Business Trip To China - Do I Really Need A Business Visa?

[Crossy]

Got to visit Shanghai some time next month, a couple of days worth of meetings with a supplier.

Over the years I've visited all sorts of places and on occasion used tourist visas when actually conducting business (naughty I know).

But we are talking about China here, and worse the company we are visiting will not provide the invitation letters required for a business visa (they really don't want us to visit).

Any advice from regular visitors, will we get locked up if found in a business meeting or for that matter if the supplier shops us to immigration and we are stopped at the airport.

Or do I just take a chill-piil

[harrry]

It is a supplier.......you set the terms for doing business with them don't you?

I would be reluctant to do anything questionable in China. There have been several Australian bussiness people face jail for what would be normal at home.

Edited June 28, 2012 by harrry

[Crossy]

It is a supplier.......you set the terms for doing business with them don't you?

Don't I know it mate, the main reason for the visit is that they have become non-responsive to engineering issues. We need to send a rocket up em, which is why they don't want to see us.

I'm working on getting an invite from another company in Shanghai so we can make them the primary meeting.

[mmushr00m]

This happened to me last year.

I was in Shenzen for a business meeting and had a Shenzen economic zone visa.

On the weekend the client invited me to go on an excursion into the hinterlands. The general consensus was since I have a visa it should be all good.

3hours into the journey we got stopped by the police. They started checking IDs and passports. I looked at mine and saw "for shenzen economic zone only" and we were 3 hours into china proper. Let me tell you I was in deep doo doo.

Luckily before the cop got to me he was summoned away, seems our driver had an issue with his papers. The cops all concentrated on him, they agreed to change drivers then waved us on.

I shudder to think what wouldve happened.

[Tomtomtom69]

OP - I've lived in China before and will be starting a new job there soon. I will also be working for one of those types of companies that you will have a meeting with, the type that doesn't really want competitors to visit. Hahaha...I digress.

Anyway, if you are only going to China short term and only to discuss business and not to receive income, a tourist visa is sufficient. Even in Australia and the USA you could use a tourist visa for business meetings so despite recent crackdowns in China (mostly related to visa overstayers and those working illegally on tourist visas etc.) you can certainly enter China on such visa. While I would be suspicous of a company that doesn't want to provide a business visa invitation letter, the reality is that as a westerner (or even as a Thai) you'll have no problem securing a Chinese tourist visa.

Don't make the mistake of doing what mushroom did - you will want to obtain a proper Chinese visa for your visit, UNLESS you stay entirely within the regions where visa exemptions are granted. For example, Shanghai grants 48h visa exemptions to many nationalities, provided they hold a ticket for an onward destination. However, in your case you will need to get a visa as it sounds like you will be flying back to the same point of departure (I'm assuming it's Bangkok, since this is Thaivisa.com, but I could be wrong).

I have heard that the Chinese Embassy in Bangkok and Chinese consulates/embassies worldwide have become stricter when it comes to visa issuance, particularly if you are not a citizen of the country where you apply. Basically you may be asked to write down the name of a hotel or other accommodation where you plan to stay. Don't worry - this is not binding and you can stay wherever you want once you get to China, but do pick out a hotel or something just to put down on the form. Round-trip air tickets may also be requested, but I'm not sure. In the past this has generally never been required and since China has border crossings with other nations open to third party foreigners, I don't see how they can enforce such a rule. Indeed, I've crossed overland between China and Vietnam many times and no one crossing was ever asked about their airline tickets (indeed, as I had a Chinese resident permit at the time, that didn't apply to me anyway). Also, the embassy in Bangkok may not process a visa for a stay longer than 30 days or multiple entry if you are not Thai, although foreigners on long-term Thai work visas may still be granted longer term visas. BTW it's quite easy to extend a tourist visa for another 30 days or to convert it to a second entry or multiple entry once you're inside China assuming you need to travel there again a second time.