Chinese Visas

Hello Scott 😊

I think a lot of people are having trouble getting a Chinese visa at the moment. It might make it easier if you dont go to China until the Olympics are over.

China imposes new visa rules for the Olympics.

Mel Reply to this

We are experiencing similar problems. We will be traveling overland from Singapore to Sweden this summer and have also been told that in order to get a Chinese visa we need hotel bookings and evidence that we will be leaving China. We have booked hostels in the cities we plan to visit and have written on our application forms, which border crossings we plan to use. Unfortunately this means that if we do get the visas we will have to stick to a tight schedule on the China part of our trip. The other problem is that Chinese visas will now only be valid for one month from the date of issue, which means that we will only be able to apply four days before we leave Singapore. I will be heading to the embassy next week. Fingers crossed it will work out. Reply to this

OMG!!! boys and girls ... have we ever got a gong show story for you!!! $%#&*^ !!!!!!

we're in hanoi now and are trying to get our visa into china. outside the embassy there is a sign saying you need to have transportation in and out of the country, and the first nights accomodation booked before you can even apply. a bit annoying, because we like to just kinda go with the flow, but whatever, we really want to see china so we went ahead with it. we paid $312 for the train tickets from hanoi to beijing and another $139 for our flights from hong kong to malaysia and another $9 for deposit on a hostel in beijing. we showed up at the embassy today with the proper documentation and bells on ... and we were refused a visa!!! the conversation went like this:

visa man: "why are you in vietnam?"
t and k: "tourism"
visa man: "no! you cannot get a visa unless you work in vietnam"
t and k: (ummm????) "uh? sorry?"
visa man: "go to your own country!"

that was pretty much the end of it and we were dismissed (angry hand wave and all). we tried to explain that we're travelling for year and he wouldn't hear it. sooo ... we're not very happy right now. we're really pissed off because we went ahead to get all the stuff they require and NOWHERE does it say "do all this ... and we still might say no" ... soooo ... now we're out almost $500!!! we've sent an email to the embassy explaining our plight (as well as our own, not sure if they can help us). aargghhhh!!!!
we plan to go back tommorrow, cross our fingers and toes, and if that still doesn't work, we've been "told" (who knows what that means though!!!) that we can cancel the train tickets and pay a 20% penalty. aaaarrgghhh!!!! good luck guys! Reply to this

We heard it was really difficult to get a Visa into China - we have organised a tour for 12 days to enter Shanghai, and leaving Beijing. http://www.intrepidtravel.com/trips/crf

Hopefully they will accept this since we have all the tour documentation and will have all the flights etc confirmed.

Anna - is there a website you can reference in regards to your statement "Chinese visas will now only be valid for one month from the date of issue" ? thank you 😊 Reply to this

From what I've heard, the Chinese embassys worldwise are just randomly refusing visas with no reason. I personally would just keep going back and hope you get a different person serving you at the counter. Better yet, get the full requirements in writing from a staff member, meet the requirements and go back to that same person to apply, they cant say much then. Reply to this

Good luck Anna,

I think if you turn up and you are genuine they should allow you to travel.

Keep in mind though China flies the Red flag and their culture demands that they appear in control of everything at all times.

With Earthquakes, flooding, landslides, Tibet, and not to mention the Olympics. I would say they have reason for concern about certain westerners entering the country. SOme may not just be innocent travelers like ourselves, I m sure some governments would be trying to take opportunity to be less than positive toward their future.

Unfortunately we live in that world now......

I did notice a visa for an Aussie was $30 and an American $170 - maybe tht tells you something..!!

Reply to this

Sorry to hear Trev and Kristena, hope the rest of your journey is much more fun. I heard that same thing from the Hong Kong Embassy, I didnt know it had spread so far... I guess our chances are zip. Thanks for the post as you have clarified what some of us were already thinking..

So no china..!! where are you guys of to next??

Take care and dont forget to still have fun..!!!! Reply to this

Still working on the train ticket issue. Have you tried again? Reply to this

hey blonk, thanks for the consolation :D it really was a sore spot, but we've kinda just accepted it because .... not much else we can do! argh! no luck with malaysia airlines though, aparentlly we bought the cheapest tickets (i thought everyone always bought the cheapest tickets, no???) so no refund. grand total for our failed chinese visa mishap ... about $250. we're not having very happy thoughts about china right now, thats for sure!

next stop ... malaysia. we fly out wednesday afternoon. are you really going to try for the visa again in a month??? good luck!!! maybe it will be easier to apply in saigon?

happy travels! Reply to this

Hi there!
I accidentally hit your questions!
I am living in Shenzhen in China and hope to help you guys out with your visa (-questions)!

1. The reason you are being rejected for a visa in Vietnam, is that officially China has introduced the rule that we may not apply for a Chinese visa any more from a foreign country. However, lots of people apply for a visa in Hong Kong.

2. The schedule you have to provide the Chinese government for visa; who says you have to commit to that one?? If I were you guys, use your computer skills, make bookings, delete them again, book flight tickets, delete again, and there you are. China does not check them, it is just that they have the formal idea of where you are. However, if you can present them anything and then delete it all again, you are still able to travel freely!

3. If you can't get the visa in Vietnam or wherever you are; travel to Hong Kong. Maybe over budget and unexpected, but I think it is the best way if you really want to travel through China. In Hong Kong you may go to the Commissioner's Office (http://www.fmcoprc.gov.hk/eng/xwfw/gszxxw/t426104.htm) or China Travel Service. They can help you getting your visa. From Hong Kong there are many trains going into China.

4. Train travelling is still allowed into China, only not for foreigners. They don't want any foreigners to enter the country over land, they prefer you come by air. However, I have still been travelling between hong kong and China over land, so as you all know; Hong Kong is different as it is meeting with the Special Economic Zone; Shenzhen.

5. If you want to visit Tibet; forget it. I wanted it too myself, but no permits are given and there is a widespread silence concerning Tibet. I do not expect Tibet to open up before september.

Check the above site of the Commissioner's Office in Hong Kong, information is on there. If you want more info from people who have lots of experiences with Chinese visa, check www.geoexpat.com and search for 'China visa banned'. This thread is 50 pages long and if you quickly look over it there are many answers to find there.

Any more questions, just ask! I have lots of information on the Chinese visa and I will apply for one again next week...
I have been travelling on F (business) visa until now, but as it has become more strict to get a business one too, it is maybe needed to get a tourist one for me too....

Hope you guys still have a great trip!! Reply to this