visa to visit china

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Jul 4, 2003 | 3:07 am

azmmza

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visa to visit china

can some one point me in the right dirrection to find out which chinese cities require visas from hkg for a us passport holder and can i have the visas issued in hong kong for same day use?

Jul 4, 2003 | 3:26 am

christep

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Everywhere in China (except HK and Macau) requires a visa for US Passport holders.

You can get visas in HK very easily - the more you pay, the quicker you get it, down to 4 hours if you wish. China Travel Service is one possibility for processing the application ( http://www.chinatravel1.com/english/...hinesevisa.htm ) but a Google search shows others, or you could go to the Chinese consulate and handle it all your self (which I think would be not much over half the price that CTS charges, but do you want the hassle?)

In principle, if you wish to visit Shenzhen only (the area immediately adjacent to HK) then you can get a limited visa at the border (not true for all passport holders, but OK for US I think).

Jul 4, 2003 | 10:55 am

Guy Betsy

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Actually any travel agency in HK will handle visa requirements for you for a fee.

Jul 4, 2003 | 11:59 am

seawolf

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It should be cheaper to obtain a visa in HK than in the US.

Jul 9, 2003 | 11:08 pm

huangFT

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The Chinese embassy/consulate in US has changed their rules this year. No mail in applications are accepted. You can either go there in person or ask a friend/agent to apply for you. Also, you must go to a consulate that is responsible for the region you live in. You should check out the chinese embassy web site http://www.china-embassy.org/visapas...english/lq.htm

Jul 11, 2003 | 6:46 pm

moondog

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Quote:

Originally posted by huangFT:

The Chinese embassy/consulate in US has changed their rules this year. No mail in applications are accepted.

While that may be the official party line, in practice it is possible to make such arrangements in a pinch. At least in the consulates with which I deal most frequently, there are plenty of employees who are willing to accomodate if you take the time to ask.

Regarding the initial post, although what christep said is true about US citizens needing a visa to go anywhere in China, there special Shenzhen-only visas available at the land crossing, which are processed on the spot.

Regarding whether to get a visa in the US or HK, if your travel plans include HK and/or you want to get a 6/12 month visa without excessive documention, then HK is the way to go (don't expect to save a whole lot of money though).

Jul 13, 2003 | 12:23 am

unagi1

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I have heard (anecdotally) that similar to the Shenzen-SEZ-only visa, there is a Zhuhai-SEZ-only visa as well, but have never heard of anyone actually getting and using one. Zhuhai is accessible via Macau or by direct ferry from HKG. I went to Zhuhai a couple of years ago, but it was on a regular China visa.

Jul 13, 2003 | 3:52 pm

Buster CT1K

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In the trip reports forum is a trip report from a FTer (was is B747-438?) who got a Zhuhai special visa. One can do a search.

Jul 14, 2003 | 4:44 pm

Steve M

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Quote:

Originally posted by unagi1:
I have heard (anecdotally) that similar to the Shenzen-SEZ-only visa, there is a Zhuhai-SEZ-only visa as well, but have never heard of anyone actually getting and using one. Zhuhai is accessible via Macau or by direct ferry from HKG.

I have received the Shenzhen SEZ tourism visa a couple of times. On the visa that they stick into your passport, the pre-printed form says "Special Economic Zone Tourism Visa of the People's Republic of China." The part that says Shenzhen is printed on the visa with a dot-matrix printer when it's issued along with all of the other particulars (your name, date, etc.). As a result, I always just assumed that there must be other SEZ visas, such as for Zhuhai.

Jul 14, 2003 | 6:56 pm

#10

Fly Me To The Moon

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I have had friends who got the Special Shenzhen visa, then just exited the SEZ anyway to go to Guangzhou and other areas. Upon the return back into Shenzhen, the "border" control didn't even check.

I'm not sure what kind of trouble my friends could have gotten into, but so far, so good.

Jul 19, 2003 | 10:34 am

#11

B747-437B

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Quote:

I can confirm that the 3-night Zhuhai SEZ visa is available for HK$100 at the Gongbei land border crossing between Macau SAR and Zhuhai SEZ. You can also get a visa valid for the whole of China issued on the spot over there for HK$180 (single entry) and HK$300 (double entry).

My full trip report including details on how to get visas easily and cheaply can be found at http://www.airwhiners.net/trip_report/tr0024.htm

Jul 19, 2003 | 8:04 pm

#12

Mad4Miles

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Can a US passport holder board a Dragon flight to Shanghai and without a valid China visa and obtain one upon landing in China? I know you can do this to Xiamen, but I think Xiamen is some special zone.

Jul 23, 2003 | 11:12 pm

#13

Marco Polo

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http://www.shanghai.gov.cn/gb/shangh...t22ai2508.html
Dragonair check your passport at checkin
No visa no fly
there was something in the press a year back offering business people 3 days' stay in Shanghai without visa but do not know anyone who tried it out
We get three year visas here in HKG for Mainland entry

Jul 26, 2003 | 6:27 am

#14

moondog

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There was an article in the SCMP last week about plans for all of Hainan Island to go visa free (IIRC), effective almost immediately, in order to help compete with more established resort destinations. I haven't seen or heard any more on the topic since though.

Jul 26, 2003 | 8:26 pm

#15

huangFT

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Quote:

Originally posted by Mad4Miles:
Can a US passport holder board a Dragon flight to Shanghai and without a valid China visa and obtain one upon landing in China? I know you can do this to Xiamen, but I think Xiamen is some special zone.

I would say you are probably talking about special cases. In general, the government regulation says you MUST have a valid visa before you arrive in China. However, if you somehow get on the plane and land, and do have a valid reason to be in china, the border guards MAY give you a visa on the spot. But keep in mind that by no means they will do this for you even if you have valid reasons and valid documentation. Like government agencies in communist countries, they can be irrational from time to time.

I strongly suggest you get appropriate visa before you arrive in China.

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