Chinese visa validity

knucklehead123

Hi. Going to China in August and am hoping to sort my single entry visa soon for 3 months. However, I know the 3 months is from the date of issue, but does that mean that I have to land in China within those 3 months. Does it matter if the 3 months runs out while in China?

mahamageehad

knucklehead123 wrote: »

Hi. Going to China in August and am hoping to sort my single entry visa soon for 3 months. However, I know the 3 months is from the date of issue, but does that mean that I have to land in China within those 3 months. Does it matter if the 3 months runs out while in China?

It's a guess but my 30 day visa states duration of stay as 30 days after entry. Also, even in train stations my visa was checked all the time so I'd be wary of outstaying it!

knucklehead123

mahamageehad wrote: »

It's a guess but my 30 day visa states duration of stay as 30 days after entry. Also, even in train stations my visa was checked all the time so I'd be wary of outstaying it!

Sorry. I will explain it in more detail. I am landing in Beijing on August 16. I am applying for my visa during the first week of June. That would have me landing in China within the 3 months of being issued. I leave china around September 16. So does the 3 months only mean u have to land there within 3 months and then your 30 days kicks off. Im worried cause it will be over 3 months from issue before I actually leave China.

I hope this makes a little more sense.

mahamageehad

knucklehead123 wrote: »

Sorry. I will explain it in more detail. I am landing in Beijing on August 16. I am applying for my visa during the first week of June. That would have me landing in China within the 3 months of being issued. I leave china around September 16. So does the 3 months only mean u have to land there within 3 months and then your 30 days kicks off. Im worried cause it will be over 3 months from issue before I actually leave China.

I hope this makes a little more sense.

Ok apologies! It's 30 days from entry into the country to my understanding, not 30 days from issue.

mahamageehad

Heres a screenshot of the relevant bit of my visa, it'll Probo be massive coz I'm doing this from mobile. The term says enter before DATE and valid to stay for 30 days after entry.

knucklehead123

mahamageehad wrote: »

Heres a screenshot of the relevant bit of my visa, it'll Probo be massive coz I'm doing this from mobile. The term says enter before DATE and valid to stay for 30 days after entry.

That answers my question. U can enter right up till the end of the 3 months and then your 30 days start from entry. Fair play to ya.

Are you in China now? First time going?

mahamageehad

knucklehead123 wrote: »

That answers my question. U can enter right up till the end of the 3 months and then your 30 days start from entry. Fair play to ya.

Are you in China now? First time going?

Nope, I'm back about 2 weeks. I was there for just over two weeks, Hong Kong first for a few days, then Hainan for a wedding (Haikou and Sanya) and finished up with a week in Shanghai. Was my first time, was great fun. Would thoroughly recommend getting a good phrase book though, the level of English was way worse than we expected.

knucklehead123

mahamageehad wrote: »

Nope, I'm back about 2 weeks. I was there for just over two weeks, Hong Kong first for a few days, then Hainan for a wedding (Haikou and Sanya) and finished up with a week in Shanghai. Was my first time, was great fun. Would thoroughly recommend getting a good phrase book though, the level of English was way worse than we expected.

Oh we certainly will. Myself and my girlfriend are going for a month. Beijing first and working our way down to Xian, Zhangjiajie, Guilin and then to Sanya too, before finishing up in HK. All trains are prebooked as its summer time there. Looking forward to it but don't ya know something will go wrong.

Any other advice or tips?

mahamageehad

knucklehead123 wrote: »

Oh we certainly will. Myself and my girlfriend are going for a month. Beijing first and working our way down to Xian, Zhangjiajie, Guilin and then to Sanya too, before finishing up in HK. All trains are prebooked as its summer time there. Looking forward to it but don't ya know something will go wrong.

Any other advice or tips?

