China Visa Questions....

[nzrainbow]

Has anyone travelling on a New Zealand passport had experience recently getting their Chinese Visa or cruising in China. I will be departing New Zealand mid September and joining my cruise in Vancouver. In late October we will visit 3 Ports in China. Tanjin (for Bejing) overnight, Qingdao, and Shanghai for 2 nights.

Our last Port prior to arriving in China is in South Korea and the first Port following departure is in Japan. Following this cruise I will return to New Zealand and then almost immediately fly back to Shanghai (China) for a 2 week land based China tour. This tour will be during the first 2 weeks of December.

I will need to apply for my Visa prior to my departure and will do so in August and it will need to be valid for 6 months from the date of issue (a 3 month Visa will not cover the whole period from the date of issue until mid December).

My question is: Do I apply for a 6 month double entry Visa (i.e. 2 seperate Visits to China) or a 6 month Multi entry Visa?

Is each Port visited in China considered to be a re-entry to China? i.e. are you considered to have left China when you depart on the ship for your next Chinese Port. This does not appear to be the case when flying into China.... i.e arrive in Shanghai and depart from Beijing 2 weeks later being covered by a single entry Visa as long as one does not leave China during this period. Will we be required to undergo immigration procedures each time we arrive and depart a Chinese Port?

Please do not tell me to ask the embassy.... I tried! They told me to check with the Cruise line......

Please do not ask me to ask the cruise line...... I tried! They told me to check with the embassy.....

Please do not tell me to ask my travel agent.... I booked direct with the cruise line!

I received all the information I needed for the land based tour but need a Visa that covers both trips.

Thanks in anticipation:)

[Aus Traveller]

Before we went on a cruise that called into Shanghai early last year, we checked with the Chinese government website regarding visas and it was clear that visitors to various tourist areas (including the Shangahi area) could visit up to 144 hrs(from memory) without a visa. However, the cruiseline insisted that passengers have a visa. Their information was out of date. I see that you have three ports in China, and I have not checked if they are all visa-exempt.

 

I am pretty sure you will need a visa for your land tour, but there is a question on what you should do regarding a visa for your visits by ship. Maybe if you check out the Chinese government website and send the information to the cruiseline with your query. All the best. :)

[mrs and mrs]

Double entry will cover it, and if you haven't been demmed to have used it, well ya can go back. MMhh we cant wait.:cool:

 

Oppps sorry had aus p.p, but arnt we just states of N.Z/

[nzrainbow]

The cruise line insists you must have a Visa..... No Visa, no boarding and I'm not prepared to take that risk. I have to have one anyway for the Overland tour so it will be cheaper to obtain one that covers both trips. Rules apparently differ for Australian and New Zealand Passport holders. Rules also differ for those arriving and or departing by air versus arriving and departing by ship. My difficulty is obtaining accurate information on the type of Visa - Double entry or Multi entry and as the cost difference is considerable I want to get it right!

[Kiwi Kruzer]

From reading the boards , the Chinese Visa seems to be the one that causes the most problems. It seems strange that we have all these problems. I wonder if the ever increasing number of Chinese visitors to Australia and NZ have to go through the same hassle ?

[Aus Traveller]

From reading the boards , the Chinese Visa seems to be the one that causes the most problems. It seems strange that we have all these problems. I wonder if the ever increasing number of Chinese visitors to Australia and NZ have to go through the same hassle ?

We didn't have a problem with China or the Chinese officials. The problem was that the cruiseline did not have up-to-date information and insisted that everyone have a visa, even though it had not been required for a couple of years for short visits to Shanghai.

 

I noticed that when we disembarked, the Chinese immigration official simply looked at the photo page of the passport (comparing it quickly with the person) and didn't even check to see if we had a visa.

[joandian]

On our RCI cruise from China last year there were many who used the visa waiver and had no issues boarding the ship. You must get a visa though if you leave one Chinese port and visit another Chinese port. In your instance, I think you will need a double entry but then if you are visiting 3 ports... that does make it tricky.

 

We worked with an agency in China to book our visit as we went to Beijing before going to Shanghai and we did apply for a paper visa. They have great info on their website regarding the visas. Here is the link if anyone is interested in checking it out. If you look at the column on the left, it gives details of the whole range of Chinese visas.

 

We applied in Australia but it will probably be the same. Make sure that everything is correct and complete or they will return it and you have to start over. We were warned by others who had this happen to them.

[nanaof2]

We were on Silversea in Oct 2015, and one couple did not have visas for China. Silversea offloaded them in the last port before China, a small island in South Korea. Would not even allow them to stay onboard without getting off the ship in the chinese ports.

It was a sobering experience watching the couple being removed from the ship.:(

[Aussie FF]

We are purchasing a Multi Entry Visa, just to be sure we are covered.

I couldn't figure out if Hong Kong is counted.:)

Shanghai, Xiamen, Hong Kong 2 days.

[NSWP]

We are purchasing a Multi Entry Visa, just to be sure we are covered.

I couldn't figure out if Hong Kong is counted.:)

Shanghai, Xiamen, Hong Kong 2 days.

 

No visa needed for Hong Kong, Macau or New Territories. Have been to HK twice in the past 3 years and was there in March, post QM2.

 

Some of the mainland Chinese cities, i.e. Guanqzhou are in the no visa required zones for you to stop over for 72 or 144 hours. Probably as a concession to their Airlines like China Southern and Air China, who fly Sydney - China - London. The Chinese Government no doubt wants air travellers to stop over for a few days and spend a few Yen.

