Chinese.Visa.Confusion!
Replies: 13 - Last Post: Nov 15, 2012 4:02 AM Last Post By: choudoufu
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Chinese.Visa.Confusion!
Hello All!Please help me with my chinese visa confusion?!
I'm a UK citizen planning a trip to south east asia for 6months or so. Iv booked flights into hong kong for january. My plan is to have a few days in HK then travel through south china possibly staying for a while in hainan then onto vietnam (max stay in china 3weeks). I understand there is no visa requirements for hong kong and a visa for vietnam looks pretty straight forward :)...
China although?? Do I need to provide details of travel and hotel bookings? because my general plan was just to rock up and see where looks nice? I have no set in stone plans? also do i need an outward flight booked? because i'd just be exiting via vietnam to do more travelling? not to fly else where??!! Iv seen some people suggest getting a tourist visa in HK because its easier?? but do i still have to provide a travel itinerary or an outward flight confirmation? because i wont have either :S
ooohhhhh it all sounds a bit problematic to me?
Any advice would be GREATLY appreciated!!
Charlie x
1
Do I need to provide details of travel and hotel bookings? also do i need an outward flight booked?
If you apply for the Chinese visa in the UK,yes, you will need this. There are ways around it, such as booking accommodation and then cancelling it after you have the visa, and booking an onward flight out of China.
Iv seen some people suggest getting a tourist visa in HK because its easier?? but do i still have to provide a travel itinerary or an outward flight confirmation?
You can at present get a Chinese visa in Hong Kong, and if you use an agent, you do not at the moment need flight bookings or a accommodation bookings. However, things might change.
The itinerary is the easiest part of the application. Remember, once you have the visa,you can throw the itinerary away.
2
Thank you so much for your reply!I can see your point about scrapping the itinerary once i have the visa in hand & its a good idea! although i won't ever have a outward bound flight booked which they ?may require if applying from the uk.
hmmmm maybe best bet to hold out until i get to HK & pray regulations wont change between now and january??
Charlie
4
you could:1) buy an expensive refundable ticket
2) buy a cheap (under $50) outbound ticket from airasia or tiger, which
you may use or throw away.
jetstar and tiger fly from hainan. check their sites for sales.....you can pick
up haikou-singapore on tiger for about $50 after jan 20. plenty of cheap
connecting flights out of singapore.
6
Hi,I'm a British citizen. In the last year or so I've gotten 3 Chinese tourist visas in Hong Kong: I've never been asked for anything more complicated than a passport photo and a filled out application form. Chinese visa regulations do sometimes change without warning, but in recent times getting a visa in Hong Kong for Brits has been very straight-forward.
You can get a Vietnam visa in Nanning or Kunming. Hostels in Nanning will get you the visa for free (ie. you only pay the official consulate fee) as a service to try and attract you to their hostel.
7
Thanks everyone for all the advice!& @Giora top tip about vietnamese visa too?! iv never heard that u can get them from hostel agents before! :)
Don't suppose any one knows about getting a thailand visa on route anywhere as well? Cant get one before i leave the uk as its too far ahead....guessing ill just have to get a 15day one on arrival & the extend it??
charlie x
8
There is a Thai Consulate in Hong Kong where you should be able to get a visa. See http://www.thai-consulate.org.hk/web/3015.php?s=4049If you extend, I think you are limited to 7 or 10 days on the 15 one. Check the Thai branch for exact info.
The hostel in Nanning acts as an agent - your passport is sent to the consulate in Nanning to get the visa, but you are not charged for the service, just the visa fee.
10
Hi,There's a great hostel in Nanning (I'll find the website if you're interested) that I'd recommend - one of the most welcoming hostels in China. There were a couple of people waiting around for their Vietnamese visas while I was there - it seemed very straight-forward, and if you're willing to pay extra, you can get it in a day.
I don't know if you're planning on passing through Laos, but Vientiene has a good reputation for Thai visas, plus Laos is a lovely country to visit. Extending a Thai visa is expensive and doesn't get you much more time: most people in Thailand with only 15 days who want to stay longer do so by making a quick hop across a border and then coming back into Thailand. There are at least 3 places you can do this along the Burma border, plus there's also a quick trip into Cambodia (possible as a day-trip from Bangkok).
11
Thanks Giora!If you could find that hostel website that would be really useful!! Ill have to wait around in nanning for a vietnamese visa unless i have manage to do it before i leave the uk (unlikely).
I intend to travel from nanning to vietnam then onto cambodia then thailand. Just heard its difficult to get a thai visa in cambodia without the onward flight??
Im applying for a chinese visa now, iv taken the advice on here and made up an itinerary. So when im in HK I can hopefully get a 60 day thai visa then without too much trouble. You just have to enter thailand within three months of the application dont you??
Also yes Laos is defo on the card sometime after thailand for sure :)
12
The hostel I'm talking about is the Nanning City Hostel. I'm having trouble finding the website, but the hostel's on Hostel World. I'd recommend it strongly - it's a great hostel. Be careful to note down all the directions on how to find the place: it's a little bit tricky the first time.
