30

Hi drumbake: Mine is a 6 month multiple entry visa. I am not sure if I have a previous visa. I was on tour with China Focus in 2003 and was part of a group visa, so I dont think I do. Last year, I also had a group visa to Schenzen and it was a waste of money. I do not recommend going on any of those tours in Hong Kong. You can easily do it yourself for far less money and have much more time to explore. I dont know about the pink dolphin tour though. It sounded great, but I chose not to go since the tour operator would not let me speak with ppl who had gone on the tour and would not tell me exactly where the boat was so that I could be there to speak to the passengers. The cost is 360 Hong Kong Dollars.

31

Thanks. A 6 month multi is pretty good. In the US you should have been able to get a 12 month multi, but doing it in HK you saved time and money.

The pink dolphin tours-perhaps depends who you go with. HK Dolphin Watch has a good reputation, but I think it is a matter of luck whether you get a good view of the dolphins or not. The more reputable tour agencies won't get too close to the dolphins so as not to threaten them.

With the construction of the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macau Bridge, the dolphins might soon be no more.

32

Does anyone have any more up to date information on this? I am just trying to figure out if it is going to work to go to Hong Kong or not.

So, I am currently teaching English in Germany (only one week left though!), but I am trying to head home to Australia via China. My boyfriend has been invited to speak at a conference in Shanghai, so he kind of has to go, but at the moment it seems that neither of us can!

I had a particularly disconcerting run-in with the consulate in Frankfurt today. The lady told us that we cannot apply for our visa in Frankfurt, because our residence permits for Germany are not valid for the six months after our trip to China (even though we are not returning to Germany). She said we would have to apply for the visa by going back to Australia. Then, as an afterthought, she added... or maybe apply in Hong Kong.

Has anyone NOT had success getting a visa in Hong Kong when they are not resident there? Is it worth it to go through a visa agency, especially if you have less time? I know they are a lot more expensive, but it might be worth it if we really need to get to Shanghai by a particular date!

Sending it back to Australia seems to be even more risky, as the consulate there says that postal applications cannot be expedited and have a ten day turn-around period (from receiving them, to sending them back out)... and by then I won't be in Germany any longer.

Still excited about going to China, but there is a lot of hassle.

33

#32
Still possible to get a Chinese visa in Hong Kong for non residents. Using an agency increases the cost slightly; Forever Bright in TST East is frequently recommended.

34

Thank you! That puts my mind at rest quite a bit.

35

If anyone interested, here is a link to the post describing how easy is to get Chinese visa in Hong Kong. Details about fees and waiting time also provided:

Happy travels! :)

36

Pls forward the link to the post explaining how easy it is to get a visa for a foreigner in Hong Kong.

I'm South African / Canadian, and post my one year contract in South Korea I'm heading for China via Hong Kong and then on to Russia.

Thanks

37

Just a quick question.

My visa application (via CTS) was turned down this week (I'd applied for a 3-month multiple-entry visa), and I'm about to go and try my luck at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (as recommended in the opening post of this thread). I ideally need a 90-day visa, but I'm worried that I'm more likely to be turned down if I apply for one of these, rather than a 30-day one.

Can anyone let me know if this is the case? If applying for 90 days means my application will be rejected a second time, then I'll just apply for 30 days, try and get an extension, and worry about the rest later.

38

#37

Were you given a reason why it was turned down? CTS is ok for basic single or double entry 30 day applications, but don't use them for anything out of the ordinary. If you are applying for a single or double entry, and are happy with the 30 day entry, then going direct to the Visa office should be ok. If you request 60 or 90 days, they might just give you a 30 day instead, or they might reject - it's hard to say.

if you really want a longer visa, best to go to a specialist visa agent. Forever Bright ( http://www.fbt-chinavisa.com.hk/ ) are frequently recommended. Contact them and ask what is available for your passport.

39

Went to the visa office this afternoon, filled in the form, ticked '3-month single entry' (which was the minimum option), and was told I'll only get 30 days. The same thing happened when I applied for my first visa in Islamabad. (Submitted itineraries, letters of invitation, bank statements, etc., and only given 30 days. A Dutch guy who applied the week before got 90, without any of my documentation. Mystifying.) I am starting to get a bit paranoid.

Ah well. Hopefully this one will come through. If it doesn't, I'll try Forever Bright. If that doesn't work...

40

Forever Bright will get you a 6 month multi-entry F visa with no documentation. (just write down a hotel as the "company info". Bit pricey but can be done in about 5hrs turn-around and no stress! Then you can stay for 3 months without being paranoid!

41

Just been to Kong Kong as UK citizens we got 90 day Chinese visas from our hotel. We stayed at Man Hung Ling in Mirador Mansions but I think they all do visas in that building.

Cost HK$620 (plus $20 if you need you white passport photo changing to blue background).

Handed passport and photo in one evening and got back by 2pm the next day then went to Shenzhen. No problems.

Cheaper than Forever Bright and a longer visa.

Met another English guy in Yangshuo who went to Chinese Embassy in HK and paid more and only got 30 days.

Good luck!