Latest reports of getting a visa in the region - Guangzhou, China

[joe china]

Went to the Royal Thai Consulate in Guangzhou China on Monday to hand in the application forms for individual Non Ed (x2) and Non B (x1)

 

Chinese embassy and consulates may not be a good option for a visa run as you are required to enter with a Chinese visa in most cases.

 

I had all completed forms and required documents.

 

http://www.thaiembassy.org/guangzhou/th/services/940/18976-VISA-|-关于签证与认证.html

 

Proof of funds

Proof of address in Thailand

Proof of return ticket

Copy of the passport information pages

Copy of the Chinese resident permits

Acceptance into School for the children

Letter from the ministry of education

Letter of invitation from the school

Acceptance of Work for my wife

Letter from her employer

Criminal Clearance Certificate for my wife

Copy of my passport information page

Copy of my Non O A and reentry permit valid until July 2019

 

I acted as local and Thailand guarantee for my wife and children and supplied a letter explaining that, supplemented with 2 different bank statements (China and Hong Kong) showing balances, and 1 Thailand Bank letter showing current THB balance.

 

Visa applications open at 9am.

 

The queue has 10 people in.

 

Soon as the door opens, everyone walks in a takes a ticket from the machine.

 

There are 2 counters serving.

 

The first 9 people went to the counter and then took a copy of the form and sat down to complete the form. My number was called within 5 minutes.

 

I handed in all the requested documents and was told to sit down and wait. Less than 1 hour later i was told that all three applications had been approved and that I must pay the fee. Paid the fee and left.

 

I then returned 48 hours with a copy of my passport, a copy of my wife and children's passport and a signed letter by my wife authorizing me to take the passports. Received the passports and all had the requested visas.

 

It could not have been easier. The staff are very helpful. 

 

Edited June 8, 2018 by joe china

[impulse]

22 minutes ago, joe china said:

I then returned 48 hours with a copy of my passport, a copy of my wife and children's passport and a signed letter by my wife authorizing me to take the passports. Received the passports and all had the requested visas.

 

It could not have been easier. The staff are very helpful. 

 

May seem easy, but not if you have to travel to the embassy or consulate.  My place is an hour train ride from the Beijing embassy.  Problem is, I can't get on the train without my passport.   So I can't get back home if I have to leave my passport overnight.  

 

I also question the "ease" if you don't produce a residency certificate, which most visa runners are not going to have.

 

I don't know if it's a good place for a visa run or not.  I do know that most visa runners don't have half the documents you listed.  I'm just warning readers that it may not be so straightforward, even if you do have a visa to visit China.

 

Edit:  And I'd also warn that it's very difficult to exchange currency without a passport in hand, so make sure you have taken care of your cash needs before you leave your passport with them.  ATM's have come a long way since I got there (at that time, there were 2 ATMs in my city of 10 million that took international cards, and they were usually offline), but it's still nothing like SEA.

 

 

Edited June 8, 2018 by impulse

[joe china]

 
May seem easy, but not if you have to travel to the embassy or consulate.  My place is an hour train ride from the Beijing embassy.  Problem is, I can't get on the train without my passport.   So I can't get back home if I have to leave my passport overnight.  
 
I also question the "ease" if you don't produce a residency certificate, which most visa runners are not going to have.
 
I don't know if it's a good place for a visa run or not.  I do know that most visa runners don't have half the documents you listed.  I'm just warning readers that it may not be so straightforward, even if you do have a visa to visit China.
 
Edit:  And I'd also warn that it's very difficult to exchange currency without a passport in hand, so make sure you have taken care of your cash needs before you leave your passport with them.  ATM's have come a long way since I got there (at that time, there were 2 ATMs in my city of 10 million that took international cards, and they were usually offline), but it's still nothing like SEA.
 
 

It is only easy if you have the right Chinese residence permit and I would not recommend this as a visa run.

What I did notice as the requirements are different for Guangzhou compared to Beijing.

The documents I took along with me was based on a combination of what I read on both websites.

The attachment is what is acceptable to the Guangzhou consulate

I know what you mean about the passport situation and the train. Though, I am a UK passport holder and have 2 passports for exactly this reason. Any UK passport holder that has a legitimate reason can get a second passport.

So probably I should be more descriptive and say

'if your a foriegn resident in Guangzhou with the appropriate visa, live close to the consulate or embassy or have a driver, then Guangzhou is a simple place to get a visa'.

For a visa run it is not suitable.

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[impulse]

My apologies for not saying that your report is great information.  It is. 

 

But a lot of TVF readers are like me, and have a tendency to gloss over (or forget) the parts we don't especially want to see.  It's not your fault.  It was all there in your OP.  I just wanted to drive it home.

 

A short trip to Guangzhou with a few days laid up waiting on the consulate for a visa sounds like an adventure.  In fact, I recommend visiting Guangzhou with a side trip to Hong Kong (or vice versa).  It's an amazing area.  But it's easy to fall into one of the many traps if you haven't figured on the implications of not having your passport for a few days, or hoped to do it on a much touted 72 hour transit visa (another one that sounds great, but has pitfalls).   Go during the spring or fall Canton Trade Fair for a real treat.

 

FYI, when I got my Thai visa in Beijing, I didn't have a lot the of stuff on their list.  I just had an invitation for a job interview with a BOI company, and the ungodly stack of paperwork the company provided me.  That was 7 years ago, and they issued a Non-B visa in spite of my lack of diligence.  But I don't know if I'd try it again today.