Chinese Visa question.

PandyAndy

Considering travelling across China next year, maybe Feb or thereabouts, for 6 months or so. Reading on their website it says

1. L visa for tourism or visiting relative

For the purpose of holiday, tourism, single or double entry tourist visa is required which is normally valid for 3 months from the date of issue. Necessary travel information, such as the two-way flight details and itinerary, is required.

For travel to Tibet, an entry permit issued by the Tibetan Tourist Bureau is required. (Fax number of Tibetan Tourist Bureau: 0086-891-6834632; Telephone number:0086-891-6834313). The applicant is supposed to contact an authorized Chinese Tour Operator to organize an entry permit before applying for a Chinese visa.

To visit relatives, single or double-entry visiting visa is required which is normally valid for 3 months from the date of issue. Proof of kinship, such as the birth certificate, marriage certificate, is required. But the applicants who were born in China (including Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan) as shown in the passport are exempt from this proof.

Please note that depending on specific application, visa officer may require further documentation or interview.

The question I have is about the bit in bold about Tibet. Is the Entry Permit only necessary for Tibet and do I have to be part of a 'tour group' if I'm travelling there?

Thanks.

killbillvol2

PandyAndy wrote: »

Considering travelling across China next year, maybe Feb or thereabouts, for 6 months or so. Reading on their website it says

The question I have is about the bit in bold about Tibet. Is the Entry Permit only necessary for Tibet and do I have to be part of a 'tour group' if I'm travelling there?
Thanks.

Yes and yes. Travel to Tibet is heavily regulated and expensive (presumably to discourage travel). You'll find travel agents who'll put groups together to cut costs and organise the permit. You also have to factor in that the border is regularly closed, particularly at politically sensitive times.

PandyAndy

Thanks, I'll start looking at tour groups so.

wallst

Pandy,
With the current wave of protests across the world, I doubt the Chinese will let you go to Tibet. They will just cancel it on the day or something.
My advice, dont go near China, there are plenty of other interesting places.
Cambodia, Laos,Vietnam, India, Indonesia etc. China is boring to be frank. Travelling is a nightmare and then u get to see the Palace in Beijing, then travel to something else. A boring uncomfortable troublesome nightmare.
Ghanghzou, the west lake. And thats all there is, a fcuking lake and millions of nouveau rich Chinese there too.
Again, this is my personal opinion, but its certainly one place I would never return to.

killbillvol2

wallst wrote: »

Pandy,
With the current wave of protests across the world, I doubt the Chinese will let you go to Tibet. They will just cancel it on the day or something.
My advice, dont go near China, there are plenty of other interesting places.
Cambodia, Laos,Vietnam, India, Indonesia etc. China is boring to be frank. Travelling is a nightmare and then u get to see the Palace in Beijing, then travel to something else. A boring uncomfortable troublesome nightmare.
Ghanghzou, the west lake. And thats all there is, a fcuking lake and millions of nouveau rich Chinese there too.
Again, this is my personal opinion, but its certainly one place I would never return to.

Clearly you had some bad experiences in China! (Whoever put the west lake in Guangzhou on your itinerary needs a good talking to).

I'd advise anyone to travel to China. It's a unique experience and offers great diversity.

If you're easily annoyed and get stressed travelling, however, forget about it. There are long distances involved and, with a population of 1.3 billion and rising, there are a lot of people on the move. You need time and from the sound of your post, OP, you'll have plenty. Travel in small steps and you'll see the best of China.

As for Tibet, you simply can't predict if entry will be allowed or not. Just have a Plan B if the border is closed. I spent 3 weeks in Yunnan because I couldn't get into Tibet and it was fantastic. With 6 months to work with you can bide your time.

caoty

wallst wrote: »

Pandy,
With the current wave of protests across the world, I doubt the Chinese will let you go to Tibet. They will just cancel it on the day or something.
My advice, dont go near China, there are plenty of other interesting places.
Cambodia, Laos,Vietnam, India, Indonesia etc. China is boring to be frank. Travelling is a nightmare and then u get to see the Palace in Beijing, then travel to something else. A boring uncomfortable troublesome nightmare.
Ghanghzou, the west lake. And thats all there is, a fcuking lake and millions of nouveau rich Chinese there too.
Again, this is my personal opinion, but its certainly one place I would never return to.

If you think China is boring, I can confidently say that you are definitely a boring person.

caoty

PandyAndy wrote: »

Considering travelling across China next year, maybe Feb or thereabouts, for 6 months or so. Reading on their website it says

The question I have is about the bit in bold about Tibet. Is the Entry Permit only necessary for Tibet and do I have to be part of a 'tour group' if I'm travelling there?

Thanks.

If you have 6-month to kill, perhaps you could organise a trip to Tibet when you are in China. There are lots of places you can travel to before you go to Tibet, if possible.

PandyAndy

killbillvol2 wrote: »

Clearly you had some bad experiences in China! (Whoever put the west lake in Guangzhou on your itinerary needs a good talking to).

I'd advise anyone to travel to China. It's a unique experience and offers great diversity.

If you're easily annoyed and get stressed travelling, however, forget about it. There are long distances involved and, with a population of 1.3 billion and rising, there are a lot of people on the move. You need time and from the sound of your post, OP, you'll have plenty. Travel in small steps and you'll see the best of China.

