs require proof of a relative in China or ownership of property in China.


ime, 6-month L visas are pretty easy to obtain in the us (i can only vouch for san francisco, los angeles, houston, and chicago).

ime, 6-month L visas are pretty easy to obtain in the us (i can only vouch for san francisco, los angeles, houston, and chicago).

I *just* got my Chinese visa done last week. It took 8 business days. You used to be able to send yoru passport directly to the consulate/embassy, if you didn't want to go there directly. But not anymore, you have to either show up or go through a travel agent. I had a agent that specializes in asia travel here in MSP do mine.

I was planning on dropping off my application in person at the China consulate office in Los Angeles. I suppose I could just ASK for the six-month tourist or "L" Visa when I show up. It is kind of silly for me to have to pay some agent if I can just it myself. (Although I certainly would understand the "by an agent" route if I lived farther from LA or another city with a China consulate.)

I guess it would be ironic if can't get a Visa to cover my May trip, and end up going somewhere else just because the Visa process was inconvenient or expensive for a quick return to China. The world is so full of great places to visit!

I was planning on dropping off my application in person at the China consulate office in Los Angeles.


i got my current visa in los angeles and was very pleased with the service there. moreover, they gave me a really slick visa without making me jump through hoops. i went in person both times. the line was very long the first time (a friday) and ok the second (a tuesday). parking was no problem.

although the official word on mail service is "no" ime, chinese consular staff are very accomodating, especially to those with extenuating circumstances. if your schedule makes going to a consulate once or twice a challenge, you might want to call and ask for mail service. i've never had a request denied (though i usually go in person anyway).

edited to add: i was able to have the "days per stay" limit deleted by leaving that section blank until i got to window. when the visa girl asked me how long i wanted to stay, i asked her if she could just waive that requirement like they do in hk and she obliged.

also, you might as well shoot for a 1-year visa (only $50 more) and settle for the 6-month only if they resist.

This info is specifically for US citizens:

As of April 2004, the port visas would no longer be available to citizens of the US. This change by the PRC was in retaliation to the US requiring fingerprinting of Chinese citizens.

The port visas were great. I could go to HK and get a six month unlimited stay and entry visa in less than 24 hours. I did this through travel agents in HK. Apparantly, they just drove my passport across the border to Shenzen to do this. This great service is no longer available. Now, US citizens either have to go directly to a Chinese embassy or consulate and make the application or they can go through a visa agency in the US. Unfortunately, in both instances, the 6 month unlimited visa (though mentioned as a possible option to apply for) will not likely be given at the time the visa is issued - with some rare exceptions - such as the one moondog mentioned above. Even if it is given, US citizens are mostly limited to 30 days on each entry - at least on paper.

There is another way to get a longer visa here. If you apply for the 30 day visa, you can get it extended in China by applying directly with your local PSB (Public Security Bureau) office. It is my understanding though that you can keep getting it extended for up to six months while in the country. No need to leave. Just bring a passport photo (I always travel with extras), copies of your hotel records in China, and maybe some cash. Sometimes it costs to extend - sometimes not. Things are not consistent in China.

Another piece of good news that I got from the US embassy in China is that the US and Chinese governments have been negotiating about this recently. China has promised to reinstate the 6-month unlimited visa. But I was told that "this being China", it could still take some time before this happens. I received this news around the 1st of September of this year. So we can hope that it happens soon. I miss my visa/shopping junkets in HK!!!

US Citizens in HK have no difficulty getting China visas, including 6 month multi-entry ones (yes, 30 days per stay by default). What has changed is that the TA in HK has to get them from the "consulate" here (or you can apply directly yourself) and they cannot be obtained at the border.The price has also increased dramatically for US, UK & Dutch passport holders (maybe a few others as well) in retaliation for fees for Chinese in those places. I believe that visas for US citizens can still be obtained within one day in HK, albeit for a higher fee.

There's no reason to stop taking the shopping trips in HK while you get your visa here.

US Citizens in HK have no difficulty getting China visas, including 6 month multi-entry ones (yes, 30 days per stay by default). What has changed is that the TA in HK has to get them from the "consulate" here (or you can apply directly yourself) and they cannot be obtained at the border.The price has also increased dramatically for US, UK & Dutch passport holders (maybe a few others as well) in retaliation for fees for Chinese in those places. I believe that visas for US citizens can still be obtained within one day in HK, albeit for a higher fee.

There's no reason to stop taking the shopping trips in HK while you get your visa here.

I need to make three entries into China from March 15 until April 13. I arrive Hong Kong on CX from LA at 6:30AM. I depart CX for Beijing at 5:55PM. Do I have enough time to get a multiple entry visa? I don't mind paying an expedite fee, as the only other alternative I see is getting 2 visa's for the same time period. Suggestions and advice are very welcome. Thanks

I need to make three entries into China from March 15 until April 13. I arrive Hong Kong on CX from LA at 6:30AM. I depart CX for Beijing at 5:55PM. Do I have enough time to get a multiple entry visa? I don't mind paying an expedite fee, as the only other alternative I see is getting 2 visa's for the same time period. Suggestions and advice are very welcome. Thanks

that should be enough time, but since your trip isn't till march, why not try to get one in the US between now and then? (btw until reading this thread i'd never heard of anyone being denied a 6-month L visa by a US consulate,... well except for that princeton professor who was banned from the country several years back, but i digress...)

I just got my Chinese VISA back from the Los Angeles Consular office with no problems. I dropped off my application with the "six-month, unlimited entry" checked. The woman at the counter said, "OK, Come back in ten days to pickup your passport."

I returned two weeks later, and paid the $100 fee at the pickup window. Sure enough, a six-month VISA was pasted inside. I didn't ask for a more lenient per stay time limit, so I got the default 30-days. (OK with me, but I needed the overal six-month validity to cover two separate trips.