Chinese Visa in Hong Kong

[Philster10260]

Hi,

I will be in Hong Kong for a week. I would like to visit Shenzhen for two days, but I am a US citizen so I cannot get the cheap and easy 5 day VISA.

They have a desk at the airport called "China Travel Service" that does this. I would like to use them because last time I went through the Chinese embassy in Bangkok and it was hell to get the VISA.

Has anyone done this, and if so do you remember what docs they needed to get the tourist VISA ?

Thanks,

Phil

[taxout]

I'd suggest heading direct to the Visa Office in Wanchai, which seems pretty relaxed at the moment about giving US visitors in HK the new 10-year multiple-entry visa. Take the completed application, one photo, and copies of your hotel reservation in Shenzhen, your HK entry slip, the data page from your passport, and your latest Chinese visa, if you've had one. On the application, ask for the 10-year visa with a 60-day stay each visit (this only for Americans and Canadians at the moment).

Pay extra and you can get it back in a couple of days; the normal time is four business days. (If you're heading there soon, though, note the very long string of holidays beginning next week, and remember the office closes for lunch.) Basic fee on a US passport is about US$140 (but pay in HK$) no matter the length of the visa, plus any express fees. Agents will of course cost more.

Edited March 28, 2015 by taxout

[Philster10260]

Yep, the 10 year VISA is expensive, but I am tired of dealing with the a**holes in the Bangkok Embassy and after you add in the costs of Fedexing my passport to the USA, paying an agent, and Fedexing it back to get a single entry VISA, it makes sense to just pay the money for the 10 year VISA...

[vaultdweller0013]

The Chinese Consulate in BKK will now issue 10-year visas for Americans. I got a 10-year business visa late last year and there is another successful report on Thaivisa (http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/784003-5-year-chinese-visa/). This is a very recent change and only due to a new bi-lateral agreement with the US that went in affect around November 2014.

If you've already done one tourist visa, you should know what documentation they require (After getting around 6 single entries before my 10-year, I've found that although they are difficult to deal with at the consulate, they are at least consistent in what they require between visits). So, it may be worth it to bite the bullet one more time in BKK and try for a 10-year visa. I can say for certain they will issue 10-year business visas, so presumably they would issue 10-year tourist visa, but you never know.

[taxout]

Bangkok may do it in principal, but it's a question of what documents they require and what type of Thai residency they demand, if any. As I said, HK these days is very efficient and not particularly demanding.

Also, whether a visa for a US citizen is three months or ten years, the basic cost is the same US$140, plus any express fees. But some agencies, for no good reason other than to make money, do charge a higher service fee for the longer visas.