Visa Confusion

[Bellamariya]

In December last year I booked a cruise on Mariner for Exotic Asia - Singapore to Shanghai with 2 days in Singapore prior and 3 days in Shanghai post cruise.

I have travelled widely and have always done my own planning, bookings, flights etc but as I am currently not in my home country of Australia, this time I thought it would be easier to use a TA in Australia as there were so many things to organise and being in a developing country communication can be difficult.

 

After a few false starts I was finally booked on the ship, flights and accommodation booked and then all that was left was the visa's. I chose this TA as she assured me she would be able to handle all the visa applications and requirements for me while I was out of the country.

After the booking was completed it became obvious that the TA had no idea regarding the visa's and simply sent me a link to a visa company. Between that, the RCI website and Google I determined that I would need a visa for Vietnam and another for China. RCI would take care of the Vietnam visa for a fee on the ship.

Sent this to the TA for confirmation for her to come back and tell me this was correct but to get a double entry for China as we were going to Hong Kong.

Back to the internet and more research showed that Hong Kong is in a separate visa class to China and as an Australian I definitely didn't need one. My TA kept insisting I needed double entry until I sent her a link from her own agencies website that stated I didn't.

 

So off to the Chinese Embassy for a visa! After a long explanation by me and the Embassy person asking a few questions they told me that as I was arriving on the 18th and leaving on the 21st, under the new rules no visa was required as it was now classed as transit (72 hours under a transit visa).

Back to Google and I can't find a single reference to transit for a cruise ship so back to the TA and ask her to please clarify with RCI!

Now this is where it makes no sense to me. RCI tell us that we are responsible for getting our own visa's (and rightly so!) and if we don't have the correct visa's we will not be allowed to board the ship. This to me says they know exactly which visa's are required BUT my TA has now informed me that RCI can not tell me which visa's are required. Why not? They obviously know and will be checking my documents before I get on board.

 

So my TA doesn't know, RCI won't tell me and even the Chinese Embassy seems to be confused.

I have counted how many hours I will be in Shanghai and it comes to 85 hours. Going back to the Embassy and applying for a single entry visa based on this and praying that this is all I need when the time comes.

[ellencruiser]

So my TA doesn't know, RCI won't tell me and even the Chinese Embassy seems to be confused.

I have counted how many hours I will be in Shanghai and it comes to 85 hours. Going back to the Embassy and applying for a single entry visa based on this and praying that this is all I need when the time comes.

 

Hello,

We are also on this exact cruise and have obtained our needed visas. Technically, with the new rules in China, we only need a single entry for Xiamen. We asked for and received a double-entry visa just to give ourselves a measure of safety. The Chinese official at the consulate was fine with this and we received them easily. We just checked off that box on the application and submitted the paperwork along with our airline ticket itinerary and the ship itinerary. It was actually pretty easy once I got over the confusion on what visa is needed for China.

Ellen

[Bellamariya]

Technically, with the new rules in China, we only need a single entry for Xiamen.

 

Hi Ellen, I don't see Xiamen on my booking? Or is it another name for one of the ports?

 

Our itinerary is:

Singapore

Ho Chi Minh (Phu My), Vietnam

Hong Kong, China (overnight)

Naha, Okinawa, Japan

Jeju, Republic Of Korea (South Korea)

Baoshan (Shanghai), China

[aviator1945]

I'm not sure which sailing you have booked, but if it's the one that also calls in Xiamen between Hong Kong and Shanghai, I would strongly suggest that you make it clear to the Embassy staff that the ship makes a stop in Xiamen on its way to Shanghai. Last year I had to cancel a cruise Hong Kong to Manila via Xiamen even though I had planned to remain onboard during the entire day of the Xiamen port call. I was told in no uncertain terms by the RCCL Singapore office that there was no way that I would be able to board without a Chinese visa, even though I would not actually set foot ashore. As I was not in my home country (Sweden) then, and securing a visa elsewhere was a complicated process, there was not enough time to achieve this. It cost me a penalty of 15% of the entire cruise fare to cancel. In your case, depending on what the Embassy says, you might even need a multiple visa, or one that allows two visits, one for Xiamen and the other for Shanghai. Wishing you luck!

 

 

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[aviator1945]

Now that I know your itinerary, pls disregard my previous message. Nevertheless, if I were staying for as long as 85 hours, I would play it safe and get a single entry visa. Flights can be cancelled or delayed, and you never know for sure how the authorities will react to such contingencies. As for Japan and Korea, there should be no need for any visa, assuming that you are Australian.

 

 

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[aviator1945]

Ellen,

 

May I pls ask you about the procedure to get a Chinese visa? Will I need to actually show them a paid and confirmed ticket, or is it sufficient to show them the planned itinerary?

 

Thanks

 

 

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[Bellamariya]

Now that I know your itinerary, pls disregard my previous message. Nevertheless, if I were staying for as long as 85 hours, I would play it safe and get a single entry visa. Flights can be cancelled or delayed, and you never know for sure how the authorities will react to such contingencies. As for Japan and Korea, there should be no need for any visa, assuming that you are Australian.

