Tai Po -> Shenzhen (Futian)?

[scott_c]

Hi,

My company has offices in Shenzhen (Futian) and HK.

Am considering whether it would be doable to live in HK and work in Futian SZ? I know some people in my company do this and face a long commute, but I think they live in central HK and take the ferry.

What about from Tai Po to SZ?

MTR site says its only 15mins from Tai Po to the border crossing .. so how much would I need to add to get through the crossing, then get to futian? I'm guessing its 60 - 90 mins? Anyone have any experience with this? Is it bareable for a daily commute?

I know living in SZ would be the obvious choice, but for family reasons HK would be preferable..

Anyway, just exploring the options.. any input would be great. Thanks.

[SumSum]

Hi there. My new job kicked off last week and it locates in Tai Po. I go to Futian every week, and last time I took train to Lok Ma Chau which only takes 15 mins. And for an expat, crossing the border is a bit tricky as it might take pretty long time. Unless you have smart ID, it only takes you like another 5-10 mins to do so.

I consider this the most convenient way. Do let me know if you still have any concerns.

[DanielV]

I live in the Lam Tsuen area of Tai Po. It only takes me 35min from my door to get over the border in Lo Wu or Lok Ma Chau (best border crossing depending on where your office in Fu Tian is) as long as there are no long queues on the China side. Lot's of nice village flats out here at very reasonable prices.

Dan...

[HKChigger]

What about Hong Kong Residence Permits? if you work in Shenzhen I would take it your company is going to give you a China work visa. NOT a Hong Kong work visa. You aren't going to be able to live in Hong Kong with no visa to do so.

[scott_c]

Thanks for the responses.

I'll have to do a bit more reading on the HK / China visas, and suss out the deal with work. I know some people do live in HK and commute daily to SZ, but I think this is the exception rather than the rule.

They might have got residency prior to taking the role in SZ office.. I'm not sure.

Whether it's possible to get such a deal, not sure, but thought i'd check out if it's liveable before pursuing it with work!

Thanks.

[MovingIn07]

Some spurious thoughts ... what nationality are you? If eligible, an APEC card would make your queuing on the China side much shorter and acts as a 3-year-multi-entry visa too.

Can your wife get a job in HK? Then you could get a China visa and she could get a HK visa and each be the dependent of the other in the other region for easy travel....

[scott_c]

From Australia. Will have to investigate APEC card too, thanks.

That was one of the other appealing factors - wife has a finance background, so work in SZ didn't look fantastic, but HK could be good for her.

[MovingIn07]

From Australia. Will have to investigate APEC card too, thanks.

That was one of the other appealing factors - wife has a finance background, so work in SZ didn't look fantastic, but HK could be good for her.

Me too. APEC works great. Takes a few months to get so apply soon as. For China, works as a visa and a queue-jumper. For most of the rest of asia most useful for the special queue..... I know someone who lived in HK for years, working in SZ and using APEC card at the border - he said his journey was not too bad and he lived further away than Tai Po.

[chicagolife]

I live in Tai Po. It takes 30 mins to cross the border. I've never waited more than 15 mins in line to get into China. Rush hour may have longer lines but I'm not exactly sure on that. From Lo wu/ lok ma chau, not sure how much longer it would take to get to your office. I would estimate another 15 minutes. Overall I think you commute would be less than an hour.