Business trip to China - anyone have experience of getting a visa?

matt

Well-known member

Mar 19, 2007

1,539

• Oct 30, 2014

• #1

I've been invited to attend a conference in Shenzhen (flying in to Hong Kong) at the end of next month and need to organise a visa. Has anyone got experience of the process and timescales? The Chinese Embassy website is not terribly helpful - a mixture of broken links and awkaward translation - so any tips would be greatly appreciated.

 

Goldstone1976

We Got Calde in!!

Helpful Moderator

NSC Patron

Apr 30, 2013

13,787

Herts

• Oct 30, 2014

• #2

I last went about three years ago. It had substantially improved over what is used to be like 20 years ago, but still is not a cakewalk. Arrange for an official letter of invitation from the Conference organisers to be emailed to you - that will speed the process up. Apply ASAP!

 

M

mdotw

Member

Aug 20, 2003

165

• Oct 30, 2014

• #3

Hi use this site http://www.visaforchina.org/LON_EN/ this is where we get our visa form but ours is for travel not business, the office is not as you would think at the actual embassy its an office near Bank tube station, the visitor visa takes up to 4 working days, presume business visa would be similar. Also as above post states get an official invite we have to do that from the in laws when we go. Also make sure you take 2 passport type photos of yourself, wife forgot that last time and had to run around to get one taken and then go back.

 

G

Greg Bobkin

Silver Seagull

May 22, 2012

14,848

• Oct 30, 2014

• #4

When I went years ago, the visa was processed through another department within the company. But the forms, etc, that I had to fill out seemed much more straightforward than getting an I-Visa or dealing with the US Embassy...

 

matt

Well-known member

Mar 19, 2007

1,539

• Oct 30, 2014

• Thread starter
• #5

Thanks all.

 

H

Hatterlovesbrighton

something clever

Jul 28, 2003

4,543

Not Luton! Thank God

• Oct 30, 2014

• #6

I did the same trip as you and found it pretty easy to get a visa. Def need the invite letter though. Shenzhen is a bit peculiar though. No low rise housing whatsoever. Nice hotels though ( I stayed at a Hilton that had been open 2 weeks) and the markets are fun.

 

S

severnside gull

Well-known member

May 16, 2007

24,540

By the seaside in West Somerset

• Oct 30, 2014

• #7

For Shenzen you can pay for a visa at Lo Wu railway station (train to there from Kowloon)
Visa is valid for 5 days and takes about 20 minutes of queuing.
Currently not a problem for UK passport holders although that changes depending on political relations

 

E

Ex-Staffs Gull

New member

Jul 5, 2003

1,687

Adelaide, SA

• Oct 30, 2014

• #8

Official invitation is the best way. Went to Beijing a lot and had a multi entry visa, but always off the back of an official invite

 

I

ifightbears

Well-known member

Jul 19, 2010

670

Cornwall

• Oct 30, 2014

• #9

matt said:

I've been invited to attend a conference in Shenzhen (flying in to Hong Kong) at the end of next month and need to organise a visa. Has anyone got experience of the process and timescales? The Chinese Embassy website is not terribly helpful - a mixture of broken links and awkaward translation - so any tips would be greatly appreciated.

Click to expand...

I went China for a three weeks. Went into Hong Kong first and was able to apply and receive a china visa for 30 days within 24 hours in a Chinese visa office (vast number dotted around Hong Kong). Thing is I don't remember the name of the official office...

 

sjamesb3466

Well-known member

Jan 31, 2009

5,182

Leicester

• Oct 30, 2014

• #10

matt said:

I've been invited to attend a conference in Shenzhen (flying in to Hong Kong) at the end of next month and need to organise a visa. Has anyone got experience of the process and timescales? The Chinese Embassy website is not terribly helpful - a mixture of broken links and awkaward translation - so any tips would be greatly appreciated.

Click to expand...

Went to China on our honeymoon. Sent off for Visa 6 weeks before but it came within the week. My tip would be to send your application the the office in Edinburgh as the waiting times are shorter.

 

Beach Hut

Brighton Bhuna Boy

Jul 5, 2003

71,969

Living In a Box

• Oct 30, 2014

• #11

I went to Beijing in 2007 on business and we have staff based there. It was not decided I would go until the Monday before I left on the next Sunday.

I had to do some fast track business application that started with our Chinese people setting it up and my passport was sent off by courier to some London office and was back with me on the Friday.

Bloody strange people to do business with, very backward in my view but I suspect they have moved on. Suffice to say what was proposed never materialised for the China State Railway and in my view they had a chronic over employment issue with town hall meetings where nothing was achieved except their annoying habit of immediately answering a mobile, one woman did it during her bloody presentation FFS