| Itinerary required for USA to China visa - looking for some clarification | |
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| May 10, 2008 21:59 |   |
 | Hi I am planing to go to China for 2-3 weeks with a friend sometimes this fall after all the Olympics related traffic dies down. We would like to just take the plane and just arrive in Beijing, go to a hotel there which we will have reserved and do some local touring. But once thats done we really have no idea where we would like to go, maybe Xi'an, maybe someplace else. So I dont have a precise departure date or precise travel plan, and I found out when I tried to apply for visa in advance that I cant, because there are reservations and Itinerary required for a visa to China. I dont even know what itinerary means. I looked it up on the net and dictionaries but I am still very unclear how it applies to practical use in this case. What exactly and precisely am I supposed to submit with my visa application ? What do they mean by "itinerary" ? Is it flight arrival and departure time and date reservations ? Entire trip plans in details ? And what if I do not wish to use organized tours because we have friends there and we will have our own guides and translators ? I know when you purchase one of these trip packages it counts as or coems with this itinerary ? But like I said, we will be with friends so we dont need a tour package of this sort, just some flight and hotel reservations. So what are we supposed to do and submit with visa applications ? Thanks for help |
| May 11, 2008 11:12 | #1 |
| An Itinerary is a day to day outline of when and where you intend to travel and in some cases what you intend to do and may or may not include some hotel details. For your Chinese visa application you should state your intended arrival and departure dates and include an itinerary for the period in between. This does not mean that you have to follow it to the letter but it does look like you are coming for sightseeing and intend to eventually leave China. Currently the Government is running security checks in many cities around the country looking for illegal immigrants or foreigners who have overstayed their visas or are here living and working without appropriate documents. This information comes from two personal friends who have had a visit to their homes by the authorities and others who have been questioned on the street to produce their passport with visas. You should at least have hotel/hostel reservations for the first and last few days of your stay. Together with a detailed schedule of places that you are considering visiting including the dates for each visit should satisfy your visas application requirements. |
| May 11, 2008 12:52 | #2 |
| With your short space of time I suggest after BeiJing for about a week you go to DongBei or Inner Mongolia to see some real Chinese Culture away from the tourists. |
| May 11, 2008 14:25 | #3 |
| Thanks for the answers. This whole itenarary thing sucks. If not for my friends I'd cancel this whole trip until it eases up. I'm glad I decided to look all this up before just plunging in as I would on my regular travels. And I am not sure yet really where I will go. Beijing for sure for the 1st week, but the 2nd is really undecided because thats the one thats up to me. I'm having really a lot of thoughts here, anything from Xi'an, to Sichuan, Yunnan, maybe even something in the south. I havent given any thoughts to Mongolia but I will check it out. It does kinda blow that we cant just go there and then make a reservations locally 2-3 days in advance and just go to where we want. Actually this really blows, it puts a big cramp into my traveling style. One more thing that I cannot find, is information on internal flights in China. I found train info on this as well as few other sites, but trains can take a real longtime to get from place to place and China is a vast country. So if anyone can post a link where I can look up domestic flights in China I'd appreciate it. Also if I were to take a domestic flight there, do I need any additional documentation other then what I have ? |
| May 11, 2008 14:32 | #4 |
| Argh, cant find edit button, nevermind I found the flight info. |
| May 22, 2008 23:58 | #5 |
| Hi, I am a British National living in Canton (South East China near Hong Kong), and I can offer you real and practical help First. When applying for a Chinese visa you need to show either your airline tickets (Both ways, as they are checking when you will leave China). If you do not have these, then you need to show your 'Itinerary' This is a specific word related only to this subject, and it means the form the airline or booking agency give you, if they do not send you the tickets directly. This has all the flight details and your reservation printed on it This is all they require from you, but without one or the other above, you will not get a visa You do not have to show hotel bookings etc, just your flight details into China, and especially your flight details and reservation going home. Simple as that! Please note, you will experience strange visa restrictions until after the Beijing Olympics, but as a tourist, these should not concern you at all I have lived here for over 4-years, am semi-retired, and love the Chinese culture and people. I can help you with your plans for Beijing, plus other sight-seeing in China: including Xi'an, and especially my home area - which will be lovely in to visit in October. I can also let you see the real China, not a packed version, and you can even meet my Chinese friends, most of whom have very good English I am a genuine person, and this is my contact, should you wish to reply me, yahoo.co.uk|jonnomorris otherwise I wish you well,and enjoy your visit to China, it is fascinating country - but for me it is the local people that make this such a special place to live Here is China! best wishes Jonno |
| May 23, 2008 00:03 | #6 |
| Addendum: Sorry, I forgot to mention: I can do all the bookings here locally for you, at local prices! You just do the International flights and visa stuff, OK? Jonno |
| May 23, 2008 11:31 | #7 |
| You currently will need Hotel RESERVATIONS of some kind for YOUR VISA APPLICATION There seems to be no consistency with visa applications at the moment and may vary from country to country of origin. My sister got a visa with no hotel reservations for a visit in June 2008 Our male friend who will be travelling with her was required to supply proof of hotel booking. He booked a room for ONE night and sent this off to the Embassy and his visa was issued immediately. Neither of them has return flights into/out of Mainland China. They have a stop over in Hong Kong If he had further difficulty I also was contemplating making bookings in places that had nominal online booking fees and if in the event we did not stay there it would be no great loss. If you have been asked to supply reservations for the entire time of your stay, then book yourself into the first hotel/hostel, pay the booking deposit and when you arrive, change you plans and I'm sure they will deduct the deposit from your bill since you will have stayed with them several days already. I.E refund the deposit I find most places pretty accommodating. They don't always like the procedures they are asked to follow for foreigners any more than we do but they want your business. Suggest you apply early, send in your first and last few days reservations and if they ask for more, you know what to do!!!!! Now with much of Sichuan off limits other places will be more popular. Looking for flight information - at the top of the Community webpage you will find more tabs one of which will take you to flight search |
| May 25, 2008 18:59 | #8 |
| GUEST75156 | When I applied for my visa, very recently, I only needed my flight information and hotel reservation. Or if you plan to live with or visit someone in China, they will ask you for that address as well. You can consult your local Chinese consulate to ask about multiple hotel stays and other questions. I hope this helps. |
| Sep 18, 2008 17:54 | #9 |
| GUEST14178 | Do we still need it now that the Olympics is over? |
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