Hello everyone,
[…edited…]
So here is my questions:
b Does any of you have applied for the visa to go to mainland china ? If so, what kind of papers did you provide?[/b]
(2) What is better ? Apply in Hong Kong? Apply through a travel agency?
-(3) Would it be possible to send everything by mail to apply to the embassy in Canada instead of applying in Hong Kong? If I do that, do I still need to provide all these papers ?
-(4) Any other information I should know?
Thanks everyone
There are threads on this, but here’s the quick version:
You can go to a travel agent who can:
a) send your passport to Hong Kong. This requires that your ARC has at least 3 or 6 months validity left (depending on the type of visa). The documents required are:
passport
copy of ARC
business card
photos and application form
b) send your passport to Canada (maybe. I know there are agents who will send to the US, not sure about Canada). This requires:
passport
photos and application form
Or you can go to Hong Kong yourself. This requires:
passport
photos and application form
business card if you want a business visa
The rules in Hong Kong state that you have to actually be physically present in Hong Kong to get the visa there UNLESS you are a foreign businessman residing in Taiwan. That’s why you need to include the copy of your ARC and business card if you have a travel agent send things off to Hong Kong.
Note: I just did the HK Travel Agent method, but it’s only good for 6 months. When I got it in the US I was able to get it for 1 year.
[quote=“tainan666”]…I don’t really understand why I have to give them all these papers because I have a Canadian Passport and if I apply in Canada, it is much more simple.
[/quote]
Because those are the rules. It will help you immensely in dealing with China if you don’t take a self-entitled position. I know it can drive you crazy (I have stepped out of Chinese bureaucratic offices so I could scream silently while trying to get a visa extension) but you can really piss people off there if you go in with the attitude that they are there to serve you.
That said, I have used agencies here in Taiwan (I always use WHOSE as it is foreign run and easy to deal with) and have never had to provide a birth certificate or marriage certificate. ARC and passport is sufficient. Though possibly the rules have changed since last summer.
ok!
Maybe i’m wrong for the birth certificate and wedding certificate and some other papers. That is what my wife has heard from phone calls to Hong Kong and some travel agencies and/or read from the website of the embassy in honk kong (that is now offline). So I will check further and try to get more information. Right now, it is hard to call them because they are very busy with Chinese people stuck in Japan, from what I have heard.
Thanks all for sharing your experiences.
Any other people have some experience to share about applying for the visa to go mainland china?
Hey all, wondering if its possible to get an L or Z Visa for China from HK, WITHOUT an ARC card.
I’m in Korea currently and it looks as if I can’t get into China from here.
If I can get it in HK I’ll go to HK otherwise I’ll have to send my docs back to the US.
Thanks.
Is it really $7800 NT to get a China visa, even for five days?
That sounds a wee bit expensive!!! I just Googled costs and an embassy site I looked at said about US$190 for a year long multi entry visa. Could differ from country to country but it would be a little odd for Taiwan to be a lot dearer. Then again what do I know, I’ve never applied for a PRC visa, especially not in Taiwan.
The cost depends on a number of things, with one of the most important cost variables being your nationality as per your passport. TravelChinaGuide says it in one paragraph:
[quote]Visa Fees
The fee varies enormously according to your nationality, the number of entries required, the country you are applying in, and whether you want an express service. It is normally paid on collection, but in some localities it must be paid when you apply. A few nationalities are not charged a fee, such as Albania, Bosnia, Bulgaria, Herzegovina, Maldives, Micronesia, Pakistan and Slovakia. However, in the United Kingdom, applicants need pay more monery because ordinary passport holders should apply for a Chinese visa at Chinese Visa Application Service Center (CVASC) rather than at Chinese Embassy in London, UK. The CVASC charge some fees for its service provied to applicants. USA travellers have one fixed fee regardless of the other factors. The fee range is currently from about free for a very few nationalities or 200 to 900 RMB for most applicants, excluding the express service fee if you choose that. [/quote]