China Visa Problems - Be Warned

[Satcommlee]

Lesson learned....

Despite you trying to do things right, you should have just got a tourist visa.

I had a bad experience in China once, detained for 3 hours at the airport.

My class of visa was actually free and was issued in Bangkok, but the airport immigration had other ideas when I presented my passport in Guanzhou.

I also wish I had just gone in on a Tourist Visa.

[Tomtomtom69]

India is planning to relax visa regulations (even visa upon arrival for certain countries)

China is very sensitive about the visa restrictions and difficulties imposed by certain countries on its citizens and since 18 months China seems to apply to rule of "reciprocity"

I regret deeply that with the new restrictions imposed by the Embassy in BKK I can no longer make short visits to China - which I did during the last 30 years - but we must always keep in mlnd that a visa is not a "right" but a "favour" granted by a country.

Indeed, India has already introduced visas on arrival for citizens of such countries as Laos, Vietnam, New Zealand and a few others at select airports and the list is expanding.

China has only expanded it's 72-hour transit visa waiver for citizens of a number of countries, but that scheme is so restrictive that it's only really of use to passengers flying on a through ticket on say China Southern or Air China through a few airports to be of any use. China will certainly never be able to compete for transit passengers with Bangkok, Singapore, Dubai, Kuala Lumpur or even it's own Hong Kong unless it makes some serious changes to it's visa policy.

As my Thai girlfriend always says: "it's just China". And she's right...China is a nice country but it's not that desirable. Most foreigners certainly wouldn't want to live there. So why is it making it so hard to visit? And as for Chinese having difficulty going to other countries...well, that's a no brainer. Make it too easy and tens of millions would leave China. Therefore reciprocity isn't possible unless China becomes as desirable a place to live as other countries.

[jaroulz]

Any update regarding someone who get a chinese L (tourist) visa recently?
I heard they give only 10 to 15 days if you've never been to China before... right?

[masuk]

I applied for a double visa for a trip last December and another trip in May this year, both for 3 weeks.

No problems at all, I gave them a list of where I wanted to visit, which hotels I'd be staying at,and a week later I had the visa in my passport. No requests for insurance or such like and the young lady at the desk (Chiang Mai) was very helpful and courteous.

[TerraplaneGuy]

Has anyone applied for a Chinese tourist visa at the Bangkok office recently? Does this office require a paid up airline ticket and hotel reservation or is just the airline or expedia booking/itinerary enough? There is a recent posting in another thread saying that in the Chiang Mai visa office you don't need to have actually paid for the ticket.

Also is there any need for a bank statement? In previous years they required one but I see that the current (September 2013) list on the embassy website no longer includes that.

Any other documents required other than those listed on the embassy website at:

http://www.chinaembassy.or.th/eng/lsfw/qzxk/t1072023.htm ?

And has anybody been successful recently in getting a double or multi-entry visa in Bangkok?

Thanks,

TG

[mcsand42]

hi

Having read this thread,it seems to me its a good idea to fly to hong kong and apply for a chinese visa there.

Any suggestions??

[dhream]

Heard the horror stories about Chinese Embassy staff everywhere, including Sydney.

Seen them behave like yobbos toward people laying flowers for Tiananmen Sq victims outside their hi-so London hideaway on the BBC.

Went to Chiang Mai Consulate prepared for the worst, and was blown away!

Clean, calm, cool (I shuddered to contemplate the impending sweaty Chaos at CNX Immigration to get my re-entry permit).

I was at the counter as soon as I'd filled out my application.

A very personable young lady took my form, swiftly checked it, smiled returned my bank statement copy unread "We won't need this".

I left them my passport, flight, and hotel details, no insurance. I'm retired BTW.

Asked me to return in a week.

Went back as instructed, got a smiling welcome, paid my (laughably cheap compared to Australia) fee and handed my passport with a smiling, 'Enjoy your stay in China!'

I was stunned!

D.

PS: To earlier poster, i have not seen an airline red carbon 'ticket' in years! Everyone accepts internet print outs, as bonafide travel documents, some airlines just read your phone screen at check-in.

Why would you go to the expense of buying a visa with no airline ticket anyway? Visa is valid for 3 months after issue so you're thinking does not compute for me. Also, it's a good way to risk getting turned down if you encounter one of the many 'duty <deleted>' on shift.

Edited September 3, 2014 by dhream

[brewsterbudgen]

How do I go about getting a visa for Hong Kong for my Laotian girlfriend? Can she get a tourist visa on arrival or does she need to apply in Bangkok, presumably at the Chinese Embassy?

