Great news, we picked up our Chinese 30 day tourist visas this morning in Sydney. I think we've been VERY lucky to get it, we supplied the following information:
- Flight to Macau from Singapore
- Travel voucher for the trans-mongolian (even though we're going in the time that the chinese government aren't issuing tickets).
- Itinerary detailing every day that we're there.
- Accommodation reservation for the last week we are in China.
So pleased we've got the visa, huge relief.
Han girl
I think you have missed the point of why a lot of people use Thorn tree.
If you are traveling and trying to cope with new circumstances you may not know what has been published while on the move. It is also helpful to know how rules are being interpreted - what in reality is the result, especially when things have changed.
If you don't need to watch this thread why bother following it and making snide remarks.
Others really value the help and advice available through it - everbrite and others like her have a lot of knowledge and it can be a great support when your plans seem to be in ruins. If your traveling and on the move or like me trying to find out how to continue my plan for being in China for 4 years.
many thanks to those who post helpful suggestions and answers!!!!
Sheila
I'm an Australian passport holder. I was issued a double entry 30 day visa in Singapore the week before they stopped issuing double entry visas (phew!). I flew from Beijing to Hong Kong on 1 May, then re-entered successfully in Xi-an on 2 May. I have put in an application to extend my visa until 10 June in Xi-an which will take a week. It cost me 160 Yuan - will post again when I find out if the application was successful or not (fingers crossed!)
everbrite & zhet, thanks for you feed back.
you mentioned tht it will be easier to obtain an extension in smaller cities. can we cosider cities such as wanzhou/chongqing (noth-east of chongqing) as an option or should we head for the bigger cities (chongqing) ? since we travel by bicycle we need to plan our route carefully. another question: will we be without passport during the extension process or do we get a kind of paper which replaces the passport.
thanks for you help.
I am picking up different reports on getting a Chinese tourist visa from Thailand for an overland.
Some are saying no longer possible until after games? Others telling me it is, but now they want to see flight tickets out of the country.
I am over landing this thing. Can somebody please tell me the correct requirements for a single entry chinese tourist visa from Thailand, exiting Mongolia for an overland only traveler.
A transit would do, as I was in china in March on a tibet permit and just need to head straight up. Though I would like to visit a few more places the 30 would allow..
Thanks
Dave
#733, you may want to ask this question as a new thread. Maybe someone will know this city and know if they renew visas.
do the new rules affect overseas chinese as well? longer length of stay and duration visas have been easier to get for overseas chinese in the past. is that still the case? are 1 or 2 year multiples still available for overseas chinese visiting friends and family? in my case i was born in china and now hold a US passport.
thanks.
David S - I believe that there are reports in this thread about Bangkok and that they indicate that it is possible to get a Chinese tourist visa in Bangkok provided that you have transportation into and out of China as well as accommodations though it would also appear that there are some agencies that can arrange evidence of this for a fee.
To the best of my recollection there is no report of anyone getting a a tourist visa for overland travel as you are required to show evidence of tickets into and out of the country. There are some reports of people having vouchers for trains and that this is sufficient but there are other reports that only plane tickets are acceptable. I can't recall the specifics for Bangkok.
You cannot get a transit visa without tickets into and out of the country. By the time you have the tickets, you might as well make the accommodation bookings and get the tourist visa.
30 days seems to be the standard since 14 April unless you apply in your home country. There are exceptions but it does not appear to be predictable.
beyonist - according the to website of the Chinese embassy in Washington, the rules apply to everyone in the sense that even overseas Chinese need to present tickets into and out of the country. For accommodations, one can substitute information including the address of family and copies of their internal documents. US passport holders seem likely to get 30-60 day multiple entry visas good for one year. I don't recall hearing anything specifically different for overseas Chinese.
Ruth