China Visas

By dave on March 25, 2004 7:14 PM | Permalink | Comments (4)

It's looking like the hassle of getting a visa for Shenzen will soon be a thing of the past, as the heads of the municipality will soon be meeting with the Tung administration in Hong Kong.

The ever unlinkable SCMP (which has now dropped the story completely), reported the visa cost as $210 for a single entry and $850 for a six month monthly entry visa. Several local bloggers regurgitated the story and quoted those prices as correct.

The thing is, they're wrong. A single entry visa went up in price last summer from $100 to $150 at the border. Those of us lucky enough to not carry a British passport could get a single entry Shenzen visa at the border in a little room upstairs of the immigration booths on the China side of the bridge. I might be going up there tomorrow, but I'm sure as hell not going to take a picture in that office.

I got a six-month multi-entry visa last October when it looked like I might be going back and forth across the border quite a bit. It cost me $580, although that was via a travel agent friend, so it might be a special price. However, CTS, the China Travel Service office in Wan Chai offers a six-month multi-entry China Visa for about $650 (I think, I'll check tomorrow).

Check your facts guys. Don't, for God's sakes, rely on the SCMP to actually be accurate in its reporting.

I'm pretty suspicious of the story really, for one very simple reason. Border Control. There is almost no border control between Shenzen and the rest of China that I've ever seen. Sure, the PSB stop some buses and look for passports, but it's not rigorous. I've never been asked for a passport going between China and Shenzen SEZ, and tellingly, neither has my wife (who is Chinese), and who's done that journey more times than me.

Visa free access to Shenzen effectively means visa free access to China unless there is some serious building going on at the Shenzen/China boundary. and that means that all manner of undesirables like foreigners and Taiwanese can come and go in China at no cost to themselves. Colour me sceptical.

4 Comments

Antje said:

Hi Dave, at China Visa, Rm. 703 Albion Plaza, No 2-6, Granville Road, Tsim Sha Tsui, Kowloon you get 6 months multiple entry visas for HK$ 470. That's the cheapest I found.
Take care

April 9, 2004 7:39 AM

fran said:

I am traveling to HK on May 27, 04 and had planned to travel to Shenzen on Sat May 29. (arrive late May 28) I was there in Nov and was able to get a 5 day visa at the border for $400 HK. I see some things that seem to suggest that has changed for US citizens. (which I am) Can you shed some light on this?
fran

May 26, 2004 1:43 PM

dave said:

Antje,

I managed to get a three year China visa for $900! Of course, it helped that I'm a permanent resident now. I'm not sure exactly where it was got, though - I got it through my company.

Fran,

I heard some rumours about stricter visa guidelines for American passport holders, but I've not seen anything concrete. If you try for the express China visa service, you should be able to get one on Friday. I'd suggest dropping in to a China Travel Services store as soon as possible and ask them if you can get a visa at the border.

May 26, 2004 3:58 PM

dave said:

I got my 3 yr visa from Golden Promise Travel Agency Company, Unit A, 13/F, China MinMetals Tower, 79 Chatham Road South, Tsimshatsui, Kowloon, Hong Kong. (Tel 2739 4296, email: sales [at] goldenpromise.net)

June 4, 2004 2:57 PM

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