Entry Formalities

Part of the Travel section of A Better Guide to Běijīng’s Practical A–Z

In Lanchow the authorities, when they gave us back our papers, had assured us that they were in order for Chinghai. But they were not; before sending us on to Sining, Lanchow should have provided us with a special passport. By failing to do so Lanchow had neatly delegated the responsibility for stopping us to her neighbours, while at the same time increasing both the likelihood and the legality of such action on their part; it was a beautifully Chinese gambit, in the best tradition of passive resistance. It looked as if we were done for.

Peter Fleming, News from Tartary, 1936, London

All visitors to China with the sole exception of those transiting the country under specific conditions (see below), must obtain a visa before entering.

Visa regulations for China change frequently and without warning, so double-check the information given below by going straight to a consulate (or, less reliably, a visa agency). It is no use just going on-line and asking for the latest information unless the advice received comes from someone of the same nationality who applied in the same location very recently indeed for the same type of visa. All these factors affect cost, types of visa available, and the paperwork required to obtain them. Being visibly of Chinese descent may also ease difficulties encountered by others, as does having a Chinese visa from an earlier visit already in your vurrent passport, or in an expired one you can show.

Visa Types

Under ordinary circumstances you can easily obtain an L visa at an embassy in any capital, or from a consulate if you live near it. (In countries with multiple consulates such as the US, you may be compelled to apply at the consulate nearest to your home address, and no other.) These are tourist visas and are usually valid for one month, but two or three months may be given at some locations and under certain circumstances, beginning from the date of entry. First entry to the country must typically be made within 60 days of the date of issue, although visas bought in some locations, notably Hong Kong, are valid and begin to expire from the day of purchase.

Double entry tourist visas are also available, but these cannot be extended. Note that crossing to Hong Kong or Macau constitutes leaving China for visa purposes, so if your planned route will take you into these enclaves then back to the mainland at least a double-entry visa will be required. Separate visas for Hong Kong and Macau are granted free on arrival to citizens of all developed nations. It is, in fact, rather easier for a foreign national to visit than for a Chinese national to do so.

A new agreement between the US and China in November 2014 brought in a ten-year multiple-entry visas for US citizens, but made it no easier to obtain.

Others among a total of 16 visa types include the F, a visitor’s visa valid for periods of six months or a year (even longer has been known) and which allows multiple entries, intended for people on temporary work assignments rather then permanent positions.

The Z visa is for people working in China for periods up to one year, and is only available to those who have already arranged employment. A residence permit must also be acquired.

The M visa is for those on business visits.

The Q visa is for those visiting family members either Chinese or foreigners with permanent residence status (two types, depending on planned duration of stay).

The X visa is for students (two types, depending on duration of stay) who can supply written evidence of the offer of a place at an official education institution in China.

The G visa is a transit visa typically valid for seven days, but costing the same as a tourist visa.

Visa-free transit through Běijīng is available citizens of 52 nations (including EU member states, the U.S.A., Canada, Australia, and New Zealand) who fly in and who hold tickets for onward flights to third countries departing within 144 hours. A return flight to your point of departure does not count. The ticket itself must be presented, so even if an e-ticket is being used, print out the receipt. An itinerary is not acceptable, and will cause delays while contact is made with the relevant airline. Your passport is stamped at signposted desks before you reach immigration. Once admitted travel is permitted anywhere Běijīng, Tiānjīn, and Héběi Province or directly to leave China through any other port or border.

Visa Requirements

They don’t make it easy.

At times of political unrest, or if a politically sensitive event is taking place, new regulations may temporarily be introduced without notice. These may include requiring visas to be obtained only in your country of residence, requiring sight of a return air ticket and evidence of hotel bookings for the entire period of stay, or of bank statements demonstrating the possession of a certain sum of money. The authorities do not care if this disrupts your plans or causes you to lose money on services already booked and paid for. Published restrictions and requirements may mostly be completely ignored, but suddenly applied if the authorities don’t like your itinerary, or your face.

At the time of writing applications for tourist visas by nationals of most developed nations applying in their home countries require presentation of an invitation letter from a recognised tour company or other state-recognised entity or individual, or a planned itinerary, a photocopy of a return or onward air ticket, and print-outs of hotel reservations. Many not wishing to fix their itineraries in advance have been making bookings with hotels, and then cancelling those upon receipt of their visas.

Your passport must have two blank pages, and must have at least six months remaining before it expires. One passport photograph is required, typically with a blue background, but check your local consulate’s website. Fees may typically only be paid by money order, debit card, or company cheque. Credit cards, cash, and personal cheques are not acceptable. At the website of either your local consulate or consular section of the embassy you will be able to download application forms and full details of regulations, photograph requirements, etc. Note that in some cases you must make an appointment even to make an application in person, and applications may not be made by mail unless via a third-party agency. So plan well in advance.

Visas usually take five working days to obtain but the process can be speeded up by the payment of extra fees. In fact the visas are almost always ready the next day, and applicants who return early can often see their passports sitting in a pile on the desk, but unobtainable before five days are up unless an extra fee is paid. Visa fees vary according to your country of origin. Children entering China must have their own passports and visas. This can become expensive.

