China Travel Forum

Hi!

I'm planning to travel in China for 7 weeks this coming Fall. With the new Visa rules you need an exit ticket out of China. I have a return ticket from Hong Kong to London. My questions are as follows;
Is the ticket out of HK enough or do I need a ticket out of mainland China?
If it's not enough, do I need to fly or can I get a bus/train/ferry ticket to HK?
Where can I get a bus/train/ferry ticket to HK, from Shenzhen (alt. Guangzhou)?

An additional question, is the tourist Visa still possible to get for up to 60 days or is it limited to 30 days?

All helpfull answers are greatly appreciated. Thanks =)

(This is a repost, 'cause first post vanished)

Joe, I would check with the Chinese Embassy near you but I would say a return ticket out of HK is good enough for a visa for Mainland China. I think an advance train ticket would be hard to get but are easy to get once you are in the Mainland.

I'm not sure if Sweden needs a visa for HK. Many countries do not need a visa for HK as a tourist as long as you leave in a period of time. I'm not sure if it is 30 days or 90 days.

China still offers 30, 60 and 90 tourist visa so I would try for a 60 day visa. But you may also want to get a double entry just in case you only get a 30 day visa.

Again, I would check with the Chinese Embassy near you, the last time I was in China was a year ago.

PS
You are entering China after the Olympics so things may be easyer.

Thanks for your answer, Mikey. I hope you're right about the Visa, 60 days would be perfect. Unfortuantely the embassy and the consulate here in Sweden are both impossible to contact. I've sent 3 mails to each in the last 4 weeks and still no reply. And when I've tried calling it just keeps ringing - no busy tone, no answering machine, nothing.

Anyways, thanks again and I hope someone else can add more comments =)

I forgot, I have the same problem with the Chinese Consulate here in the US. And they are in a different city about 4 hours away. You might have to go there to answer your questions. I hope they are not too far.

Have you tried their web site in Sweden? But the one in NY is not too helpful. They say you can get 30, 60, and 90 day visas. You can also download the form.

But they also contradict in that one area they say you need a return ticket before you can get a visa. Then lower on the same web page, they say do not buy an airline ticket before getting your visa. I think they did not update the bottom of the page.

I also forgot, I found that travel agents that specialize in China, like the ones in Chinatown here in Boston, have the up to date information on visas. Are there any Chinatowns in Sweden? :)

At Shenzhen you can just walk across the border, then get a train or bus in HK.

I think things will be a lot easier once the Olympics are history.

I read with interest John M Perry's answer. But where does one get a Visa for mainland China when you land in Hong Kong? And how easy is to do for either Swedish resident or American? I know both do not need Visa for HK, but once there, where does one go for mainland China when in HK?

Plenty of visa agencies in Hong Kong, eg Forever Bright: http://www.fbt-chinavisa.com.hk
However I think non-HK-residents are unable to get China visas in Hong Kong now, not sure if the situation will change by the time you travel.

I googled and found the following link:

http://gohongkong.about.com/od/daytrips/a/chinatravel.htm

I found a link from that page that agrees with ellyse that you must work or live in HK permanently to get a visa for the mainland. It was not like this before. I would get one in your home country before you leave.

A link said:

NOTICE (2008/04/13)

Visa applicants are increasing in a large number and need longer waiting time in the visa office recently. If you don't reside or work in Hong Kong permanently, you are required to apply Chinese visa from the Embassy or Consulate-General of Peoples' Republic of China in your resident country. You are welcome to China for tourism, business, visit of the Olympic Games.

There are no Chinatowns in Sweden as far as I know, only arab towns...

And the embassy/consulate websites are just as bad as their e-mail/phone service.

Anyway, I talked to a travel agent here in Sweden, and they said it should be no problem getting a Visa with a return ticket out of HK. They also said I would get a 30 day Visa, but it's easy to get 30 new days once in China, at the Police authorities. However, I was talking to a guy who just got his Visa and it was valid for 60 days, so hopefully I'll get that too.

From what I understand you can only get the Visa from your own country of residence. So going to HK and getting your Visa there (which was my original plan) is not an option. They're way too busy now that multi entry Visas can no longer be issued, meaning business people need to apply much more often.

Cheers and thanks for your help! =)

Btw, anyone heard anything about Chengdu after the earthquake?

I was jest reading Lonely Planet's forum about China Visas as I think ellyse suggested in a different VT thread. It looks like the whole Chinese Visas process has gotten a lot harder. This includes getting visas over 30 days and getting visa extensions once you are in China.

I got a visa extension when I was in China in 2006 without problems, and got a 90 entry tourist visa when I only asked for a 60 day for my 2007 trip. But now, with the Olympics, it looks like things are a lot different.

Good luck and let us know what happens.

PS,

Just my opinion.

The image you have on your visa application may also affect the visa length you get. If you are over 30, wearing a tie and suit in the picture, and have a good job, I think you will have fewer problems then if you are under 25, still in college, and your pictures looks like someone the Chinese will interpret as pro Tibet.

So I should shave, cut my hair and lose the peace sign? ;)

I'm going in September, so if I only get 30 days I will need to re-apply in late September - early October. Hopefully they've loosened up by then.