I have to make a visa run to Hong Kong. Can anyone tell me (or give me a resource) how to get to the Taipei Economic and Cultural Office in Hong Kong? Thanks.
This thread should tell you what you need to know.
Enjoy your trip.
Thanks for the info.
I have two more questions re: this visa run to HK.
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If I apply for a multiple entry visa, first of all, what are the chances of actually getting it, and second: if I don’t get it, will they just issue me a single entry one instead?
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Re: a ticket out of taiwan. Is this absolutely necessary? Do you think they would accept an itinerary? You see, I have an open-ended ticket, so I have an intinerary showing that I have a purchased ticket out of taiwan, but with no definite date as of yet. Do you think they would accept this, or should I book an actual date and cancel later?
thanks.
My friend managed with an Itenary once, but the the ladies in the visa office in HK hassled him about it and said they wouldn’t allow it again. This was two years ago.
I had an open ended ticket too and what I used to do was when I arrived at HK, I’d go upstairs and get a sticker on my ticket. I would phone British Airways in Taipei a couple of days before I’d go to HK to set a date for my flight out of Taiwan. I used to book the flight within the time period of the visa, meaning when I apply in HK for the visa, my departure from Taiwan would not be later than when my 30 days in Taiwan would be up on my visa. (does that make sense?). I was afriad anytime later and I would get hassle in HK form the visa office.
The reason I had to get the sticker in HK was because there was no BA desk in CKS airport.
See below for my way to get the visa in one day…I wrote this in before
Go Thai Airways usually 9000NTD, leaves in the morning at around 7.00(it is the first flight). Arrive HK at 8.45. Get off the airplane and go quickly to immigration.
Then get the airport train to HK. Buy return ticket to CENTRAL STATION.
When you arrive in CENTRAL STATION, you can either make a dash for the MTR(equivalent of the MRT) …have some change with you…and go to ADMIRALTY station…be careful which train you get on in CENTRAL station. The MTR is more complicated than the MRT. Alternatively get out at central station and walk to the LIPPO building. It is this skyscraper that was featured in the Van Dame’s movie Double Impact, and LIPPO is written on the side.
I prefer using the ADMIRALTY stop because if you come out at EXIT no. 4 in Admiralty…you are right under the LIPPO building.
Go inside…at this point proceed to the bank and get exact change of 390HK dollars(single entry visa).
The elevators are split in this building so you have to look a round to find the elevator that goes to the 40th floor. You are looking for some travel company, that is the visa office. When you come out of the elevator on the 40th floor go left and you will walk into the office.
Depending on the day there may be a few people or a lot there. You have to queue for an application form at a little window and fill it out on a table. They also have a ticket queuing system here. You take a ticket after you fill out the form( like everybody does this !! YEAH RIGHT !!)
When you get the form immediately take the queuing ticket and begin to fill out the form quickly.
Its a pretty standard form asks you why you are going to Taiwan?? Where you are staying in Taiwan, whats your occupation ??
Dont say too much and dont say anything like you are working in Taiwan. I wrote I was visiting a friend in Taiwan and am only staying for maybe two weeks. When you’re number comes up go to the window and hand in the documents and the fee. They only except exact change so have your 390HK dollars ready.
I got mine for 30 days, another person got theirs for 60 days but I am an Irish and she was Canadian, and she was explaining to me in the elevator how she could get it extended in Taipei, if she had money in her account and had some other things, and I wasn’t listening cause I was tired so I
Hmm, the search engine doesn’t seem to like to pull this one up. Thought I’d bring it back to the top so I don’t have to look for it again.
Dogbird, they WON’T accept an itinerary.
2. Re: a ticket out of taiwan. Is this absolutely necessary?
Yes.
Do you think they would accept an itinerary?
No.
A friend is leaving Taiwan soon on a HK visa run but does not wish to buy the required 2d ticket out of Taiwan, and he asked me some questions. I don’t know the answers, so I was hoping someone else could help.
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It is OK if the additional ticket out of Taiwan is RT (TPE > HK > TPE) isn’t it?
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Because he doesn’t want the 2d ticket, he hopes to buy a refundable ticket instead of an open ticket. A travel agent informed him that she can issue him a ticket with no name on it, and upon return from HK he can return the ticket to her for a NT 500 charge. Does anyone know if that would work – if one can get a visa in HK based on a nameless but otherwise legit ticket? :?
Thanks for your help.
I came to TW on a return from HK, with an open date. On my visa run I bought a return to HK, keeping the unused half-ticket as my flight out.
So my ticket out of TW was simply labelled open, with no date on it at all. I don’t think an itinerary would work because it doesn’t prove anything other than that you reserved a seat.
A friend of mine did a run a few weeks ago and had to have a) the ticket to/from HK, and b) a separate ticket away from TW again. A sigle to HK was acceptable.
