Getting Chinese Visa in the United States

Replies: 9 - Last Post: 13-Apr-2007 19:56 Last Post By: danbrew

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Dantelope55

13-Apr-2007 11:17
Posts: 2

Getting Chinese Visa in the United States

I'm traveling to China by entry of Hong Kong. I want to get my tourist visa in advance while I'm still in the States. Though the embassy breaks down the country into regions, saying that each person should go to and apply at the consulate in their region, my state being Ohio, and my regional consulate being located in New York City. I'm closer to Chicago however and it is a much more preferable trip. Will my application be accepted and processed if I go to the Chicago consulate instead of the New York consulate? I tried contacting the Chicago and New York consulates as well as the D.C. Embassy, only to find it impossible to get in touch with anyone through both telephone and email. If anyone has experience with this I greatly appreciate it. Thanks.

erebus

13-Apr-2007 12:09
Posts: 296

Is there a chinatown in a city near you? Travel agencies in chinatowns usually can do this for you, without your having to go to a consulate. Someone on another thread recommended this company.

Dantelope55

13-Apr-2007 12:26
Posts: 2

I'm somewhat uncomfortable sending my actual passport to companies like this. Is this generally a reliable practice? History of having passports stolen or misused?

erebus

13-Apr-2007 13:55
Posts: 296

Haven't heard of any, and I think you would.

I have always gotten my China visas through a travel agency in Chinatown. No hassles, and not much of a surcharge, either.

gonezen

13-Apr-2007 15:01
Posts: 170

I am sure you can go to Chicago. I don't think they care where you're from ion the USA. Be aware that it takes at least 4 business days to retrieve your visa and passport. You can pay extra for expedited service...I am not sure what those charges and timeframes are. The website has that info probably.

"Freedom lies in being bold." Robert Frost

helgromite

13-Apr-2007 17:11
Posts: 11

You can use any reputable visa service. I have had good luck with "Travel document systems" but there are several. They charge hefty fees but it beats making two trips to the consulate if you are far away. The passport and visa application must be hand carried by someone to the Chinese consulate. This is not the case with most consulates where you can send in the application. The visa services use Fed Ex to get it back to you.

Harry_Mudd

13-Apr-2007 17:36
Posts: 4,084

or you could do it in Hong Kong here: FBT.

"A person without a sense of humor is like a wagon without springs. It's jolted by every pebble on the road" - Henry Ward Beecher

chengdude

13-Apr-2007 17:44
Posts: 664

The recommendation in the first reply is a good one; my mom (70+ and as careful as that age would suggest) has used them twice and been happy. I even see that company is listing the L Visa with a default 60-90 day stay...much better than the usual 30. Including your cost to send in your passport (Certified Mail, FedEx, or whatever), you end up paying around 50 bucks for the service, which is a lot cheaper than travelling to another city to do it yourself.

gawdess

13-Apr-2007 18:13
Posts: 59

I went and asked my local AAA lady and they use "Travel Document Systems" for their VISA's. They are located here.Travel Docs

danbrew

13-Apr-2007 19:56
Posts: 236

Another vote for Travel Docs - traveldocs.com. I've used them many times for visas, including China. no problem, fast service, reasonable rates.

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