[Aus Traveller]

No visa needed for Hong Kong, Macau or New Territories. Have been to HK twice in the past 3 years and was there in March, post QM2.

I agree with you. We have been several times and not needed a visa.

[stki]

We are on the Majestic next week Singapore to Shanghai, with a stop in Xiamen. Princess told us we had to get a Multi entry visa, so we did. Some people on our Roll call were told shouldnt need one. We didnt want to take the risk of not being able to board in Singapore. Considering the cost of the holiday, its a small price to pay.

 

Cheers

 

Tanya

[Aus Traveller]

We are on the Majestic next week Singapore to Shanghai, with a stop in Xiamen. Princess told us we had to get a Multi entry visa, so we did. Some people on our Roll call were told shouldnt need one. We didnt want to take the risk of not being able to board in Singapore. Considering the cost of the holiday, its a small price to pay.

 

Cheers

 

Tanya

What did the visa cost?

[stki]

What did the visa cost?

 

$279 for 2 of us

[The_Big_M]

The Chinese Government no doubt wants air travellers to stop over for a few days and spend a few Yen.

 

Or more likely Yuan. :p

[Aus Traveller]

 

I don't think many travellers stop over in China on the way to Europe or wherever. Maybe the removal of the visa fee is to encourage cruise ship visits and also encourage people to book a cruise that starts in China. They would spend a few days in Shanghai before the cruise.

 

 

Most people going on a tour of China would spend longer than the visa-free period and would also travel outside the visa-free area, so I don't see that the removal of the fee would help them.

[nzrainbow]

AN UPDATE. Just off the phone, the Chinese Consulate in New Zealand called me to let me know that I WILL need a multi entry visa! Arrival by cruise ship at each Port in China is considered a new entry so given we are visiting 3 ports on the first trip to China a single or double entry is NOT enough.... The Visa waver available to those that fly into china is not available for the visit by cruise ship. The cost of the multi entry visa is $280NZD It is valid for 6 months from the date of issue.

[cheznandy]

AN UPDATE. Just off the phone, the Chinese Consulate in New Zealand called me to let me know that I WILL need a multi entry visa! Arrival by cruise ship at each Port in China is considered a new entry so given we are visiting 3 ports on the first trip to China a single or double entry is NOT enough.... The Visa waver available to those that fly into china is not available for the visit by cruise ship. The cost of the multi entry visa is $280NZD It is valid for 6 months from the date of issue.

 

We cruised from Beijing to Vancouver in 2013, with a Chinese port Dalian along the way, so needed a double entry visa, had we had another stop at a Chinese port we would have needed a multi.

Glad you got it sorted, they also told us that each arrival by cruise ship was another entry......but there were lots that got the wrong advice.

[Aus Traveller]

Because the OP is going to more ports than just Shanghai, it would appear that a visa is required. I wanted to correct the impression given in other posts that visas are required for all cruise ship visits. This is contrary to the advice on the Chinese website that includes visits to both of the Shanghai International cruise terminals. I have cut and pasted the relevant section. It was provided earlier. This regulation came in (going by memory here) in January 2016. In the year prior to that a shorter visit (I think it was 24 o4 48 hours) was allowed visa free into the same number of entry points.

 

 

Quote from Chinese government website:

 

Shanghai, Jiangsu, Zhejiang and Guangdong have had a 144-hour visa-free transit policy for passengers from 51 countries or regions since 2016. During the visa exemption period, eligible passengers are allowed to move around within the above cities or provinces.

Which Countries Are Covered in the Policy?

The nationals of the following countries are eligible for the visa exemption program:

Americans (of 6 countries): the United States, Canada, Brazil, Mexico, Argentina, and the Republic of Chile

European citizens (of 37 countries): Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Czech Republic, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, the Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Russia, the United Kingdom, Ireland, Cyprus, Bulgaria, Romania, Ukraine, Serbia, Croatia, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Montenegro, Macedonia, and Albania

Oceanians (of 2 countries): Australia and New Zealand

Asians (of 6 countries): South Korea, Japan, Singapore, Brunei, the United Arab Emirates, and Qatar

Which Ports of Entry Are Involved?

 

Passengers from the above-mentioned countries can enter China via any of the following ports of entry:

 

 

• Shanghai: Shanghai Pudong International Airport, Shanghai Hongqiao International Airport, Shanghai Port International Cruise Terminal, Shanghai Wusongkou International Cruise Terminal, and Shanghai Railway Station (Shanghai – Hong Kong Train)
  
• Jiangsu: Nanjing Lukou International Airport
  
• Zhejiang: Hangzhou Xiaoshan International Airport
  
• Guangdong: Guangzhou Baiyun Airport, Shenzhen Bao'an Airport, and Jieyang Chaoshan Airport (But passengers can exit from any port in Guangdong.)
  

What Are the Conditions?

 

If you want to enjoy the 144-hour visa-free transit policy, you need to meet relevant qualifying criteria, as detailed below:

 

• You must be in transit to a third country or region (Hong Kong, Macau, and Taiwan are included). For example, USA–Shanghai–Taiwan is acceptable for a 144-hour transit visa in Shanghai but an application for USA–Shanghai–USA is not.
  
• Your transit time is no more than 144 hours.
  
• You enter and leave from one of the eligible ports of entry. Your arrival port and departure port can be different. For example, you can arrive in Shanghai and leave from Hangzhou, Zhejiang Province.
  
• You can travel around Shanghai, Jiangsu, Zhejiang and Guangdong within 144 hours but you are not permitted to go to other provincial level areas in China.