OT: HK visa source

[hypoclear]

Hello all;

 

found this:

 

Another convenient travel agency is Shoestring Travel, on the fourth floor

of Alpha House on the corner of Peking and Nathan roads, right next to CTS

(tel. 852/2723 2306). Open Monday to Saturday from 8am to 7pm and Sunday and

holidays from 8am to 2pm, it charges HK$150 (US$19) for a single-entry visa

if you can wait 2 business days; HK$300 (US$39) if you need it the same day.

 

I will be in the market for another visa end of next month.. I do have this from reliable sources that it is open and working. Call ahead to make sure if you might need this.

 

I have also been told that the 6 month multi (F visa's) are now seen as 6, 30 day visa's which means you have to leave the country, (China) and re-enter every 30 days during this 6 month visa period. No problemo for us close to HK but a real pain for those up north...

 

Can anyone up that way confirm this?

 

Mark and Bea and Elizabeth

[NY-Viking]

Hello all;

 

found this:

 

 Another convenient travel agency is Shoestring Travel, on the fourth floor

of Alpha House on the corner of Peking and Nathan roads, right next to CTS

(tel. 852/2723 2306). Open Monday to Saturday from 8am to 7pm and Sunday and

holidays from 8am to 2pm, it charges HK$150 (US$19) for a single-entry visa

if you can wait 2 business days; HK$300 (US$39) if you need it the same day.

 

I will be in the market for another visa end of next month.. I do have this from reliable sources that it is open and working. Call ahead to make sure if you might need this.

 

I have also been told that the 6 month multi (F visa's) are now seen as 6, 30 day visa's which means you have to leave the country, (China) and re-enter every 30 days during this 6 month visa period. No problemo for us close to HK but a real pain for those up north...

 

Can anyone up that way confirm this?

 

Mark and Bea and Elizabeth

Shoestring is popular because they're right off Nathan Road, have ok customer service and because they are listed in the Lonely Planet travel guide. I used them once and thought they were fine, but that was about 5 years ago.

 

As for the visas, for us (i.e., Americans) the 6 month F visa with 30 day restrictions issued in Hong Kong (technically in Guangzhou, but through a travel agent in Hong Kong) was the case as of a few months ago. A real pain -- other nationalities were able to get year long F with no stay limits, and Americans could only get the limited 30 day stay 6-month F if they had prior F visas in their passports. There are some service companies inside China that claim to be able to remove the 30 day restriction, and I understand they have done so with some success.

 

BUT, the U.S. and China have supposedly agreed to issue longer visas now, and without travel restrctions. I'm not sure if this has been implemented as yet. I've written some posts on this before, both here on CFL and on www.shanghaiexpat.com. There is a good China visa foum on Shanghaiexpat.com that has foreigners (both U.S. and otherwise) most recent experience with getting visas in Hong Kong and elsewhere.

 

Edit: But Mark, would you not want to apply for a marriage related visa? I seem to recall you did some research on that this past summer.

[hypoclear]

.....

Edit:  But Mark, would you not want to apply for a marriage related visa?  I seem to recall you did some research on that this past summer.......

What I found out on this is that I can get 3 month zero, single or multi.. which in China means 2 entries here in Shenzhen for some what cheap and very easily because I am married. Bea also found out I could get a mutli entry visa for 6 months from the Hong Kong Chinese embassy for roughly 800RMB and another 400 RMB (est.) for same day. So basicly it doesn't amount to a hill of beans.

 

As I haven't been out of the country other than last month, I was just picking up the 3 month no entry L visa's here in Shenzhen for around 440RMB. Being married made them not question my 5th or 6th time around as they usually only give you 3 of these extentions.

 

Mark and Bea and Elizabeth