As for Tibet, you simply can't predict if entry will be allowed or not. Just have a Plan B if the border is closed. I spent 3 weeks in Yunnan because I couldn't get into Tibet and it was fantastic. With 6 months to work with you can bide your time.

Ha yea plenty of time indeed My original plan is here, where I'd enter via Nepal after having Everest Base Camp done. Chances are if I go ahead with the trip the route will be nothing like the proposed one lol.

caoty wrote: »

If you have 6-month to kill, perhaps you could organise a trip to Tibet when you are in China. There are lots of places you can travel to before you go to Tibet, if possible.

Yea, exactly. Tibet was only a small part of the trip as you can see above.

caoty

Very ambious plan, good luck to you!

PandyAndy wrote: »

Ha yea plenty of time indeed My original plan is here, where I'd enter via Nepal after having Everest Base Camp done. Chances are if I go ahead with the trip the route will be nothing like the proposed one lol.



Yea, exactly. Tibet was only a small part of the trip as you can see above.

caoty

North east China is missing in your plan.

dalian11

hi,

i didnt have time to read all the replies to your query. as a frequent visitor to china i would like to advice you of the following: while you will be issued with a 3 month visa there is a requirment on you to report your presence in the country (almost immediately) to the nearest large police station. there you will register the address where you expect to stay during your visit. also be aware that you may also be required to 'renew' your visa at the local security bureau at monthly intervals during that three month period.

i know the last part sounds a little convoluted. your visa is issued for three months but it MUST be renewed every four weeks. to complicate the matter further this practice can vary from time to time and from place to place depending on the political climate.

im sorry if i make you anxious but its best to be advised in advance. tour groups might save you a lot of hassle.

martin

PandyAndy

caoty wrote: »

North east China is missing in your plan.

I figured once (if) I get to Beijing, I'll go venturing the north east. The national park on the North Korean Border is meant to be quite nice. Just wasn't bothered extending the route on the map as it's a rough guide anyway.

dalian11 wrote: »

hi,

i didnt have time to read all the replies to your query. as a frequent visitor to china i would like to advice you of the following: while you will be issued with a 3 month visa there is a requirment on you to report your presence in the country (almost immediately) to the nearest large police station. there you will register the address where you expect to stay during your visit. also be aware that you may also be required to 'renew' your visa at the local security bureau at monthly intervals during that three month period.

i know the last part sounds a little convoluted. your visa is issued for three months but it MUST be renewed every four weeks. to complicate the matter further this practice can vary from time to time and from place to place depending on the political climate.

im sorry if i make you anxious but its best to be advised in advance. tour groups might save you a lot of hassle.

martin

Oh dear God... this sounds awkward. Thanks for that though, Martin. I think a trip to the embassy next week may be required.

dalian11

thanks, you are quite welcome....basically the chinese authorities, for their own reasons, frown upon the idea of individuals going it alone. in fact many hotels in many towns are not allowed to 'keep' foreigners - only certain hotels have that right...again for reasons of state security.

as many people here will attest to it is indeed a lovely country to visit (away from heavily polluted cities of course) and the people are as welcoming and friendly as anywhere in the world. anti-social behaviour is unheard of and consequently one feels much safer.

cheers

The V

Do you know how much a 3 month holiday visa is?Is it better to go straight to the Embassy for this?

PandyAndy

The V wrote: »

Do you know how much a 3 month holiday visa is?Is it better to go straight to the Embassy for this?

It's too awkward to quote the text from their website but the costs and other information are down near the bottom.

Seems to be €40 for single entry €60 for double entry. I'd recommend reading the above link. Lots of useful stuff there.

PandyAndy

Went up to the embassy the other day. They said all I need for the visa (excluding Tibet) is two way flight itinerary. Asked about having to check into the police stations at any point while I'm there for the few months and they said no.

seandeas

Hey PandyAndy

Just wondering how the travel plans are going and if you got your Chinese Visa yet ?

I'm planning on heading over there in the new year but I'd like to apply for my visa now, to get it out of the way. The embassy website says the visa is valid from "date of issue" but I'm wondering if they can change that to a later date.

Also - you mentioned a double entry visa - did you have to show a flight itinerary showing you entering China twice, or was the one round trip from Ireland to China sufficient.

Awesomeness

PandyAndy wrote: »

Went up to the embassy the other day. They said all I need for the visa (excluding Tibet) is two way flight itinerary. Asked about having to check into the police stations at any point while I'm there for the few months and they said no.

I spend a lot of time in China on a business visa. I have needed to go to police station to register as a resident but this is only needed if you want to extend your visa during your stay. It may also be different for a tourism visa

Awesomeness

seandeas wrote: »

Hey PandyAndy

Just wondering how the travel plans are going and if you got your Chinese Visa yet ?

I'm planning on heading over there in the new year but I'd like to apply for my visa now, to get it out of the way. The embassy website says the visa is valid from "date of issue" but I'm wondering if they can change that to a later date.

Also - you mentioned a double entry visa - did you have to show a flight itinerary showing you entering China twice, or was the one round trip from Ireland to China sufficient.

It will depend on when in the new year you plan on going. Your visa will be valid from when it is issued and have an "enter before" date on it. Im not sure how long this period is but its about a month or so since its issued. Once you enter before this date you are fine and your 90 day visa will start counting from the date you enter

seandeas

Brilliant - thanks very much ! Sounds good!