Visa for Travel to China

[disneymouse16]

Hi! We are hoping to go to Shanghai Disneyland in December, well I am, my DH has put some budget goals in place before he will 100% agree. Although I have visited DLR and WDW multiple times my experience out of the US is limited to Canada and the Bahamas. So I'm feeling pretty well out of my element and not very confident in my planning abilities. Having a visa to visit China is really throwing me and I'm finding it to be overwhelming. Any suggestions on how to go about it? How far in advance should we be working on getting those visas? Do you get a travel agent to help you with the planning/visas?

 

[zanzibar138]

I'm from Australia, so I'm sure the visa process is slightly different for you. Google is a good place to start, and also travel sites like TripAdvisor. A travel agent may be able to help you figure out the logistics and give you an idea of costs etc, but it's probably just as easy to google it. For Australians, the process isn't overly complicated, but we do need to have our flights and accommodation booked for the entire trip before we can apply. I would start the application process as soon as you've got everything booked. In Australia, Chinese visas are pretty expensive, so make sure you also factor that cost into your trip budget (if there are a few of you going, it could really add up!).

China can be a huge culture shock to westerners, so it might be worth considering a short stopover in Hong Kong on the way through if you can manage it. Hong Kong is pretty westernised, but you still get the exposure to elements on Chinese culture and the general vibe of Asian cities. Plus, you could tick another Disney location off your list

 

[RandomlyrachelG]

It is expensive, and it is a lot of paperwork. I'm American, so I'm speaking from the American going to China perspective. When we were living in China, my parents came to visit us, and we helped walk them through the process. Mostly, it's just a matter of filling out the form very carefully and collecting the needed paperwork and sending it to the embassy (my husband and I sent our visa application through an agency, but it was a more complicated work visa, my parents brought their application in to the office in person--it just depends on where you live and what kind of visa you are getting). The biggest thing is that for tourism, you're going to need to show proof of a round-trip plane ticket and hotel reservations (not always for the whole stay, but at least some hotel reservations) before you can apply, which means that you have to get those and commit to flights and a hotel because you can apply.

 

[tortilla24]

I think it depends on where you live. I live in the DC area and they make you go in-person for the visa to drop off the paper work. I can't remember all the details needed (check the embassy's website) but I do remember that's it's an absolute HOT MESS (I went in 2011, maybe it's better now). One important thing to know is that the visa is for a one time entry to China. So if you want to book a roundtrip from LA to Shanghai with a side-trip to Tokyo, you need to pay for a multiple entry visa. It's not cheap. Good luck!

 

[tortilla24]

Oh and I got mine within a 3 week turn-around and had to pick it up in-person, too (could be bc I'm in DC). No travel agent but I've traveled internationally extensively. You don't need one but it can't hurt if it helps put you at ease.

 

[xmansmom]

I just went to get ours on Tuesday. I went online and filled out the form and took it in with our passports a a printout of our itinerary. I was able to get them for my entire family. One thing that I didn't realize was that I had to also have b&w copies of the first pages my passports. They had a copy machine there and everyone was trying to find change to use it. Turn around time was quick. They'll be ready tomorrow.

 

[helenk]

I use a Visa agency. We live in PA and would have to go to New York to get ours. When my daughter was hired by Disney English they had her use mychinavisa.com. you fill out the application and send the application your passport, photo copies of your plane tickets and hotel reservation confirmation and a passport photo. I sent the paperwork to their NY location. They have others too. They review the paperwork make sure everything is okay and they take it to the Chinese consulate. Once the visa is done they mail the passport back to you with the Visa stamp. It took about a week and the sent it back overnight. The cost was $297. The cost of the visa is $140 The agency fee and Fedex charge was $157 Which was worth it otherwise I would have to go to NY get a hotel overnight. With travel cost and hotel costs I thought the $157 was a good deal.

 

[travellertigger]

We are American and we are lucky enough not to require a visa as we are using Shanghai as a transit point. They have a new 144hr Transit Without visa (known as TWOV) which allows you to be in the country for 144hours without a visa. We are going to visit Hong Kong first and we were lucky enough to get tickets for 400$ roundtrip through Shanghai. So we are stopping in Shanghai on our return from Hong Kong and are able to take advantage of this to go to Shanghai Disneyland for 3 days!! This is the easiest and in our experience cheapest way as u dont have to pay for a visa and you get to visit 2 countries and 2 parks lol

 

[Bone Daddy]

Previous poster stole my thunder, but according to credible web sources (travel.state.gov, China-embassy.org), there does exist a TWoV for residents of 51 countries flying through specific destinations in China. The US and Shanghai apply to these parameters, but it should be noted that only PVG (Pudong's airport) is acceptable as a port of entry/exit. Always double check with your respective embassies/consulates as to avoid any vacation buzzkillers.