 

 

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Yes I am definitely getting the single entry! If the Chinese Embassy had checked the hours when I first went in there then I would have it already but they just worked out 3 days = 72 hours. Very glad I investigated further.

I am Australian and travel on an Australian passport so I knew I'd be fine for the other countries :)

[ellencruiser]

Ellen,

 

May I pls ask you about the procedure to get a Chinese visa? Will I need to actually show them a paid and confirmed ticket, or is it sufficient to show them the planned itinerary?

 

Thanks

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

 

I went to the website for the Chinese Embassy and there were directions and the application. I did not show a paid and confirmed ticket -- just the itinerary. And, it was pretty simple. For the local addresses for each entry I put the ship name and just the port name. I put n/a for the local telephone number. The person who took the application at the consulate looked it over and at the documents and said to pick up in 3 days. Very simple just filling out the application was time consuming.

[ellencruiser]

Hi Ellen, I don't see Xiamen on my booking? Or is it another name for one of the ports?

 

Our itinerary is:

Singapore

Ho Chi Minh (Phu My), Vietnam

Hong Kong, China (overnight)

Naha, Okinawa, Japan

Jeju, Republic Of Korea (South Korea)

Baoshan (Shanghai), China

 

Oh, different itineraries. We are on the one that goes Ho Chi Minh, Hong Kong, Xiamen, and then Shanghai.

 

For your trip I suggest a single entry Chinese Visa just to be safe because of your stay in Shanghai. If there is any weather that delays your flight out a day or two and you will overstay on the 3 day transit visa. They will issue you a single entry very easily for this itinerary.

 

Have a great trip.

 

Ellen

[Glencraigs]

My wife and I are also on this cruise. We are from the UK (Scotland) and wonder if any other UK residents can offer any advice. The 72 hour visa free entry would appear to be only for arrivals and departures from the airport and not an arrival by sea and departure by air (odd). My research sugests that Australians and some other nationalities are covered for arrival by sea but not UK passport holders. Any help would be great. Neil.

[aviator1945]

Thanks Ellen!

 

 

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[celle]

• For China, you definitely need to get a visa in advance. If you don't have one in your passport, you will be denied boarding of the ship and will not get a refund.
  
• For itineraries where you go from one Chinese port to another, with no foreign country in between these ports, a single entry visa is sufficient. Hong Kong counts as a different country for this calculation (its visa requirements are different and you don't need a visa for a cruise stay).
  
• So, a cruise that goes to Xiamen and then Shanghai is OK for a single entry visa.
  
• A cruise that goes (for example) Xiamen - Hong Kong - Shanghai, or Xiamen - port in Japan or South Korea - Shanghai will need a double (or multi) entry visa.
  
• You can download the visa application form on line. It's written in English and Chinese, so easy to understand.
  
• With your visa application, you need to submit a confirmation of booking for the cruise, together with an itinerary for the cruise.
  
• The form asks for the address where you will be staying in China. Put the name of the ship. I gave the cruise line's Head Office as the phone contact number.
  
• No, you can't just stay on board the ship if you have the wrong visa. Once you are in Chinese waters, you are technically in China, even if you never set foot on land.
  
• It is easier if you use a visa agency.
  

 

I've just been through this, and got my Chinese visa two weeks ago. I asked many of the questions that posters on this thread have been asking.

 

I hope that my answer helps.

[Bellamariya]

My wife and I are also on this cruise. We are from the UK (Scotland) and wonder if any other UK residents can offer any advice. The 72 hour visa free entry would appear to be only for arrivals and departures from the airport and not an arrival by sea and departure by air (odd). My research sugests that Australians and some other nationalities are covered for arrival by sea but not UK passport holders. Any help would be great. Neil.

 

Hi Neil, as an Australian I wasn't covered for arrival by sea.

I don't understand why RCI needs to be so cryptic about this. It would be much easier if they just told us what was required! I asked directly and was refused an answer but given vague suggestions like 'you might want double entry if you are going to China'. Why might I want it? I have no idea!

[Bellamariya]

• For China, you definitely need to get a visa in advance. If you don't have one in your passport, you will be denied boarding of the ship and will not get a refund.
  
• For itineraries where you go from one Chinese port to another, with no foreign country in between these ports, a single entry visa is sufficient. Hong Kong counts as a different country for this calculation (its visa requirements are different and you don't need a visa for a cruise stay).
  
• So, a cruise that goes to Xiamen and then Shanghai is OK for a single entry visa.
  
• A cruise that goes (for example) Xiamen - Hong Kong - Shanghai, or Xiamen - port in Japan or South Korea - Shanghai will need a double (or multi) entry visa.
  
• You can download the visa application form on line. It's written in English and Chinese, so easy to understand.
  
• With your visa application, you need to submit a confirmation of booking for the cruise, together with an itinerary for the cruise.
  
• The form asks for the address where you will be staying in China. Put the name of the ship. I gave the cruise line's Head Office as the phone contact number.
  
