gmitchs

Thanks in advance for any help.

I have a multi entry G visa that will expire Jan 2, 2014. I need to travel to China in mid-December and will return to the US before Dec 22. I thought I read or heard somewhere that entry with a G visa is not permitted with less than 30 days remaining on the visa. Is this true?

Cheers

moondog

G visas are obsolete for ~99% of China visitors because TWOV affords the same privileges.

gmitchs

Thank you for your reply, but I did not follow. I am not looking for a TWOV. I have a 1 year multi-entry G visa that expires Jan 2, 2014. I just wanted to make sure that I can enter and leave China in Dec 2013. I thought I heard that for G visas you would not be allowed entry if you had less than 30 days remaining on the visa?

Thanks again.

jiejie

You should be good to go as long as the transit is completed entirely within the visa's validity, which your plans seem to be. Usually G visas have a 7-day limit for each transit but sometimes it varies, so recheck your visa. The advantage of a G over a TWOV is not only longer time, but you can enter and exit by any means (air, sea, land) and at any combination of locations. And quite a few nationalities cannot use extended TWOV, and have an easier time getting Chinese transit visas than tourist visas. So the G is still relevant for many.

Keep copies of your exit plans handy in case the Chinese Immigration officer wants to see.

moondog

Greetings from McLean, Va all. I just picked up my new visa from the PRC consulate at 2201 Wisconsin Ave.

Normally I would be patting myself on the back for pulling off a 2 year business visa in the wake of new (and largely untested) regulations, but when I dropped off my application last Thursday, the counter girl asked me why I wasn't applying for a 3 year M (she even encouraged me to run to Kinko's in order to crank out an amendment to my invitation letter).

Since I didn't fancy devoting even more time to this drill, I decided that 2 years was good enough.

I used a different letter this time around --from the CEO of well regarded Chinese company -- complete with proposed travel dates stretching into the second year. It was based on a template that a friend's lawyer provided so I was pretty sure it would work. I did bring the original, per the new requirements, the counter girl told me that she still has no problem signing off on scanned documents.

Other tidbits:
-if you go to the DC consulate, be sure to bring quarters because there's a good chance the counter people will ask you to photo copy something
-nobody asked me for proof of residency; I just had the good sense to use an address within DC's jurisdiction
-parking at the CVS is reasonably safe when picking up, but not for drop off unless you happen to visit on a day when there are no people there... like today (Washingtonians are afraid of snow, it seems)

-I'd be happy to send my letter template to any of you who are interested; PM/email me

gailwynand

There is a city park down the block from the consulate (past Whole Foods) that has a fairly large parking lot, it's usually not full and is a safer parking option than the CVS. I wouldn't leave my car there all day though.

Jiatong

MD, good news on the DC visa info. Wondering if they are setting an example ?.

BTW, In Sanya now, & NO snow here !. This place is busy, thought it would be off peak....

moondog

Probably the opposite... they seem to be interpreting the new rules in their own manner.

zehbra

Sorry if this was asked before, but I'm wondering about other's experiences: Did they generally get more strict with tourist visa requirements? (I'm located in Switzerland; maybe they were just too easy-going so far and tightened the screws now?)
In the past few years i had no trouble applying for Chinese visas with not much more than a booked flight; Last december i even got a one-year multiple entry tourist visa, again with only 3 booked flights - never any hotel bookings.
Now that it runs out i wanted to try the same stunt again (knowing that a one-year visa is a long-shot), but was not only told that two-entry visas are the maximum now for tourists, but also that they want hotel bookings for the whole stay.

Don't get me wrong, I'm not complaining; just wondering if this is a general trend, or if that is up to the officer at the window...

TRAVELSIG

You are correct that many of the embassies and consulates have become considerably more strict. Milano also used to be very easy and straightforward and now wants significantly more (volume and precision) documentation- they had my client rewrite an invitation letter as all the dates were listed exactly except May 2014 in which they just said "a visit of five days in May 2014" to which the consulate replied- "No, exact dates please..." as an example.

zehbra

Ouch, that's really very picky compared to before... Thanks for sharing, i was just contemplating getting one of my friends to invite me for several dates during the year; but i guess without fixed dates (and matching flight reservations) it's not doable anymore...

TRAVELSIG

I do believe your friends could send you the fixed dates and then if for some reason they had to change of course that would be out of your control.... quite doable just read this thread and particularly a few people with a lot of posts steer you in the right direction. I think your TA could probably help you out with the flight reservations.

All I am saying is that it is no longer the good old times where I would leave my passport with the concierge at the hotel in Bangkok in the morning and when I came back after dinner meetings my 1 year M visa would be waiting for me.... those days are long gone it seems. If TWOV eventually extends to 5 days (as the rumor mill seems to suggest) and eventually includes the land border at Shenzen (which the rumor mill also flows around) then the needs for visas for short term visitors will be dramatically reduced.

MSPeconomist

I suppose when it goes to five days, this would still be for genuine transit only and not include China as a tourist destination. Yet at the same time, it's getting harder to find good routings for TWOV. For example, DL is eliminating NRT-PEK and vv service in March.

moondog

I don't think that the wants of foreign airlines were given a great deal of consideration when TWOV was framed. China's own airlines, on the other hand, are making out pretty well with the arrangement.

LHR/MEL/Europe FF

ok... this is the first confirmation I have seen of the implementation of the new tourist visa rules which came into effect on 1 September 2013.

Previously (for non-USA citizens who get a 1-year multi-entry) citizens of other countries were free to apply for multi-entry visas once they had 'built up' the right to do so (starting with a single entry, then double then multi etc).

The changes supposed to come in from 1 September changed the above to exactly how you describe... a max 2 entry tourist visa.

The reasoning behind the change was too many people abusing the tourist visa status to work there... especially - so the rumour on the ground in China went - in some of the less reputable industries.