If you eat meat, be prepared all meat and fish are served bones in. No biggie but it could freak some people out I guess. A lot of restaurants don't put tissue on the tables, keep a pack of wet wipes in your bag at all times. Same with toilets, many don't have tissue, especially if you're out and about. Always have a pocket sized tissue packet with ye each. Disinfectant gel we used loads of, especially before eating. Am, the toilets are mainly squatters when you're out and about, no bother if you've been to Asia before, but that was first time for me. Especially when you're any bit rural, keep your phone on you, the calculator is invaluable for confirming prices with locals, and for converting back to euro (I think it was divide by 13 at the time!) Its unusual for them to serve water with meals in my experience, it's mainly tea. Most western Internet is blocked- Facebook, Google etc. I knew that, but I forgot about gmail! So send your hotel confirmations etc to a different email if you use Gmail, or set up forwarding (I was panicking that I wouldn't see change of flight time emails). We flew home from Shanghai, 2 hours was not enough time in the airport, we barely made it. Give yourself plenty of time. Let me see if I can think of more.

mahamageehad

You need a different visa for Hong Kong, and different money. It was about 7 HKD to a euro at the time. The visa for Hong Kong costs nothing, you just fill it in on entry. Your Chinese visa is finished once you enter HK. Presumably you're flying home from there? Super annoyingly though they don't stamp your passport in HK, you need to mind that small loose paper slip during your stay. Hong Kong has a much higher level of basic English. Get an octopus card when you're there- it's a prepaid card that you top up that can be used on all trains and buses and even in lots of shops. You can top up in any station. There's a deposit on the card (I think like €5-7) that you get back when you return the card. Underground system is super clean and super easy and by far the best way to get around. Oh, the Chinese in HK is different too, they speak Cantonese rather than Mandarin and write Traditional rather than Simplified. Learn thank you for both places - Chinese sounds like "she she" and I think Cantonese is like "n-go-ah".

In China taxis are dirt cheap. Especially in Hainan. I would avoid trying to figure out the bus system if you don't have basic Chinese. Trains are fine, also nice and clean, are you taking the sleeper train from Guangzhou to Hainan? Give yourself loads of time for train station too, they're like airports with bag checks and metal detectors. If you're in Guangzhou/Hong Kong don't bother with big Buddha unless the skylift is working again. Bring loads of suncream!!! It'll be hot there and most Chinese ones, even the brands like Nivea, I found to have "whitening effects" :O Also mosquito spray for Hainan. Sanya will be a strange one, it'll either be chock a block or dead as the Chinese in general aren't big fans of sun.

If you have any specific questions just ask!

Fred Swanson

This post has been deleted.

mahamageehad

Fred Swanson wrote: »

I would say that English is spoken by most people you will come into contact with in Hong Kong. Being a former British colony and English is still an official language of government most people will have a good grasp of it esp younger people. Road signs are in both languages.

Those slips you get from HK immigration are not required to leave HK. They are purely for your information, no one will ask to see them.

I was asked for mine. So was my OH. The slips specifically say on the back of them that they need to be retained during your stay.

Fred Swanson

This post has been deleted.

mahamageehad

At the airport we were asked for it. Not by the check in/ticket people, but by the emigration security guys at the passport control.

mahamageehad

Here's the relevant documentation, relevant but quoted below.
http://www.immd.gov.hk/eng/useful_information/non-stamping-immigration-clearance.html

To be fair it does say that if you lose it it should be ok, but better safe than sorry. They may have been stricter on us as we were heading into China rather than back to Europe.

- Visitors are required to keep the landing slip while remaining in Hong Kong.
- If a visitor loses the landing slip, he/she may approach in person the Extension Section (Immigration Department, 5/F, Immigration Tower, 7 Gloucester Road, Wanchai) and be issued a replacement free of charge.
- Visitors are required to leave Hong Kong on or before their limit of stay expires. They shall not take any employment (whether paid or unpaid), establish or join in any business and/or become a student at a school, university or other educational institution. Persons who breach a condition of stay are liable to criminal prosecution. (The requirements are printed on the back of the landing slip as shown below.)
- Under normal circumstances, loss of landing slip will not affect the departure clearance.
- Stamping on travel document may still be applied in exceptional circumstances.

