Yep, I just did this. Travel agency is the way to go if you work with one to plan your trips or buy your tickets.
[quote=“Mucha Man”]What, you don’t have friends you can ask over a six hour hike and a 5 hour dinner? 
Anyway, you can either go to HK on the way into China, apply there and wait a day to receive your visa or you can apply via a travel agency here in Taipei. They will mail your passport off to HK and you will get it back with visa in two weeks.[/quote]
That’s what I was afraid of… no way of getting it quickly here. If I’m applying for a visa to China for a late September trip to North Korea (a sudden, cheap opportunity popped up just now), but at the same time planning to go to Thailand in mid-September, then … ugh. I don’t want to think about it!
Maybe North Korea can wait for next year… Or postpone Thailand? Ugh…
[quote=“Chris”][quote=“Muzha Man”]What, you don’t have friends you can ask over a six hour hike and a 5 hour dinner?
Anyway, you can either go to HK on the way into China, apply there and wait a day to receive your visa or you can apply via a travel agency here in Taipei. They will mail your passport off to HK and you will get it back with visa in two weeks.[/quote]
That’s what I was afraid of… no way of getting it quickly here. If I’m applying for a visa to China for a late September trip to North Korea (a sudden, cheap opportunity popped up just now), but at the same time planning to go to Thailand in mid-September, then … ugh. I don’t want to think about it!
Maybe North Korea can wait for next year… Or postpone Thailand? Ugh…[/quote]
The only way to do it quicky would be to fly to HK and stay overnight. But that would make the whole package of getting to NK not cheap anymore.
Too bad.
I was told by Interlink Travel that the HK airport visa app. is now discontinued. According to Vivien, you can no longer get the “rush” service thru HK. I would make sure that you can do it before I would go to HK with the expectation of a quick visa onward to China.
I don’t know about same-day service in HK, but you can easily get it overnight - get your application in before noon or so and pick it up the next afternoon.
It seems like it should be possible to arrange with a travel agency to have it faster than 2 weeks - if you pay to overnight it to HK, pay extra for the 1 day service, and have it overnighted back, 4-5 days might be possible (although more expensive). I’ve been qouted about a week by OK Travel in Taipei (couldn’t end up using them though - since my ARC was expiring, I had to go to HK).
I go often to China. Since Beijing 2008 it was not possible to get “multiple entry” valid for 6 months anymore. Now its always valid for 3 months (2 entries) for me (Business visa).
My company sends my passport to the travel agent. They either send it to Hongkong or Macao.
Processing time there is usually 4 days (until now) and it always took me 6 working days to get it back.
Last time (June) I had to go there but didn’t have a valid visa anymore so I applied for a “rush visa” in Hongkong (my company doesn’t want me to play in Hongkong). 
The cost for this was an extra 30 USD. Same day pick-up. I gave them a good business reason (my customer is visiting there on this day and his schedule is fixed). Hope this helps. Keep in mind I applied for business visa with invitation letter and all.
If you’re an American, you can get a 6 month multiple entry F visa in HK. I got one last month. But from what I overheard the agent telling some Germans, non-Americans can’t get them (as engerim says).
Passing through HK recently.
The same travel service at HK airport with which I started this thread still offers visa for American but next business day instead of same day. Turn in application before 930am, receive visa after 2pm the next day. If turn in on Friday, ready on Monday.
Double entry, good for 6 months.
Multiple entry tourist visa valid for 1 year…doesn’t sound right…that may have been the old business visa. I heard nobody is getting more than 6 mths double entry these days from outside China…after you enter you can apply for 1 year multiple entry biz visa thru semi-legit agents or through your legally registered employer there.
Just did it about 10 days ago, usuall procedure but you just can get 6 month double entry F visa, no matter what and it takes till next business day and I have F type visa since 4 years through with multiple reference addresses in China.
However, there is a Taiwanese based Travel Agency who can get me multiple entry visa but it takes them 10 working days and I had to go on short term notice this time. Will get back here when I tried their service on this and let you all know.
Seems China and Taiwan are going to open respective tourism offices. I wonder if this will mean foreigners will be able to get visas in Taipei. I hope so.
[quote=“Mucha Man”]Seems China and Taiwan are going to open respective tourism offices. I wonder if this will mean foreigners will be able to get visas in Taipei. I hope so.
taiwantoday.tw/ct.asp?xItem=68733&ctNode=413[/quote]Any update on this (both the office opening bit and the possible visa service)? I’d love to get a cheap, quick single entry China visa if possible. I did some quick Googling but didn’t see any more up to date information.
Yes, any updates on this would be huge! It seems like a very long stretch hoping for a Taiwan-side visa office but I still dare hope…
[quote=“engerim”]I go often to China. Since Beijing 2008 it was not possible to get “multiple entry” valid for 6 months anymore. Now its always valid for 3 months (2 entries) for me (Business visa).
My company sends my passport to the travel agent. They either send it to Hongkong or Macao.
Processing time there is usually 4 days (until now) and it always took me 6 working days to get it back.
Last time (June) I had to go there but didn’t have a valid visa anymore so I applied for a “rush visa” in Hongkong (my company doesn’t want me to play in Hongkong).
The cost for this was an extra 30 USD. Same day pick-up. I gave them a good business reason (my customer is visiting there on this day and his schedule is fixed). Hope this helps. Keep in mind I applied for business visa with invitation letter and all.[/quote]
They gave me the 5 year multiple entry travel with one year period of stay… 
I don’t suppose you’d care to elaborate? That’s the holy grail just there.
Sat TV has ROC citizenship and often enters China visa threads to gloat.
He’s right about evolution then.
It doesn’t ‘work like a charm’ if you just want a single-entry visa of 60 days (which can easily be got from Chinese Embassy in, say, UK). Travel Agents here right now can only get you a 30-day single-entry business visa, and you must be a Taiwan citizen or resident. If resident, your ARC must have 6 mth validity from date of visa application. My ARC expires end of Sep, not renewable early, so I can’t apply for that anyway.
I’m really reluctant to go via Hong Kong (travelling with bicycle = very inconvenient). But there seems no alternative right now.
Talked to a travel agent recently here in Taipei that can get a 6-month double-entry visa back within 4 days.
Tantalising, tango. Can you post their contact details?