China: visa, visa, visa..

Hello,

I'm sure this won't be an original thread, but does anyone have experience of buying a China Visa for around four months? All the HK agencies are claiming that my options are either a three month visa or a six month multiple entry visa, with no handy time limit compromise.

So, I'm wondering two things: if I buy a three month visa, is the LP right when it tells me that it's fairly easy to buy an 30day extension for about Y150? And (and this is one of those questions where I think the answer will be obvious but I can't actually find it anywhere in writing), does a three month multiple entry mean that I can spend ninety days in total in China or that I can go in and out of China but it all has to be within ninety days? (i.e. I can't come in for two months, cross a border for a month and then come back into China for one more month.)

Would love any feedback on this one - oh, and sympathy from any other Brits who've optimistically entered travel agents to discover that our government's slight disinclination to give back HK has resulted their poor, innocent citizens having to pay more than double the price of other travellers to enter China! Dammit.

that is quit serious question. probably only the GOV. ageny can answer your question.

below is just my understanding of the Chinese visa.

after you get the visa on your passport, it will show you how many time you can use this visa to enter China, and how long you can stay in China each time after you enter China during the valid visa date.

good luck!!!

aaabbb, you're right: the government office is the only place they'll give you a straight answer, without you paying one thousand HK dollars to discover that the six month visa you wanted isn't actually possible.

So now I'm going to post an answer to my own question - and hopefully it'll be useful to other, equally optimistic British travellers: going to the China visa office has resulted in the information that, aside from Chinese nationals and people with specific work invitations, the only visa it's possible for us to buy is the standard thirty day, single entry version. Further pushing (and crisis talks with three Israelis in the same position) revealed that, with a valid student card photocopy, it's possible to make this one month into two, but still single entry. The plan is then to extend the visa once actually in the country.

The frustrating thing is, that unless diplomatic relations with the UK and Israel have changed dramatically since I last talked to people exiting China, all this is a load of crap. Really. I've met people who've applied for six month, multiple entry visas with no problem; when I asked the nice, friendly woman-behind-the-screen about this today, she just looked at me impatiently (and suspiciously) and asked why I would be interested in spending half a year in China anyway.

Argh. And all the websites claim Hong Kong is the easiest place to apply for this kind of thing.

"Argh. And all the websites claim Hong Kong is the easiest place to apply for this kind of thing. "

because the people only go to the travel agenies to get their visa.

and, if you have never had a Chinese visa before, and have no any contact with Chinese company, you only can apply a single entry 30 days visa as tourist.

good luck!!

I got a 60 day visa fairly easily here in Dublin.The first time I went to the Embassy they wouldn't accept my visa application because I didn't have flight details with me.The second time I went(I didn't think I would get a visa other than the 30 day one!!) I brought flight details, some accomodation bookings and an itinery.thre was no hassle at all and the application was accepted right away.It seems that it depends on how the staff are feeling that day..??A few people before me in the queue weren't even asked for flight details while I had been turned away the previous day for not having my flight details with me.Make sure you provide as much info as possible-they seemed to be stricter with younger people than with middle aged and older people for some reason-and hope you get them on a good day!!

I got a 60 day visa fairly easily here in Dublin.The first time I went to the Embassy they wouldn't accept my visa application because I didn't have flight details with me.The second time I went(I didn't think I would get a visa other than the 30 day one!!) I brought flight details, some accomodation bookings and an itinery.thre was no hassle at all and the application was accepted right away.It seems that it depends on how the staff are feeling that day..??A few people before me in the queue weren't even asked for flight details while I had been turned away the previous day for not having my flight details with me.Make sure you provide as much info as possible-they seemed to be stricter with younger people than with middle aged and older people for some reason-and hope you get them on a good day!!

Hi China travellers

I'm not quite in the same boat as you guys as I am only after a standard 30 day tourist visa - but the thing that s troubling me is the "flight booking or travel itinerary" that you are meant to supply with your application.

The flight booking bit doesn't apply (intending to arrive overland from Mongolia on Trans-Mongolian, then leave overland to Hanoi) - so do you know if they accept an itinerary which I've drawn up myself - or does it have to come from an official tour agent?

Any help on this would be much appreciated.

Regards, Tim

For the 3 month visa, the right one is "I can go in and out of China but it all has to be within ninety days? (i.e. I can't come in for two months, cross a border for a month and then come back into China for one more month.)" From the date of first entry, you can stay till the 90th day, ie. you come to China on June 20, the validity is till Sep. 19.