k-3 visa fee in beijing

[vincent]

has anyone payed the k-3 visa fee in Beijing and if so where, I have been unable to locate a bank that can except the k-3 fee. Can the fee be paid after the medical or does the visa fee receipt have to be inside the brown envolope prepaired by the hopital. Thank you.

[david_dawei]

First I should confirm you are K3.. If you were CR1, then you would pay at NVC.

 

 

If you try to search on this topic, it is not as clear as I would hope... I cannnot find where it is documented to pay the visa fee as a pre-requisite for the exam.. it would be nice to see it at a government website.. but this what I have pieced together as 'best practice'.

 

If your K1/K3:

1) The money needs to go to one of these authorized banks:

http://www.usembassy-china.org.cn/guangzho...u/iv/citic.html

 

2) Pay for the visa fee prior to the medical exam. Most cases showed that the medical staff wanted to see the visa receipt or put a copy of it in the package. They might send you off to pay for it if it is not already paid.

 

3) Guard that receipt with your life.. no receipt, no interview.

[frank1538]

GZ's website indicates that the visa fee must be paid prior to the interview but is silent on whether it must be paid prior to the medical exam. The website also says that you should bring to the medical exam those documents listed on the OF-171. If the visa fee receipt is included in the list, definitely bring it. If it's not included in the list, I agree with David that the medical folks will likely be looking for completeness, so I would make sure I had it.

 

As far as where to pay the fee, the GZ website that David provided gives you the list for GZ and surrounding areas. But, here's a thought. The US embassy in Beijing also processes visas (only non immigrant). You might check their website to see if they also have a listing of CITIC branches that will accept visa fees. If so, I would call them and verify that you can pay an immigrant visa fee. If not, sounds like you'll have no choice but to use one of the branches listed on GZ's website.

[david_dawei]

Good idea frank.... another thought... I recall in one thread that a bank told someone they do not accept the money there, but it could be wired to the correct bank.

 

Might be another item to ask, if they don't accept the money do they handling wiring it (or they expect your SOs bank to do that)...

 

 

There are many threads of people going to BJ for an exam.. At the time, I did not look at the timelines to see if they were CR1 (ie: payment is easily done to NVC), or how they paid (in one case, this is what happened--a family/friend paid at authorized bank and mailed them the receipt)...

[DocMartin817]

I am thinking of meeting Liwen in Beijing and have the medical exam done there and then fly to GZ for the interview. Any information on how we can pay the visa fee there would be appreciated

[david_dawei]

I am thinking of meeting Liwen in Beijing and have the medical exam done there and then fly to GZ for the interview. Any information on how we can pay the visa fee there would be appreciated

I guess we're look at you to provide that answer now ! Actually, I want to do this too.. so i eager to solve this riddle as well...

[vincent]

We are k-3 and hoping to have the medical taken care of in Beijing before going to QZ. I have been working on this for about two weeks and as yet have no answer, I have talked to the american embassy in Beijing and they can not help. instead they keep refering us back to QZ saying they have no knowledge of k-3. We have made numerous attempts to talk to citic bank in Beijing with no luck, they keep telling us to talk to QZ and QZ keeps telling us to look at there web site for a bank, but no banks are listed for Beijing on the web site, so I was hoping someone may have paid there visa fee in Beijing and be able to give us that information, plan two would be to have the medical done in Beijing and then pay the visa fee when we go to QZ but then the fee would not be included in the sealed envolope.

[Martytb]

Ideally you would pay the fee before the exam and the nurse will put the receipt into the sealed envelope. If you pay the fee after then be sure to bring the receipt to the interview and submit it with the envlope the hospital gave you.

[vincent]

Also one more think I forgot to mention, we have been told not to wire money for the visa fee becouse getting the rite receipt is a long shot at best and the money will not be returned for an incorrect receipt. The bank that you send the money to is the bank that will issue the receipt and you have to wait for them to mail it to you and the chance of getting the correct receipt is very slim.

[david_dawei]

Also one more think I forgot to mention, we have been told not to wire money for the visa fee becouse getting the rite receipt is a long shot at best and the money will not be returned for an incorrect receipt. The bank that you send the money to is the bank that will issue the receipt and you have to wait for them to mail it to you and the chance of getting the correct receipt is very slim.

This is probably wise advice.. I'm certainly not going to suggest doing a wire transfer on a FAQ !!

 

I've got an email exchange going with someone who claims to have done it in BJ.. so I hope to get some answer or clarification ...

[david_dawei]

Here is what I got from member CSL&LCY in email:

 

"it should be CITIC. My understanding is that any branch of this bank is able to take the visa fee. If your SO is going to be in Beijing for her medical exam, she should be able to get the location of the bank from the doctor's office, if you can't get it elsewhere. I know they are not too far apart because my SO walked to them or had short cab rides from her hotel. She stayed in a hotel near the Mexican and other embassies. "

 

 

This brings out one interesting idea.. call the BJ hospital and ask them where it is acceptable to pay the visa fee for the exam... Let us know if you attempt this.

[vincent]

We have contacted the hospital four times now hoping we would get someone who could give us this info but so far no luck. I think most people including myself are under the impression that all citic banks can except the visa fee but that is not the case, only the ones able to issue the correct receipt will work and not all are able to do this, although they will tell you they can untill you ask if they can give you the receipt for a k-3 visa and then they tell you to call QZ. Once the money changes hands you can not get it back even if the bank does not have the correct receipt so you need to make sure that what they are giving you is the correct receipt. I am sure this can be done so we plan to go to Beijing about ten days before the interview and find a bank to pay the fee, I will let you know what we find out.

[frank1538]

Since the approved list of hospitals includes some in Beijing, one would think that you could get the exam done before you have to pay the visa fee, if it is true that you can only pay the K visa fees at one of the CITIC branches listed on GZ's website.

 

It would seem logical but, then again, we're dealing with the government.

[david_dawei]

I think everyone's followed the golden rule to "pay visa before exam"... and until someone tries to defy this approach, we don't know if it will work!

 

I have yet to see it documented as a pre-requisite for the exam, but only can follow those who have gone to exams and stated they asked for it or made a copy to put in the packet...

[warpedbored]

If you have to go to GZ for the interview anyway I think it would be prudent not to take any chances on where to pay or get the medical. I would do it all in GZ. If you end up having to go home and come back it will cost you more in the long run.