[dhream]

How do I go about getting a visa for Hong Kong for my Laotian girlfriend? Can she get a tourist visa on arrival or does she need to apply in Bangkok, presumably at the Chinese Embassy?

http://www.immd.gov.hk/en/services/hk-visas/visit-transit/visit-visa-entry-permit.html#part1

I'll be collecting my beer from you later.

[brewsterbudgen]

How do I go about getting a visa for Hong Kong for my Laotian girlfriend? Can she get a tourist visa on arrival or does she need to apply in Bangkok, presumably at the Chinese Embassy?

http://www.immd.gov.hk/en/services/hk-visas/visit-transit/visit-visa-entry-permit.html#part1

I'll be collecting my beer from you later.

Thanks, but I had seen that myself which is why I know that my girlfriend would need a tourist visa for Hong Kong.

What the site doesn't make very clear, is where one goes (in Bangkok) to apply for a HKSAR visa (the Chinese Embassy?) or whether there is an online application for the visa.

[xerostar]

Organized Chaos !

I wanted to go to China for a week. I needed a visa to visit the South China Dental Expo in Guangzhou.

I had to apply for a visa. I had already booked my return flight and arranged to meet a colleague there.

My three days at the Chinese Embassy in Bangkok was a horrible ordeal.

Firstly it took 45 minutes to reach the place with a taxi from our hotel, waiting in traffic jams mainly.

No big deal, so I thought.

I had been to Guangzhou over 3 years ago but I had obtained the visa in Perth, which was a doddle as I remember 3 people in the queue including myself.

When I arrived the large room was packed with a very noisy crowd of more than a 120 applicants, many standing or sitting on the floor because there weren't enough chairs.

Thank Confucius the air conditioning was super efficient otherwise it would have been hot as hell in that room.

I was directed to a desk where I presented my documents only to be given a blank look and numbered ticket (no directions).

A nearby Aussie told me to take a seat and wait for my number to come up on the red LED display. After nearly three hours of waiting my number came up and I went to the window indicated.

The young lady quickly perused the documents and pointed out several omissions. My hearing is not that good so I couldn't hear what she said above the racket made by the crowd.

I could only tell that my paperwork was incorrect because it was shoved back at me through the slot. My wife speaks Thai and was able to discern what was missing or incorrect.

I had followed the instructions on the Chinese embassy website so I didn't understand why my papers were incorrect.

Confused and angry I left the room and decided to find a quiet place to sit down and cool off.

We turned right outside and headed down the road and came to the LOTUS shop where we found a table in a food court.

Not exactly a quiet corner but less of a bedlam than before. My wife explained that I needed an invitation to China with a red stamp.

I had presented an invitation but it did not have the magic red stamp on it, so it was useless.

I had my laptop with me and frantically emailed a few businesses in China who I'd had contact with, pleading for an invitation to be sent.

Also I needed an extra passport photo. On the embassy website it says one photo but you need two! We got the passport photos in the same Lotus shopping center and noticed a printer nearby.

Also they wanted photo copies of my passport, one of the main ID page, one of the previous China visa, one of the Thai entry stamp page.

Fortunately that evening one of the Chinese companies was kind enough to reply with a proper invitation with the red stamp. I was worried that I'd be knocked back because I didn't have the original.

My flight was in 4 days time from the first visit to the embassy, so I was worried that I might have to cancel the whole trip.

The following morning we went to the print shop we had seen the day before so I could print the file that contained the official invitation.

We arrived too early at 9.30 and nobody would help us until 'opening time' of 10.00 AM and even then it was 10 minutes before this lazy cow decided to serve me.

It took them another 20 minutes to print 3 colored pages.

Then we set off for the embassy and then began our second day of waiting which proceeded in a similar way to the previous day, on arrival, getting a ticket and sitting for about 2 1/2 hours waiting to be seen.

Fortunately my homework proved to be successful and I was issued a pink slip with a number and told to return the following day to pick up my passport with the new visa.

We left there in good spirits and enjoyed a well earned lunch at KFC before heading home, hot an exhausted.

The third day we arrived at the embassy about 9.00 AM assuming it would take about 10 minutes to collect the passport. I joined the queue and was told at the window that I must pay the cost of the visa.

I said "yes, I have the money with me" She said "No, you have to go to the Bank of China to pay for the visa!"

What? I could not believe it!

So we left the room which was even more packed than they day before and went to the Bank of China about 100 Meters down the road on the right near LOTUS. (LowTut)

I thought this shouldn't take long...WRONG!

You guessed it. I was given another ticket and we waited and waited. The red LED displays were impossible to see because they were at eye level (if you were sitting down) but there were so many people waiting, they obscured the view of the number displays.