She paid full fare for the single, and was able to cash it in again later. I’ve done the same thing in the past with Qantas - best check with the airline in question.
When I got my first visa I arrived at 11ish in the morning and there was no way they were going to do a same-day service. The second time I was there at 9am and it could have been ready at 2:30pm.
The fee for same-day processing was HK$140, which was near-enough the price of a night in a small, clean, room in Kowloon. I opted to take my time and treat myself to a decent curry in the evening, then picked up my visa on the way to the airport the next morning. It all depends on whether you’re in a hurry.
In August the opening hours included Saturday mornings, but I wouldn’t think you could do a same-day.
Two of my friends are there right now. If they come back (nothing’s ever certain in asia) I’ll post again Monday with the latest.
Oh yes, and my employer deposited a ton of money in my account - NT$60000 - got my pass book updated, then took the money back. I then had proof of funds.
You have to give photocopies of everything. There’s a machine in the office, coin operated. The second time the lady was really friendly and put my paperwork on ice while I did it. The first time I got a real bitch who sent me to the back of the queue again.
add in my recent help friend with visa run… it’s for those who plan on just making the most of having to spend the money to fly to HK in the first place. it’s also a bit slower).
Before you go: You have to note that the visa offices in HK claim they only ACCEPT applications from 9am till 11am, the extra hour till 12pm is for pickups only, im not sure how strict they are on that. And it’s up until 4pm for turn ins, 5 for pickup. Along with your other required docs, be sure you make an extra copy of your documents, including passport (just for safety too keep on yourself because they take your passport for the time being), or else be prepared to have 1HKD for every copy you make in the office. Don’t forget your one way ticket out of Taiwan–even after the visa office during check-in on way back to Taiwan the lady asked to see proof my friend was able to leave Taiwan if immigration wouldn’t let him through. I’m not sure if he would have been denied boarding. We used OK Travel for a refundable paper ticket, they gave us next day pickup, return ticket minus their 800 NT service charge.
You can book a pretty decent hostel night, we stayed at Wang Fat in Causeway Bay and it was fine. about $300HKD for two people for a private room with bathroom, all tax included. Remember to bring your own amenities like shampoo and bath gel, this isn’t a hotel. If you’re willing to bunk with more people, price drops. Mr. Sam and the guy who works for him run a pretty good and popular establishment, very friendly. Wang Fat is a bit pricier than other hostels. Lots of Westerners when we stayed.
we left taiwan at 7am, earliest flight on Saturday. the counters at airport dont open till 5:35 or something so take any of the airport buses from the city at 5am (usually the first departure out) will be fine. If you’re really worried the one at BanQiao leaves at 4:40am. Airplane arrived at 8:40am, no people in line so we got out by 8:55am.
Once we got to the airport you buy Octopus Pass for $150 ($50 is deposit, Octopus pass is essential because most public transports in HK demand exact change. On your way back to TW, get your boarding pass and go downstairs to Arrival and return your Octopus card for the remaining change. Also if you take the bus to and from Airport on same day, you get 50% or something off on the ride back–but cannot use the card inbetween which is dumb) we decided to take A11 bus for 40HKD to the city instead of 100HKD for airport express. For the first 20 minutes go upstairs on the second deck and enjoy the ride, the once you enter into the city you can go downstairs if you feel sketchy about running down once you figure out your stop is coming up.
With some waittime for bus arrive, we go to HK West Island Admiralty MTR station stop at roughly 9:50am. Get off at #8 stop (i think) which is Admiralty/ChungHwa Travel/Queensway services–these should be highlighted beforehand so have time to press the button to get off. Bus directly passes by Lippo Center and stops about 1 minute’s walk away.
Walk back, enter building, make sure you take the Tower One elevator up to 40 and NOT Tower 2. If you mess up it’s ok, it’s a 5 minute boo boo. Get a number if there’s a ton of people and then fill out app, or fill out app then get a number, I don’t think the ladies there are thrilled if you’re not ready. Saturdays seem to be slow days, there was a 1-2 person wait when we arrived. Maybe the ladies are friendlier as well since there’s not a mad rush. We had everything done, with application filled out on the spot and turned in by 10:35am.
No same day service on Saturdays but if you pickup Monday, no 140HKD charge plus you get to hang out in a city that you need to go to once and decide you’ve done all needed and never go back. At worst you don’t make it on Saturday for turn in but you came here to visit the city as well, so just plan on doing the one day service on Monday. It’s a better bargain overall since you already put so much effort to get to this damn city. Dragging a friend along for punishment is also recommended to split that accommodation cost 
Pickup is usually about 3:00pm on Mondays, you can pop in a bit earlier at 2:30 like we did and see if it’s ready. If it’s the same day service on a weekday, pickup your goods and take the airport bus back–you take the E11 across the street. They moved the A11/A12 near the Statue Gardens on Connaught Street near Central. A bus about every 10 minutes toward airport. Flights on or after 6:30ish are recommended for return if there’s no shopping/eating stops after a 3pm pickup.
