TIBET TRAVEL PERMIT URGENT ... - Thorn Tree travel forum

TIBET TRAVEL PERMIT URGENT

Replies: 7 - Last Post: 23-Mar-2007 05:20 Last Post By: stoognik

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Posted
21-Mar-2007 16:43
by: katiavokrugmira

Posts: 2
Registered: 15/07/06

TIBET TRAVEL PERMIT URGENT

Hi!

I am in Shanghai and just bought a train ticket to Lhasa (51 hours!!!).
The travel agent at the hostel phoned the China Railway and they said that you don't need to buy a permit in advance anymore. According to them the so-called 'Tibet travel permit' is actually just a piece of paper that can be filled on board the train.
After reading all the posts about getting this permit in Chengdu or somewhere else, I am a little worried that the people who gave me the info here had actually no idea what they were talking about.
Anyone out there just travelled recently on the train without a permit???
I have a Chinese working visa with multiple entries and already travelled to HK and Macau without any problem at all.

Thanks a bunch

Posted
21-Mar-2007 17:44
by: KellyHuang

Posts: 14
Registered: 18/08/06

1

Generally it needs three days to get the Tibet permit if you could supply the full necessary documents. And it needs another 3 days (or more) to Express Deliver the permit. I don't think you have enough time.

MSN: kellyhuang_305@hotmail.com
I like to make friends with travel lovers!

Posted
21-Mar-2007 18:06
by: zhaoyun

Posts: 727
Registered: 12/07/06

2

They likely don't know what they're talking about. The Tibet permit must be gotten through a travel agent and, like #1 says, usually takes a few days to process. Usually you cannot buy a train ticket on your own without the permit. It is possible to buy a ticket through a Chinese friend- as you seem to have done- but they often check if you have the permit on the train, though not all the time.
Even if that agent isn't lying to sell you a ticket even though they can't get a permit, and the ticket office really did say that, it still doesn't necessarily mean you don't need the permit anymore. In the summer the Zhongdian bus station began selling tickets to Tibet to foreigners, even though there was no actual change in policy. It doesn't hurt them to sell more tickets; it will only hurt you when you get caught.
But I do think the agent cheated you, since it sound like they don't even know what the permit is. My advice is find a place to get a permit ASAP or return the ticket.
Read #74 on the FAQ for details on the Tibet permit.

Posted
21-Mar-2007 19:09
by: Losang

Posts: 1,485
Registered: 04/09/04

3

Sounds like your travel agency is clueless about the permit. All foreigners are still required to have the permit BEFORE they board the train. You can't get it on the train.

Need more info about Tibet? Try these: Life on the Tibetan Plateau: Tibet Tours and Pictures and Land of Snows: Picture Tour of Tibet

Posted
21-Mar-2007 19:38
by: firescorpy

Posts: 134
Registered: 28/09/06

4

katiavokrugmira, keep a low profile on the train, if they start searching, go to the bathroom. If that doesnt work, slip them Y50 or something.

Keep going and you'll eventually make it..

Posted
21-Mar-2007 21:14
by: ellyse

Posts: 8,932
Registered: 27/04/02

5

Just curious, which hostel in Shanghai did you go through?
Cheers!

Posted
22-Mar-2007 00:14
by: pratyeka

Posts: 200
Registered: 21/10/01

6

Slip them Y50 is unlikely to work, though acting dumb and surprised will.

Posted
23-Mar-2007 05:20
by: stoognik

Posts: 1,338
Registered: 09/03/07

7

id agree with both #'s 4 & 6.
i actually got the train about a month ago. no mention of permits anywhere and no one asked. got on in lanzhou with a ticket i bought myself at the station.
if anyone asks just tell em the story and be prepared to pay a small fee to rectify the situation.

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