Have a trip planned to China in the fall and trying to figure out how many entries into China needed for Visa application. Itinerary is Shanghai-Beijing-Macau-Hong Kong-Shanghai. If I have read the Visa webiste correctly, this itineraty would be two entries into China, both at Shanghai. It is my understanding Macau and Hong Kong have their own Visa requirements and are different than mainland China. Is my assumption correct on the number of entires needed for Visa?

(1) Shanghai-Beijing-Macau-Hong Kong-(1)Shanghai

= 2

might as well go multiple request on visa its no more money ($130) good for a year.

macau and HK no visa required for US citizens

Thanks for your reply. Do you know if it matters for the Visa if we change the order of the itinerary? We currently have a flight into Shanghai and will then fly to Beijing that night. If seats open (using miles for our tickets) we will switch to a flight that goes directly to Beijing. The Visa application asks for the itinerary and I did not know if it would matter, if after obtaining the Visa we changed our itinerary around but still kept it to 2 entries into the country.

Doesn't matter. But apply for a multiple entry visa 30-60 stay for 1 year. Its the same price and gives you more flexibility especially around Macau, Zhuhai
, Hong Kong, Shenzhen in case you want to cross back and forth a few extra times.

I've put ?'s in the spot for the second entry--no problem. They gave me a one-year multi-entry visa.

Have you applied Chinese visa before? I assume this is the case, otherwise you are very lucky on this case.

Since the Chinese visa requirement changed since April, it is impossible for anyone to get a one-year multiple entry on their first Chinese visa application.

I am sending two of my staff to China, with all the right documents and itinerary, they only give my staff single entry and only valid for 3 months, because this is the first Chinese visa they applied for.

I assume this is addressed to me.

Yup, I've had a dozen of them.

I had no trouble at all getting one-year multiple entry tourist visas for my daughter and me last month. Maybe it's the business visas that are harder to get?

I got a multiple entry visa a little over a month ago without the slightest problem though I should probably disclose that I've visited China many, many times before so I'm sure I'm their records as, "no problem -- let him in."

As others have said, the itinerary doesn't matter at all. I think that they ask primarily to make sure that you actually have some plan to leave the country. Are you sure you don't want to stick around Shanghai for a day or two? It's a nice city and quite a contrast to Beijing.

Anyone with a good track record (like me) with a number of Chinese visa on their passport should not be affected. I can still get 2-year multiple visa in London, they did offer me to apply for a 5-year multiple visa, but it will take 2/3-month because they need to send my passport to Beijing for approval. It will mean I can't go anywhere for 3 months, which I gentlely refused.

In the past few months, a number of my staff applied for Chinese visa both business and tourist visa. If it's their first trip to China, even I get them an official invitation letter from Chinese provincial government, they still end up with a 3-month single entry visa.

It seems Chinese visa in Europe is very tightly controled at the moment. At least its not too bad in London, lucky I am not a French or Germany. The rumur is that Chinese government is re-evaluate the Airbus production line in Tianjin - that really shows how much they hate French now!

I got a 1 year Unlimited entry 60 day stay L visa at the LA Consulate in the beginning of December 2008.

I got it same day with only about 3 hours of waiting.

No issues. No questions.

And I made it into China - Hitting HK next week, returning to PVG and flying home next weekend.

Just to report I had no problem getting a one year multiple entry business visa issued in London last month - I actually only asked for a single entry but they gavce me a multiple entry instead (of course charging the extra for doing so). I had only previously visited China as a tourist several years ago.

I am not sure this is fully correct right now, but about a year ago, I was told that a 7+ day stay defaults to multiple, while shorter might give a single entry.