 

[WAMUMOF4]

We are American and we are lucky enough not to require a visa as we are using Shanghai as a transit point. They have a new 144hr Transit Without visa (known as TWOV) which allows you to be in the country for 144hours without a visa. We are going to visit Hong Kong first and we were lucky enough to get tickets for 400$ roundtrip through Shanghai. So we are stopping in Shanghai on our return from Hong Kong and are able to take advantage of this to go to Shanghai Disneyland for 3 days!! This is the easiest and in our experience cheapest way as u dont have to pay for a visa and you get to visit 2 countries and 2 parks lol

Are you stopping somewhere else on the way home? I may be wrong but from what I understand you need to be stopping in another country after your visit to Shanghai.

http://www.sh-immigration.gov.cn/listPageEn.aspx?lx=40

 

[zanzibar138]

Are you stopping somewhere else on the way home? I may be wrong but from what I understand you need to be stopping in another country after your visit to Shanghai.

http://www.sh-immigration.gov.cn/listPageEn.aspx?lx=40

That's not what I got. I understood it to mean any time you used Shanghai as a stopover, could be enroute to your destination or on the way home. It would exclude a lot of people if you had to visit somewhere else on the way to or from your destination as well (requiring 2 stopovers).

 

[WAMUMOF4]

1. That's not what I got. I understood it to mean any time you used Shanghai as a stopover, could be enroute to your destination or on the way home. It would exclude a lot of people if you had to visit somewhere else on the way to or from your destination as well (requiring 2 stopovers).[/QU

I've just copied the the bit that made me interpret it that way, I don't know how to highlight but it says about having a ticket to a third country I was assuming 1st country is where you come from second is Shanghai and third is where you are going before you go home to make Shanghai your stopover?

* I ended up calling the hotline they said you could visit the other country before or after Shanghai. It was just the Third country but that confused me.



A: A citizen from certain countries can transfer in China via any of the following ports of entry including Shanghai Pudong International Airport, Shanghai Hongqiao International Airport, Shanghai Port International Cruise Terminal, Shanghai Wusongkou International Cruise Terminal, Shanghai Railway Station, Nanjing Lukou International Airport, or Hangzhou Xiaoshan International Airport without a Chinese visa by producing his / her own valid international travel document and onward air / vessel / train ticket to a third country (region) with confirmed date and seat within 144 hours upon arrival, and can stay within the administrative precincts of Shanghai Municipality, Jiangsu Province and Zhejiang Province for 144 hours.

13.Q: If I, an Australian citizen, plan to travel from Sydney to Shanghai and then back to Melbourne by air, can I apply for 144-hour visa-exemption transit?

A: The policy requires that a foreign passenger book his / her onward air / vessel / train tickets with confirmed seat in advance and leave China within 144 hours for a third country or region, and therefore it is our suggestion that you change your flight ticket to Melbourne to one bound for a third country or region such as Hong Kong, Singapore or Kuala Lumpur, and return to Melbourne afterwards. Such an arrangement will enable you to meet the requirements for 144-hour visa-exemption transit.

 

[Brian Noble]

I use a Visa agency.

We do as well; we have a partnership with Shanghai Jiao Tung University, and we visit often. We use A. Briggs, but there are others. http://abriggs.com/

I'm not sure the transit window works for US->China->US. There might need to be a third country involved. In any event, the visa is not too complicated or expensive to obtain, as I recall.

 

[ChrisNY2]

I'm not sure the transit window works for US->China->US. There might need to be a third country involved. In any event, the visa is not too complicated or expensive to obtain, as I recall.

Hong Kong is considered a "third country" for purposes of the transit visa.

 

[zanzibar138]

Hong Kong is considered a "third country" for purposes of the transit visa.

As is Japan

 

[OrangeBirdGirl]

I'm American who will use Cibt as well. The cost for 2 of us is an uncharge of $278 (total for 2) to get the visa through them. The alternative is both of us taking off a day of work, driving 6 hours round trip and paying $40 to park, $40 in gas and $15 in road tolls.

 

[mulderxcoltrane]

We are American and we are lucky enough not to require a visa as we are using Shanghai as a transit point. They have a new 144hr Transit Without visa (known as TWOV) which allows you to be in the country for 144hours without a visa. We are going to visit Hong Kong first and we were lucky enough to get tickets for 400$ roundtrip through Shanghai. So we are stopping in Shanghai on our return from Hong Kong and are able to take advantage of this to go to Shanghai Disneyland for 3 days!! This is the easiest and in our experience cheapest way as u dont have to pay for a visa and you get to visit 2 countries and 2 parks lol

What flights did you get for $400? Roundtrip to US? On what airline?

 

[OrangeBirdGirl]

Hong Kong is considered a "third country" for purposes of the transit visa.

By chance do you have a link on an official government website that lists Hong Kong as that third country. I have found a lot of info online about them being considered this but can't find anything on an official government website. I emailed the Chinese visa agency to ask them to confirm one wasn't need and they told me they never heard of such a thing.... Obviously they are wrong as the 144 hours is right on their website.

 

[ChrisNY2]

By chance do you have a link on an official government website that lists Hong Kong as that third country. I have found a lot of info online about them being considered this but can't find anything on an official government website. I emailed the Chinese visa agency to ask them to confirm one wasn't need and they told me they never heard of such a thing.... Obviously they are wrong as the 144 hours is right on their website.

I can't find the website where I saw it initially, but here's one.

Note this FAQ:
"A: The policy requires that a foreign passenger book his / her onward air / vessel / train tickets with confirmed seat in advance and leave China within 144 hours for a third country or region, and therefore it is our suggestion that you change your flight ticket to Melbourne to one bound for a third country or region such as Hong Kong, Singapore or Kuala Lumpur, and return to Melbourne afterwards. Such an arrangement will enable you to meet the requirements for 144-hour visa-exemption transit. "

http://www.sh-immigration.gov.cn/listPageEn.aspx?lx=40&id=4421