Comments on: Tourists beware: New China Visa Rules!

By: Rodny Fullhause

Rodny Fullhause — Mon, 15 Oct 2012 05:48:33 +0000

Went to china last year and got same day visa in BKK without problem. This time I bought my flights to and within china and made hotel reservations. Went to chinese embassy in Bangkok last week and waited for three hours just to be told that new rules require a letter of employment and bank statements for tourist visa. returned with the documents the next day. Three hours wait later I was told that german passport holders must wait 4 days to get the visa in retaliation to German visa requirements for Chinese. I couldn’t wait 4 days because I had only 3 days left on my thai visa… Lost my flights (no refunds) and will be standing up my friends who were to meet me in china…

By: Raj

Raj — Fri, 24 Aug 2012 12:30:02 +0000

OR, the embassy staff don’t know what they’re doing and are asking for more than one of these things anyway just to cover their arses

The same information is currently requested for UK visas – an invitation or return ticket plus hotel reservation.

By: FOARP

FOARP — Fri, 24 Aug 2012 08:13:26 +0000

@Raj – OR, the embassy staff don’t know what they’re doing and are asking for more than one of these things anyway just to cover their arses. Judging by the problems the guy over at Froogville is going through, this doesn’t look like a bad bet.

By: Kelvin

Kelvin — Fri, 24 Aug 2012 05:12:00 +0000

I too have gone from Beijing to HK to Taipei and was now thinking of heading back into China when I read this. So now what? Do I go for it or head back to Europe. The work is still there in China and I’m getting some interest there but none from the EU. I guess I’ll have to jump the hoops until I can get the Z visa.

By: Raj

Raj — Thu, 23 Aug 2012 19:04:00 +0000

The idea that a tourist should require an invitation to visit is ridiculous. How does a tourist visit the country if they don’t know anyone there?

I’ve looked into this further. The article linked to the Chinese embassy website.

2) Tourist Visa (L Visa)

One of the following documents is required:

- An Invitation Letter for Tourist Group of Invitation Letter for Tourist by a Duly Authorized Tourism Unit;

- An Invitation Letter issued by companies, corporations, institutions and individuals in China. If the invitation letter is issued by an individual in China, the photocopy of the ID of the individual is required.

- photocopy of the roundtrip airline ticket and hotel reservation.

Note where it says “ONE OF”.

Either the LA Times and/or Bloomberg didn’t read the website properly, or someone updated the website incorrectly and corrected the mistake.

By: Gil

Gil — Wed, 22 Aug 2012 19:25:45 +0000

@Benjamin – A good number of whom, at least the small-timers, are in the the country on tourist/student visas.

By: Benjamin D.

Benjamin D. — Wed, 22 Aug 2012 18:48:21 +0000

“I’ve heard rumours that local PSBs have received targets for reducing the number of resident foreigners in their area”

That’d be nuts. Are they *trying* to sink their economy? I don’t mean the tourist trade, even, aren’t a lot of investors in China foreign businessmen who reside there?

By: Gil

Gil — Wed, 22 Aug 2012 16:58:20 +0000

@Raj – That explains why they require a visa, not why the requirements to get the visa are so non-sensical. The idea that a tourist should require an invitation to visit is ridiculous. How does a tourist visit the country if they don’t know anyone there? And if you can get an invitation letter from an authorised ‘inviter’, what does the invitation show except that you paid someone to invite you?

I’ve heard rumours that local PSBs have received targets for reducing the number of resident foreigners in their area. Anyone know anything to confirm/deny this?

By: Raj

Raj — Wed, 22 Aug 2012 07:21:07 +0000

Lisa

Way to depress the tourist economy, guys.

Thing is that the vast majority of tourists are (last time I was there) Chinese. I’m not sure the authorities really care that much about foreign tourists.

Richard

No question that entry into the US is a grim and absurd experience.

I should point out that I found my first journey to New York a few years ago to be very enjoyable. The queue at JFK wasn’t that long and the border control guard even managed some dry humour.

You don’t need a visa to go to Singapore or Japan or Hong Kong (or most other places I’ve visited over the decades). Why does China have to make it such hell to visit their country?

Because the US (like UK) doesn’t make Singaporeans or Japanese apply for visas when they want to go to America. But Chinese people need visas, so to avoid loss of face China insists on visas too.

By: t_co

t_co — Wed, 22 Aug 2012 02:00:29 +0000

Regardless of what the original intention was for making this hurdle, now it’s just going to become another way for the foreign ministry to make some dough.