| Visa Types | |
|---|---|
| Mar 18, 2007 20:20 | #11   |
 | I have a question regarding the L visa. I am a US citizen, I met a woman in Hong Kong last year that lives in Guangzhou. We have kept in touch since then. I will be taking a vacation this summer to several countries across Asia, and want to stop in Guangzhou and visit. I have read elsewhere that the L visa requires a letter from a chinese tour company in order to get the visa. Is this true? Is there a way around this requirement? A tour sounds great, but I wont have time, I just want to visit my friend for a few days. Can anyone help me understand the best approach? Or is it more trouble than its worth? Appreciate any assistance... Hong Kong was so easy. thanks! |
| Mar 18, 2007 22:29 | #12 |
| I've never needed a letter from anybody to get an L visa, and I've had them issued in both Wellington and Hong Kong. I recommend contacting the nearest Chinese diplomatic mission. If they do still live in the Dark Ages and require such a letter, go to Hong Kong and get your visa there. You should be able to get it done overnight or even by lunchtime the same day. If you have any trouble at the visa office in Hong Kong (highly unlikely), there are plenty of travel agents who will arrange things for you. |
| Mar 19, 2007 11:17 | #13 |
| Thanks for the info, I may have to go with your suggestion. The State Dept web site states that "Tourist visas are issued only after receipt of a confirmation letter from a Chinese tour agency or letter of invitation from a relative in China." I can't find a similar requirement on the China embassy site though, so I'm contacting them to clarify. Thanks for the reply, I wouldn't mind stopping in Hong Kong anyway! |
| Mar 19, 2007 13:02 | #14 |
| You shouldn't have any problem, I have never heard anyone being refused on this - just list a couple of cities you would like to visit. Quite probably, what you have been told is still the official regulation, but reality means they have to be more flexible. Great, but it means you never quite know what will happen in any official matter. That's China. |
| Mar 19, 2007 19:57 | #15 |
| And I wouldn't trust the State Department website on this matter- they're not the ones who issue visas for China, they only handle visas for America. As Apault says, just list a couple of destinations in China, or just put your friend's address in Guangzhou, you'll be fine. And if you do this in Hong Kong, you'll be able to pick up your visa at midday and meet your friend for a slightly late lunch in Guangzhou. |
| Apr 11, 2007 12:14 | #16 |
| You need to be careful now if you think you can change a tourist visa into a z visa in China. I got caught in that mess last year. I was told by my employer to get a F visa--that it made no difference. But I discovered that it is very different! You cannot get a z visa in China. You must enter the counrty with the z visa--it is always illegal to work anywhere without it. I heard they changed the law and were seriously enforcing it. I spent several months trying to find another job with the F visa and no one could hire me. I had to leave the country and get the proper invitation and return. a costly error! Even going to Hong Kong for a visa was not adequate. There seems to be a lot of confusion about the medical check too-- it is a problem since it is so expensive to get it done in the US and, they will most likely make you do it again in China anyway--they don't believe any documents not "authenticated" legally--which is an impossible process, as I see it from reading the Embassy website instructions. |
| Apr 11, 2007 15:35 | #17 |
| Yes, Dorothy, I have heard these stories too, I believe Jabarootoo commented a few months back. I am about to enter China on an L visa and then take it from there. I am expecting that the authorities are 'seriously enforcing' the rules in some provinces and not others. Last year I converted an L to an F with the help of a PSB contact who knew exactly where I would be working. (I also did a short contract for a National government department while on the L visa!) If I am unable to get one internally, I will go to HK or Vietnam for the Z visa if necessary, because they are convenient for me, but if that is inadequate, China will be one teacher short, and there is quite a shortage already! I hear Vietnam is looking for teachers and the beaurocracy is much less! |
| Apr 12, 2007 21:23 | #18 |
| I had some problems with the health certificate when I came back to China this time. If they really want to hire you, tell them it is impossible to get the certificate abroad, because it esentially is. They will say that you can get the certifcate in China (or you can tell them!). Don't let them tell you that you can't. Also, once you get your residence permit with a Z visa, you can leave and reenter China as long as your visa is valid. Sweet. |
| May 14, 2007 08:57 | #19 |
| I got a Chinese residence permit last year it is near expiration. I am planning to change the work unit and am wondering whether I need the document from the new work unit to renew the permit? thanks |
| May 14, 2007 21:45 | #20 |
| Cypress, yes, of course you will need the documentation from your new work unit. Check with both your current and new work units for what exactly you need. |
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