• No, you can't just stay on board the ship if you have the wrong visa. Once you are in Chinese waters, you are technically in China, even if you never set foot on land.
  
• It is easier if you use a visa agency.
  

 

I've just been through this, and got my Chinese visa two weeks ago. I asked many of the questions that posters on this thread have been asking.

 

I hope that my answer helps.

 

That's what all my research has found as well, I was just frustrated that between my TA, RCI and the Chinese Embassy I couldn't get consistent information!

If I had listened to the Embassy I would have been denied boarding by RCI but RCI also wouldn't tell me what visa's are required despite obviously knowing.

Why did it need to be so difficult?

[aviator1945]

I don't understand why RCI needs to be so cryptic about this.

 

I would guess that RC is trying to cover themselves for the not too uncommon case that governments change visa requirements at the last moment. (It's not only China, a good number of other countries do too.) Some years ago I was travelling in the Gulf area and the UAE had announced major liberalisations of their visa requirements, only to postpone implementation by a couple of weeks at the last moment, when I had already commenced travel. At the immigration desk in Dubai I was denied entry, but I was lucky enough to have a business contact kind enough to drive out to the airport and sponsor me in relation to the authorities.

 

The airline industry has tried to improve the situation by creating a special website at http://www.iatatravelcentre.com, which includes visa and health requirements for nearly all countries, in relation to air travellers. But some countries have different requirements for arrivals by sea, so for cruisers this is not a secure alternative. And in addition, even though the site is updated regularly, it still cannot guarantee that last moment changes don't occur......

[celle]

That's what all my research has found as well, I was just frustrated that between my TA, RCI and the Chinese Embassy I couldn't get consistent information!

If I had listened to the Embassy I would have been denied boarding by RCI but RCI also wouldn't tell me what visa's are required despite obviously knowing.

Why did it need to be so difficult?

 

I had exactly the same experience with Holland America. When I spoke to a customer representative, I was told that "at the moment" a single-entry visa will be sufficient for the cruise I was taking.

 

However, he said that visa requirements could change at any time and, for that reason, Holland America would not issue a written statement. I think that's called covering their backs - or another, less complimentary, phrase! ;)

 

I discussed it with my travel agent who, in turn, sought advice from two different visa-issuing agencies. He also phoned the Chinese Embassy.

 

We decided to submit the entire cruise itinerary to the Chinese Embassy and let them decide which visa to issue. They issued a single entry visa.

 

 

We found the process of getting a Chinese visa rather complicated, but it was easier than applying for a visa for India, which we have also just done. For that, we had to answer many more questions, as well as submit everything by internet and in hard copy. We asked for a single-entry tourist visa and were issued with a double-entry one. Go figure!

[Bellamariya]

I had exactly the same experience with Holland America. When I spoke to a customer representative, I was told that "at the moment" a single-entry visa will be sufficient for the cruise I was taking.

 

However, he said that visa requirements could change at any time and, for that reason, Holland America would not issue a written statement. I think that's called covering their backs - or another, less complimentary, phrase! ;)

 

I discussed it with my travel agent who, in turn, sought advice from two different visa-issuing agencies. He also phoned the Chinese Embassy.

 

We decided to submit the entire cruise itinerary to the Chinese Embassy and let them decide which visa to issue. They issued a single entry visa.

 

 

We found the process of getting a Chinese visa rather complicated, but it was easier than applying for a visa for India, which we have also just done. For that, we had to answer many more questions, as well as submit everything by internet and in hard copy. We asked for a single-entry tourist visa and were issued with a double-entry one. Go figure!

 

I would have been happy with an 'at the moment' from RCI rather than the cryptic messages they were passing on through my TA ;)

It's all good in the end and I will have a great time on this cruise I'm sure. Have never been to any of these places or on this ship before and I can't wait!

Thanks everyone for the advice and suggestions :)

[Glencraigs]

Thanks for the help, I think the "safe bet" is for me to get the single entry visa.

The consulate is in Edinburgh so not to far away from us. I understand that they have farmed out visa applications to an agency. With China opening up to tourists I hope in the future travel can be made simpler and TA's and cruise lines can provide a much better service to their customers.

Still very much looking forward to this cruise, a bit out of our comfort zone but that is part of the joy of travel. Hope to meet some of you on board, thanks again. Neil.

[Bellamariya]

Thanks for the help, I think the "safe bet" is for me to get the single entry visa.

The consulate is in Edinburgh so not to far away from us. I understand that they have farmed out visa applications to an agency. With China opening up to tourists I hope in the future travel can be made simpler and TA's and cruise lines can provide a much better service to their customers.

Still very much looking forward to this cruise, a bit out of our comfort zone but that is part of the joy of travel. Hope to meet some of you on board, thanks again. Neil.

 

Our cruise is June 8th-18th departing Singapore and going to Shanghai, if you are on this one then hope to see you there Neil :)

So far there are 20 people registered for the meet and mingle, only 5 more needed before RCI make it official!