!!Very important if you are coming to China before october!!

I am unsure of how much press this is getting outside of Asia.

As of end of march, Visas have become very difficult to get for China. What is worse is that the Chinese government has made the new rules very very unclear and conflicting.

New Rules???

  1. No 12 month Multiple entry visas will be granted until after October(date not firm?). British people may be able to but this is unsure?

  2. Unless you have Hong Kong residence, you cannot get a visa in Hong Kong. You have to get in your home country (we think?)

You have to have a hotel voucher and return airline tickets to get a visa (and also an invitation letter?)

It is completely screwy at the moment. I have to get a new visa in about a week and will try to give an update.

Tim:

Are any of these changes because of the circus surrounding the Olympics?

Officially - No
Unofficially - Yes, but of course :slight_smile:

I am going to Shenzhen in 20 days to talk at a conference and the government official there is sending me all kinds of letter and proofs of authenticity now that he has studied the issue. And I am a Hong Kong resident which is supposed make things easier.

If you are coming to China, give yourself plenty of time to get your visas in your country of origin.

I went to get my visa. I wanted to get a two entry visa for a Shenzhen trip next week and a Qingdao trip in July. Went to my usual visa company. Things are so dificult at the moment I am getting a single entry visa now and another in June.

For those of us in Hong Kong, the Olympics cannot go away soon enough. At laest from the China Visa point of view.

Tim,

I’m applying for single entry this time. Should I get a business or tourist visa?

Is it possible to extend an invitation for me from Qingdao Industrial Desingers Association?

Thanks in advance

  • Steven Kim

Law Offices of Steven D. Kim
Boost Design, LLC
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You sure about this?

I just received my 12 month multiple entry visa last week; I applied the week before.

I needed nothing beyond the normal letter of invitation and visa application plus the fees obviously…but then again I am applying form the states…

could be a problem only from the grab n go visa at the HK end maybe?

As mentioned before, it seems to be somewhat random, which is what happens when dealing with a “rule of man” system versus a “rule of law” system.

I don’t want to be seen as a chicken little but I wnat to try to make people aware of the possible problems that may occur.

And, we appreciate your advise!

“Prior Planning Prevents Piss Poor Performance.” That’s 6Ps of life I adhere to.

Oh and just to put this into context, it is not only a China problem. My own country, the US, does the same random things.

I set up a trip for some Chinese manufacturers to visit US Design firms last month. Some of the manufacturers were not given visas and I just found out the the US Embassy in Beijing is still holding their passports doing “background checks”. Give me a break, this is a month after the scheduled event, and i really don’t like the idea of my government working in this way.

Hello all, I was just reading this and thought I’d put in my own experience. Both my friend and I are from Canada, and are currently working in Shenzhen, China.

We were set up with a three month internship, but that has been cut down to two because that’s the longest visa we could get. Also, we could only get a two entry visa, instead of multiple entry. We thought we could maybe apply for more here, or in Hong Kong, but it seems like more trouble now, which is too bad, because Hong Kong is so close, and really nice to visit.

China is not allowing any work visas right now (we were told), so instead, they gave us tourist visas. I don’t really understand if they expect us not to work while we are here or what.

To actually apply, we went to a travel agent who told us what we need:

Confirmed flights,
Entry and exit dates and locations and methods, including when we leave (for the double entry)
Where we are staying (hotel or apartment)
Why we are here
Citizenship card of a sponsor (photocopy)
Invitation and purpose of visit from sponsor
pre-filled out application
Passport, etc.
I think that’s it.

At the embassy and online there is nothing telling you this information, unless you wait in line for three hours just to ask.

We got all this together, and then went to the embassy, where the turnaround was faster than the travel agent. We actually got the visas in two or three days, but it took about a month for us to get all the info together.

China is pretty hard to get into right now, but it’s an interesting place to see, and when you have an excuse like work to visit here for longer than most tourists would, I don’t know why anyone would say no. Just make sure you have everything together first, or you’ll wait in line for three hours and be turned away at the counter. I saw it happen to quite a few people.

I hope that helps anyone who is thinking about going.
-S.

Wow core77 is very well informed. Too bad my mom didn’t know. My mom was caught without a vise by the time she was off a train from HK.