When completing the application form, be sure only to list popular tourist destinations such as Běijīng, Shànghǎi, and Xī’ān on your itinerary. The visa is valid for the whole of China whatever you write, but will be turned down if you mention Xīnjiāng or Tibet unless you are part of an officially recognised tour group travelling there. Do not give your occupation as anything whatsoever to do with journalism, photography, or publishing, or your application will be refused.

Visa Applications in Hong Kong

For decades now, whatever the difficulties in obtaining a China visa it has always been easier to obtain one in Hong Kong. Visas have been obtainable more swiftly, for lower fees, required little or no paperwork, and been of longer duration than those elsewhere. At the time of writing there’s been a clamp-down, but one-month tourist visas are still more easily obtained here than at home for most nationalities.

The Hong Kong Representative Office of the PRC’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs is the official source of visas, but is to be avoided at all costs, as restrictions there are as bad as anywhere else, and visas typically take five working days to obtain. Of late the office has been suggesting that it will only deal with those who have permanent resident status in Hong Kong, although visa agencies (who often source visas from offices across the border in mainland China) have continued to deal with non-resident foreigners.

Flights to Běijīng from Shēnzhēn Airport, just across the border and served by a direct bus from Kowloon’s Elements Mall, are provided by several competing domestic airlines, and usually considerably cheaper than flying on from Hong Kong itself.

Office of the Commissioner of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the People’s Republic of China in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, Visa Section, 3rd Floor, China Resources Building, 26 Harbour Road, Wanchai, t +852 3413 2300 (recorded information on visas), t +852 3413 2424 (office hours only), www.fmcoprc.gov.hk/eng/fwxx/wgrqz, 9am–12pm, 2–5pm; Mon–Fri.

Several agencies in Hong Kong obtain visas more swiftly and for lower prices. Typically applications handed in before midday will result in a visa the following afternoon for no extra charge. Guidance on answering application form questions the right way is available, as are photo services (typically HK$30), or changing the background colour of the photo you provide. Avoid the mainstream travel agencies such as the very popular China Travel Service in Kowloon’s Peking Road (although this offers competitive prices for air, rail, and bus services to the mainland), and avoid the backpacker-targeting agencies around Nathan Road both for visas and for everything else: prices are often much higher for all services.

Agencies reliably providing swifter, cheaper visa services are found in the towers of Tsim Sha Tsui East. See, for instance:

Forever Bright Trading Ltd., Room 916–917, New Mandarin Plaza Tower B, 14 Science Museum Road, www.fbt-chinavisa.com.hk, 8.30am–6.30pm; Mon–Fri

Japan Travel Agency Ltd., Room 509–513, East Ocean Center, 98 Granville Road www.jta.biz/chinavisa/china_visa.htm, 8.30am–6pm; Mon–Fri.

Visit the websites to check the latest regulations and fees, and for location maps.

Visa Extensions

L (tourist) visas can usually be extended within China, but most visitors will not find themselves limited to a single extension valid for no more than the same number of days as the original visa, and typically no more than 30 days. Rules vary according to the office chosen. Extensions are usually given by the Aliens Entry-Exit Department of the local Public Security Bureau (police) in larger cities, from a week before your current visa or extension expires. In some towns this is a swift, polite and efficient process, although still often taking a week to complete, run by fluent English speakers. In others the relevant officer may be off doing something else, and no-one else will take responsibility. These offices are usually closed on Saturday and Sunday, and do not always keep to their published opening hours.

In Běijīng visit the Běijīng Administration of Entry and Exit at Āndīng Mén Nèi Dàjiē 2, t 8402 0101, m Yōnghé Gōng Lama Temple (Lines 2 & 5), exit B, walk east. The office is open 8.30am–4pm, Mon–Sat. A proof of residence in a local hotel (ask reception) or a Residence Certificate (acquired from local police if staying with friends) is required. The process takes five working days (not including Saturday). Your passport and two passport photographs will be needed. At times proof of possession of the equivalent of US$100 per day for each day of the extension has also been required in the form of a certificate of deposit from a local bank, and these regulations frequently vary. If you anticipate extending your stay, check well in advance.

Never leave it until the last moment to apply for an extension. Applications must be made at least seven days before your existing visa expires. If you overrun, the PSB will delight in inventing a fine for you to pay — as much as ¥500 per day. Extensions cost less than original visas, but prices vary according to nationality and the latest state of each country’s relations with China.

Customs

Chinese customs make little fuss over tourists, although those of Chinese descent may face closer inspection. The customs declaration form is still sometimes handed out, but (read the rubric carefully) is only for people who are importing goods or large amounts of currency and not re-exporting them. In theory, currency amounting to more than the equivalent of a few thousand dollars must be declared. Make a declaration if in doubt, but expect to be delayed as a result.

Baggage is X-rayed for a final time as you leave the airport, but this is perfunctory and mainly to look for bibles or similar undesirable religious or political materials. These would include works by Chinese academics published in Hong Kong or Taiwan, and the increasingly popular ‘official lit’, supposedly insider accounts of cadre corruption in high and low places.

In theory there are restrictions on the import of GPS devices (China does not allow independent surveying or mapping) but of course most mobile phones now have these devices built in, and in fact phones, laptops, cameras, video cameras, tablet computers, e-readers, and similar intended for your own use may all be temporarily imported without difficulty. Extensive video equipment that looks of professional quality may attract questions, however.

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