Fred Swanson

This post has been deleted.

knucklehead123

mahamageehad wrote: »

You need a different visa for Hong Kong, and different money. It was about 7 HKD to a euro at the time. The visa for Hong Kong costs nothing, you just fill it in on entry. Your Chinese visa is finished once you enter HK. Presumably you're flying home from there? Super annoyingly though they don't stamp your passport in HK, you need to mind that small loose paper slip during your stay. Hong Kong has a much higher level of basic English. Get an octopus card when you're there- it's a prepaid card that you top up that can be used on all trains and buses and even in lots of shops. You can top up in any station. There's a deposit on the card (I think like €5-7) that you get back when you return the card. Underground system is super clean and super easy and by far the best way to get around. Oh, the Chinese in HK is different too, they speak Cantonese rather than Mandarin and write Traditional rather than Simplified. Learn thank you for both places - Chinese sounds like "she she" and I think Cantonese is like "n-go-ah".

In China taxis are dirt cheap. Especially in Hainan. I would avoid trying to figure out the bus system if you don't have basic Chinese. Trains are fine, also nice and clean, are you taking the sleeper train from Guangzhou to Hainan? Give yourself loads of time for train station too, they're like airports with bag checks and metal detectors. If you're in Guangzhou/Hong Kong don't bother with big Buddha unless the skylift is working again. Bring loads of suncream!!! It'll be hot there and most Chinese ones, even the brands like Nivea, I found to have "whitening effects" :O Also mosquito spray for Hainan. Sanya will be a strange one, it'll either be chock a block or dead as the Chinese in general aren't big fans of sun.

If you have any specific questions just ask!

Great info. Thanks. We are flying onto Seoul from HK and I am aware of the visa for there. yeah we are taking a sleep train from Guangzhou. It will be our third sleeper train at that stage, with another going back before heading down to HK. All trains are pre booked, but we have to get a bus from Zhangjiajie to Changsha and then a train to Guilin. The bus part of this trip will be interesting, but hopefully we will kinda be acclimatised (not just the weather) to China by the time we take this section of the trip.

Looking forward to Hainan, but my only worry is that it will be jammed. We will be there in mid September, so summer holidays are over. If it is packed we will spend time on the beaches in Yalong Bay, even though we stay in Dadonghai. Ill be sure to bring sun cream and mosquito spray.

I plan to collecting all my train tickets in Beijing to save time at all the train stations. Its only a euro or so for each ticket if u collect at a different station.

For the visa application. Did you get an invite or does the hotel confirmation do?

Fred Swanson

This post has been deleted.

knucklehead123

Fred Swanson wrote: »

Hotel confirmation is all they need. An invitation is no longer needed.

So just a print of the email confirmation. And would that be for all hotels or just the first one?

Fred Swanson

This post has been deleted.

killbillvol2

knucklehead123 wrote: »

So just a print of the email confirmation. And would that be for all hotels or just the first one?

Fred Swanson wrote: »

This post has been deleted.

Currently they're just looking for the first hotel. They handed me back later hotel bookings when I was applying recently.

dwayneshintzy

mahamageehad wrote: »

I think Cantonese is like "n-go-ah".

Some very good/helpful info, but might just correct this a little bit....."mmm-goi-sai" is thank you in Cantonese!

knucklehead123

Another thing about China. Have people got vaccines before going? Im not a lover of them and I've been to Thailand a couple of times and didn't get any. I know China rural areas might be different.

mahamageehad

I didn't get any, I had a Hep A booster last year though. That's recommended if you don't have it, especially if you eat local food. I'd say you might want to consider Typhoid for rural areas and maybe even japanese encephalitis but a doctor would be better placed to advise on those.

_Brian

knucklehead123 wrote: »

Another thing about China. Have people got vaccines before going? Im not a lover of them and I've been to Thailand a couple of times and didn't get any. I know China rural areas might be different.

Depends how off the beaten track you go.
My advice is get them, when your there there may be an opportunity to travel out into rural areas which is wonderful but vaccinations would be advised.

If you can get away from the major urban areas and not into the country, it's a remarkable place full of wonderfully friendly people.

knucklehead123

_Brian wrote: »

Depends how off the beaten track you go.
My advice is get them, when your there there may be an opportunity to travel out into rural areas which is wonderful but vaccinations would be advised.

If you can get away from the major urban areas and not into the country, it's a remarkable place full of wonderfully friendly people.