Just got back from a visa run to HK. Never again! I hate that place, I hate that… I hate…
Due to 12 hour notice that I definitely had to go to HK I could only get a ticket that took me out Thursday nad brought me back on Saturday. When I got to HK there were no rooms available anywhere. Finally found one across the ferry on Nathan Street in the Mirador Mansions. Paid 160 HK dollars for a room with no bedding, no bathroom and no lock. Had to go through a large group of prosties and their “men” and climb over a gambling game of some kind in front of my door. Was visited shortly before 4 a.m. by a man who crawled into my bed! Needless to say I was out of there immediately. On my way out of the building I spotted a notice on the wall by the elevator - the place has been condemned! Found myself begging for a room again at the YMCA to no avail. Wandered the streets for hours.
Found the Lippo building eventually after countless tries to navigate the overhead cross walks. Got a sixty day visa (non extendable) and started looking for a room again. No luck. Apparently there was a convention of some kind happening.
Decided to go back to the airport and try for a stand by ticket. The airlines, Japan Asian Air had no flights out that day and suggested that I ask China Airlines if they would buy my return portion of the ticket and get me on their next flight albeit with a surcharge.
China Airlines declined to buy my ticket but did offer me a seat on their next flight for 2060 HK dollars. Desparate, I took it, explaining that I would pay out most of the ticket in cash and the balance on Visa. After processing the ticket she informed me that she would not accept this way of paying the bill. Asked to see the manager - she refused. Finally I said in exactly these words " Fine - I’ll go to another frigging airlines. Thank you. I won’t be using China Airlines again". Walked away and seconds later a man who was behind me in line at the counter shouted across the floor to me “Lady, your passport!” I had forgotten to get it back from her in the heat of the moment. As I walked up to the counter and retrieved my passport two cops showed up and grabbed me by the arms. The &*$% at the counter had called them and told that I threatened her life!
They took me to an office in full sight of everyone and their brother telling me that it is illegal to make threats in an airport!
Thankfully an officer in the office heard me out, laughed at the whole thing and then told me that it would be “easy to make this go away”. All I had to do was make an apology to the woman! At this point I would do anything to get out of there so I said okay. Went back to the counter with these two cops holding onto me and the staff at China airlines LINED UP to hear me apologise! I have never been so humiliated in my life!
The cops then walked me over to Dragon Air who gave me a ticket using Visa and cash, no problem. The woman at this counter then said that it looked as though I was having a really bad day so they upgraded my ticket to Business Class, no charge. Just made the flight after going through security - they waited for me.
I have never been so glad to get back to Taiwan. Next trip will be anywhere else, I swear!
As for the Visa office: didn’t ask for bank statement or tickets. In by 9 picked up the visa at 3p.m. 420 HK dollars.
MAKE SURE that you have reservations somewhere and stay away from the Mirador Mansions!
Totallytika,
Sorry to hear about your nightmare trip. It brought back memories. 
However, it could have been worse. You were reasonably lucky to get a 2-month visa in Hong Kong (even if it is non-extendable). What did you say the purpose of your visit was?
AJ,
I told the woman at the visa office in HK that my former employer had actually cancelled my work permit before my new employer had been able to put through the paperwork for my transfer. Gave her a letter from my new employer stating the same. On the application I stated that I was in Taiwan to work. In truth, I had no real problem there - I agree with you in that I was lucky to get a 60 day visitor visa. I am wondering though, what with the delays out of Taipei office now if I will be able to get a new visa if neccesary out of somewhere else such as Bangkok. I don’t know if a non extenable visa means that I cannot get another visa or only that I cannot extend it from Taiwan.
Thanks for your kind words, by the way! I am SO HAPPY to be home in Taiwan! 
our sentiments exactly…we were actually planning on going thursday night but found it impossible to book a room on the internet. they jacked up prices. places going for usual 400 were up to 1000 HKD and our hostel told us we were lucky to have a place. actually we HAD reservations but we swung by that place arund 12:30pm just for the hell of it–they said if we checked in later there was a possibility there would be no rooms left!!
however, glad i took my friend around hk. he decided he doesn’t really like the place at all and prefers taiwan. ive never liked Hk each time i had to visit and after doing the scenic tourist stuff im just sick of that place (other than the butter condense milk toast at the super rude “cha restaurant” and the mango pudding).
i’ve heard all hell about the mirador and chungking mansions.
Can anybody tell me where to get a student or visitors visa to come back to Taiwan.Hong Kong was full of shit last time I went there and I almost didnt get one.
Hong Kong
Malaysia
Japan
Bangkok
Manila
Who did a visa run with no problems.
PLEASE KEEP IN MIND IM STUDYING CHINESE AT CLI IN TAIPEI.