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Visa for uk passengers going to Shanghai


Wanderingsascent
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It's a safe bet that the first port-of-call won't be in France :D

 

So you should be able to get a transit visa on arrival provided that you have an onward ticket (your cruise booking) for departure within the permitted max timescale (it'll be either 72 hrs or 144 hrs) and you don't stray beyond the permitted transit visa perimeter (which might include provinces bordering Shanghai).

 

Certainly Celebrity, and possibly other cruise lines, have insisted that passengers on cruises which end in Shanghai must have a full tourist visa or they won't be permitted to board at the start of their cruise - even if they qualify for a post-cruise transit visa. I don't know why they're being so difficult, but that's the way it is.

But importantly, you are starting your cruise in Shanghai, and if your cruise doesn't visit or end at other Chinese ports (does it?), the cruise line's policy on transit visas is irrelevant.

 

Including the sea port in the Shanghai transit visa concession is quite new, and I'm no expert.

But don't go spending money on a tourist visa before getting decently-qualified advice.

 

JB :)

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I have actually contracted the Chinese embassy and air France but both just send a link to a website explaing the rules, but it is not straightforward. I think i know the answer but would like to know from somebody who has actually gone through the procedure,

Thanks for replies

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Does anyone know the situation, it doesn't seem at all clear if we need a visa. We fly from UK via Paris, one night hotel and then board in Shanhai.

Many Thanks.

 

All I can tell you, is that nothing is ever clear in China. Even when I think I did everything right, something is wrong. Just a rule of thumb in China, is that rules are sometimes interpreted different ways. You never know. Example is that you must be in transit not to get a VISA, but they define it as going from country A to China to country B. But if you are on the ship, from China to country B back to China, they might look at it as not in transit. I heard of people having issues, but I think it was resolved. I just got VISA's and am happy. Good for 10 years, and multiple entries.

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Itinerary:

UK to Shanghai via Paris.

Nagasaki, Busan, Hong Kong, Ho Chi Minh City, Laem Chabang, Koh Sammui, Singapore,

UK.

Sounds an interesting voyage for a first timer.

 

 

You'll already be in China when you board the ship, and you won't be returning on this cruise which means that the cruise line's interpretation / policy on Shanghai's transit visas is of no concern to you :)

 

Since you enter from one country (France) and depart to another (Japan), and you'll have an onward ticket for within the timescale, I can see no reason under the new rules why you can't be treated as a transit passenger.

Only downside is that apparently there might be a long transit line at the airport which won't affect those with tourist visas.

 

To repeat, this is from what I've learned from CC and elsewhere but I've had no personal experience.

Here are threads on this forum which mention "Shanghai Visa"

https://boards.cruisecritic.co.uk/search.php?searchid=136732878

Browse thro them for posts from folk who've been-there, done-that, rather than folk like myself who simply know a little about it.

 

Yes, varied & interesting itinerary.:)

 

Bangkok is a drive of 90 mins to 2.5 hrs from Laem Chabang (it varies a lot due to different traffic conditions), and there's no suitable public transport. Taxis available at the pier are in a cartel and will royally screw those who have no choice because they hadn't pre-booked transfers. So if you're headed to Bangkok, do fix up transportation in good time - ship's bus transfers or a car service over the internet. There are some very good transfer and tour operators, but there are also plenty of not-so-good wannabe's so do use independent recommendations on places like TripAdvisor and Cruise Critic.

If your ship overnites in L/C, also consider booking a hotel in Bangkok to avoid the time & cost of doubling your transfers and to give yourselves an evening in the city.

Once in the city getting around is quick & fun using ferries, tuk-tuks (research how to negotiate with them) and the Skytrain. Taxis can be horribly slow due to congestion.

If you're headed to Pattaya, again taxis available at the pier will overcharge but since Pattaya is only a few miles away the overcharge will be small-beer, and you'll probably find sharers on the pier.

 

Saigon (to the locals it's still "Saigon") from Phu My is also a fair distance (about an hour?) so the same advice applies but not so important.

Transfer buses drop at or near Rex Hotel, and the main sights - Re-unification Hall, HCM museum, War Remnants museum, Notre Dame, Ben Thanh market, etc are all walkable.

 

HK is very easy to DIY using the Star Ferries, trams, local buses. And the MTR, which is usually the quickest way to get around but not as interesting.

 

You'll need to prioritise at those & other ports, so research well - including your transport options - to avoid wasting time and to make the best of your short port-of-call visits, because there's so much to see.

 

Have a great cruise

 

JB :)

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Agree with John Bull.

 

Only other downsides from personal experience (though in Beijing instead of Shanghai) is that getting the TWOV approval in the airport can take much longer (we were about an hour behind everyone, even though were one of the first off, and our luggage had been removed as all other luggage had been collected much earlier). Also they had real difficulty recording how we were leaving and kept asking us for the cruise number we were leaving on, as they normally only deal with flights out.

 

Secondly, you may be diverted without explanation at immigration in the cruise terminal and again held up while everyone else goes through. This took about half an hour of standing around without explanation.

 

Also, some of the processes explained may not apply to you as they're written for those with visas who are the majority, so you may need to analyse/interpret if applicable.

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All I can tell you, is that nothing is ever clear in China. Even when I think I did everything right, something is wrong. Just a rule of thumb in China, is that rules are sometimes interpreted different ways. You never know. Example is that you must be in transit not to get a VISA, but they define it as going from country A to China to country B. But if you are on the ship, from China to country B back to China, they might look at it as not in transit. I heard of people having issues, but I think it was resolved. I just got VISA's and am happy. Good for 10 years, and multiple entries.

 

Just to add to my statement. One of the incidents that I heard about was on a cruise that the port was canceled. So the ship went to China - to China. Thus not in transit. It should have been a no brainer but this person that had the issue never reported back the outcome, just that they were detained and had issues.

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You do not require a visa.

 

You need to bring a copy of your hotel reservation and a copy of the cruise itinerary/confirmation as proof that you are leaving china within 144 hours to a third country.

 

At the airport you will have to fill in a small transit form present the mentioned copies to immigrations and that‘s it.

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Hi @ all:

 

Here is some further explanation of the procedure regarding the visa free transit. This is how it is done on Celebrity.

However, since this procedure fulfills the immigration requirements it should be of interest for passengers of other cruise lines as well.

 

Before the end of the cruise you will receive a blue transit immigration card. On Celebrity Millennium it came with the shown letter explaining which documents you need to present during immigration. The documents were already checked by Celebrity during embarkation.

 

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Here´s also a link to a website giving understandable information:

https://www.traveltothemagic.net/visa-free-travel-shanghai-disney-resort/

 

Yes, it is not an official website. However, it puts into simple terms what can be found on official websites of Chinese immigration departments, Shanghai customs etc.

 

BTW: we arrived in China/Shanghai two times - one time without visa, one time with a visa (because we had more stops in China).

Both times it took the same time to pass immigration, there were no shorter or longer lines.

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As someone who has been to China on various kinds of visa, All I can advice to save you stress, headaches and holdups at both the airport and cruise terminal: get the visa!

 

The tradeoff is that you can save the money, which is relatively substantial if it's not needed.

 

Of course if you're going to visit China for a few weeks then a visa makes sense.

 

But if you've paid for a visa and visited China before, why not save a few hundred dollars instead of paying for another one that isn't being substantially used.

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