China Multiple Entry - are they at it again?

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  1. #21

    Join Date
    Jan 2009
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    Quote Originally Posted by Konijntje:
    Did you have to show (or did she check for) previous visas to China? I had my work permit endorsed on my EU passport when it was renewed to avoid the excessive visa charges - but the passport is blank except for the HK work permit! Wondering if they would refuse the multiple on that basis...
    Thinking back you could be right...She did check what was in our passports(Australian), including the HK employment visa page(& dependent visa page), and the previous record of double-entry China visa page. Then she moved on asking to see our HKID cards...

    However I'm not sure whether the fact that we had entered China before had any significance in our success of getting the one year multi-entry visa. From what I read and quoted earlier in this thread, as long as you are considered a HK resident and you have an ID card, you can apply for a 6 month or 1 year multiple entry visa. Just go for the one year first as there's not much difference on the application fee compared to the 6 month one. Good luck!

  2. #22

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    May 2005
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    Thanks for the responses but I was specifically asking about those without HKID. This is where we are having problems now, we could always do via our agents in HK or China but are now having problems.

    We have used our HK agent for years so it's not a case of them suddenly wanting more money! For HKID card holders we are having no issues at all.


  3. #23

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    Aug 2006
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    7,517

    An agent I have used in the past and have found reliable is Forever Bright. However, if the length of Chinese visas are being restricted for non-HKID card holders, there is not much you or the agent can do.


  4. #24

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    Forever Bright I know very well and used to use them myself in the past, however the last one they could get for one of our US customers was just a double entry. They are tied up with other agents we use in SZ as well.


  5. #25

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    May 2005
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    Quote Originally Posted by vmlinuz:
    Will report back on Monday after collection...
    Just been and collected, got a 1 year 'L' Visa, no (further) questions asked.

  6. #26

    Join Date
    May 2003
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    2,207

    This is from today's SCMP:

    Mainland authorities have once again tightened visa procedures for foreigners in the run-up to the 60th anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic, travel industry sources said yesterday.

    The latest curbs have raised concerns that the central government is reintroducing the draconian visa policy enforced before and during the Beijing Olympics last year.

    Under the policy introduced two weeks ago, all new business visas issued recently will expire on September 15, three mainland visa agents confirmed.

    Applications for the business visas, also called F visas, beyond September 15 would be put on hold, pending further government clarification, the agents said. "We don't know what is going to happen after September 15. More policies will probably be introduced as National Day approaches. We'll have to wait and see," Marcy Shen Lijun, a visa consultant based in Shanghai, said.

    Existing F visas that expired after September 15 would not be affected as they were issued before the introduction of the new policy, agents said. Visa procedures for tourists and students had not been affected yet, they said.

    However, information remained sketchy. Foreign applicants have had different experiences in obtaining new visas, with some saying that they had already had problems in applying before September 15.

    At least one international conference to be held in Beijing next month had been forced to postpone to November as a result, said Shanghai-based American writer Adam Minter, who registered for the event. He said that he had been told by the organisers the conference could not go ahead as many foreign participants were unable to secure visas.

    Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Jiang Yu said she was not aware of the new restrictions, but many expatriates on the mainland said they had found it more difficult to secure new visas.

    The tightening of the procedures echoes similar arrangements mainland authorities put in place during the Olympics.

    A ceremony is to be staged in Beijing on October 1 to mark the 60th anniversary of the founding. All state leaders will be attending the celebration, which will also feature a military parade. Beijing will be taking no chances on anything ruining the celebration. It earlier announced that security measures for the anniversary would be similar to those operating during the Olympics.

    Ms Shen and two other Beijing-based visa agents said the new policies were introduced to control the influx of foreigners, and the authorities believed this could improve stability and security.

    One visa agent in Beijing said: "It's just like the Olympic Games. The government wants to control the number of [foreign] people in China. The smaller the size, the easier it is to control."

    Last year, Beijing imposed a series of entry restrictions in the run-up to the Olympics in August, dealing serious blows to the capital's tourism industry and some in the business sector. Most of the regulations were lifted after the Games, while some have remained in place. The visa agents said it had been much easier to obtain visas after the Games.

    The American Chamber of Commerce and European Union Chamber of Commerce said they had yet to receive any complaints about visa problems from their members.


  7. #27
    Quote Originally Posted by climber07:
    That was my experience as well. Often I found that travel agents (specifically with my corporate agent) will try to milk you for more $$$ by saying that the most they can do is double entry. That way they have continued business as the fees they charge you are almost twice as much as what you pay at the visa office. The only inconvenience is time spent in the queue.
    this is exactly what i found. i was quoted $900 for a six month visa that would allow me two entries. i scoffed and decided not to as all i was planning at the time was to pop to shenzen for a suit. so, if i go to the visa office, will it be different? will i be able to get a 12 month multi entry visa? i'm british, have a HKID as i'm working here for now

    thanks

  8. #28

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    If the Olympics are to be our guide, the only thing you can be certain of is denials from Beijing, random enforcement of the non-official policy and a lot of headaches.
    And if they are concerned that foreigners will be flocking here to disrupt the 60th anniversary of the PRC, wonder what they will do when the World Expo rolls into Shanghai next year for 6 months?


  9. #29

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    Feb 2009
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    Hong Kong
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    I have HK ID (Dependant Visa) and received 12 Month Multi F Visa a couple of months ago without any problem. As a UK passport holder I do get hit with high fees though, HK$1330!!


  10. #30

    Join Date
    May 2003
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    It seems the rules have changed since then. A German friend of mine applied for a multiple visa (not sure whether F or L) in Germany and got rejected. Not sure what she got, have to check with her when she arrives in Hong Kong in a weeks time.


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