Yeah we hope to go off the beaten track, so I'm sure we will get the shots. We have been advised by travel health as to what we would require which isn't too bad price wise.

Tetanus /Diphtheria (1 shot) €20.00
Hepatitis A €45.00
Typhoid €25.00

Other shots will depend on our itinerary and will be discussed during consultation. I see that Japanese one costs 100's!!

Fred Swanson

This post has been deleted.

mahamageehad

In general if you do any bit of travel at all its worthwhile having Hep A, Hep B and tetanus up to day. I reckon those are a good investment. I wasn't rural so I can't advise on the others but looks like you're in good hands. ideally try not to get them all at once of possible and you'd ideally get them a good bit in advance of the trip in case of any side effects.

sitstill

Hi all,

I am going to China in July and will be going to the embassy to get my visa in a couple of weeks. I plan to get the express service.

I know that I have to pay by bank draft or postal order and plan to get a postal order. Do I need to bring this with me when I am applying for the visa or when I am collecting it? Thanks!!

killbillvol2

sitstill wrote: »

Hi all,

I am going to China in July and will be going to the embassy to get my visa in a couple of weeks. I plan to get the express service.

I know that I have to pay by bank draft or postal order and plan to get a postal order. Do I need to bring this with me when I am applying for the visa or when I am collecting it? Thanks!!

You pay on collection.

knucklehead123

Just another question

Have booked all my trains through china highlights. Handy website as you can book well in advance. Has anyone had any experience with this website? I am trying to book my train to Hong Kong from Guangzhou, but unlike all my other tickets which can be collected at train stations, this ticket has to be sent to hotel of the city where the international trains depart from if booked more than 7 days before departure. The problem is that I am not staying in Guangzhou as we are coming from Sanya and only changing trains in Guangzhou. I need to book it now as it will prove me leaving the country for my visa application so could I put down my Sanya hotel address?

Or (and i know its technically a different country), would my flight booking from HK act as proof from leaving China?

dwayneshintzy

Do you need to have proof of the booking for you leaving date of China? I've never had to put that in before myself.

If you don't, you won't need to worry about trains from Guangzhou to Hong Kong being sold out. They run quite frequently, all day.

knucklehead123

dwayneshintzy wrote: »

Do you need to have proof of the booking for you leaving date of China? I've never had to put that in before myself.

If you don't, you won't need to worry about trains from Guangzhou to Hong Kong being sold out. They run quite frequently, all day.

Yeah it says on the Chinese embassy website that you need proof of round trip. I am aware of there being plenty of trains, but I need to book the train now so I will have proof of my exit. Maybe I am just panicking a little. What exactly did you use for your china visa? Did you apply yourself in the embassy?

dwayneshintzy

I've never actually applied for a visa in the embassy no, I'm living in HK so always go through a travel agent out here to get it done. So I realise it won't be totally the same process, sorry. Didn't have to have any proof of exit when I applied though.

nailer54321

When applying for a Chinese visa all you need is, 1: Return flight tickets, 2: hotel bookings, just book your first couple of days and that is normally enough for them, I have never had a problem, 3: completed application form with photo., you pay when you collect your visa normally within one week .

knucklehead123

Thanks to everyone for the comments and advice.

Yes we have applied and all went smoothly. My only concern was that we had no proof of leaving China but we had flights from HK which was enough. The queue in the embassy was huge and the windows close at 12 sharp. It doesn't even matter if people are in the queue. They will close. We were ages in the queue and got to the window just in time (around 5 to 12). Lucky! I felt for everyone else in the queue behind me.

Like others said. Make sure u have flight in and out and at least one hotel booking. Also have your passport AND a photocopy of it. There is a photocopier there that you can do it for 10 cents. Also a passport photo and the completed form.

They will take everything and give u a receipt. You collect about 4/5 workings days later. They will tell you the day it will be ready and also tell you how much to pay when collecting. Which is a postal order or bank draft. (we went with postal order). Also when collecting you don't queue in the application queue. Go straight in to collection.

The embassy is only a house that you go in a side passage and through a conservatory to a window booth.