Why couldn't they place the darn number displays 'above' the counters where everyone could see them?

All the while a female voice monotonously droned out the current numbers being served (in Thai), so I was none the wiser to when it would be my turn, except that an occasional sort to the counter check showed number 464 when my number was 595. I shouldn't have worried because my turn came up when the bank was nearly empty of visa hopefuls about 2 hours later.

At about 11.20am I paid my 1900 Baht and got a receipt. They told my wife we should hurry as the embassy closes at 11.30 AM. So I rushed back to the embassy and joined a queue that stretched right around the room!

Again, I could not believe it!

What an inefficient disgrace of an organisation that is prepared to charge people to sit and wait for the good part of 3 x half days and then pay for the damn visa as well!

If they would only put some more concise instructions on their website or hand out printed instructions, people would know what to do.

It would make life easier for everyone and save them a lot of time rejecting applications that are incomplete.

And why do they need to have the bank collecting the money? It would be far more efficient to pay the money as you picked up the passport at the window.

A young Thai lady following behind me asked "is this the queue to collect the passport?" and I said "yes, I think so". She too was incredulous.

My wife then suddenly appeared looking angry, as she had caught up with me.

She too was was so fed up with all this waiting, she decided It was all my fault and told me to come outside, so we stormed out and had an argument at the entrance to the embassy.

She decided to leave me and go back to her village because I had shown infidelity by speaking to that young Thai chick !!

By then it was too late and I had to wait until 3.00 PM to go back and collect my passport. This time there were only about 12 people in the room.

So if you're applying for a visa to visit China, try to avoid doing it in Bangkok, or at least be prepared for an incredible ordeal.

It would help if you could afford a nearby hotel which would reduce the travelling time and costs getting to and from the embassy.

Take some books or better still noise reduction headphones and some music to amuse yourself during all those wasted hours. Hours wasted unnecessarily due to the inefficient organisation running the show.

I guess being from Australia I'm not used to waiting.

Chinese on the other hand probably accept it as part of life, not knowing how western countries have mainly solved this problem by being better organised and not having to deal with incredible numbers of people that China has.

Or the large numbers of people trying to go there for one reason or another.

[mickeyrex]

I take it you weren't applying for a tourist visa since they wanted an invitation letter. It's better to apply at the Chinese Consulate in Chiangmai. As long as you have your paperwork in order, you're good to go. I had no problems, in and out in less than 10 minutes for both drop-off and pickup, getting a multiply entry 60 day M visa good for ten years.

[siam2007]

I take it you weren't applying for a tourist visa since they wanted an invitation letter. It's better to apply at the Chinese Consulate in Chiangmai. As long as you have your paperwork in order, you're good to go. I had no problems, in and out in less than 10 minutes for both drop-off and pickup, getting a multiply entry 60 day M visa good for ten years.

when was that ? I have good experiences with the CM consulat too, but that was years ago and since then the rules have changed and tightened. Can you give an overview what documents they now want ? I doubt they nowadays issue 60 day per stay M Visas good for ten years

[CNXBKKMAN]

When i used to visit China i always went via Hong Kong and got my visa easily in Wanchai. Never any problems. If HK works for you, being there for at least 1 night before jumping on the train to Guangzhou or Shenzhen thats another way to do it. It also gives all the flight options to HK rather than just Guangzhou.

[mickeyrex]

I take it you weren't applying for a tourist visa since they wanted an invitation letter. It's better to apply at the Chinese Consulate in Chiangmai. As long as you have your paperwork in order, you're good to go. I had no problems, in and out in less than 10 minutes for both drop-off and pickup, getting a multiply entry 60 day M visa good for ten years.

when was that ? I have good experiences with the CM consulat too, but that was years ago and since then the rules have changed and tightened. Can you give an overview what documents they now want ? I doubt they nowadays issue 60 day per stay M Visas good for ten years

I applied two weeks ago, and yes Americans can get a ten year. Shocked the hell out of me. It's a reciprocal agreement between China and the States that was signed during Obama's last visit. All the paperwork needed is on the CM consulate's webpage, but it's basically application., two photos, passport info page, invitation letter (red stamped) addressed to where you're applying (The Chinese Embassy in Thailand worked for CM), and copies of previous Chinese visas (not sure how far back). I also included a copy of my flight booking. The application can be a bit tricky so you may have to do a web search to find how to answer some of the questions correctly.

[Dibbler]

Welcome to the Chinese Embassy visa section where dozens of people such as yourself experience the same difficulty getting a visa to China every single day!