FAQ on Visa & Passports

Get a visa yourself Visa at

Office of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the PRC.

7th Floor, Lower Block, 26 Harbor Road

Wanchai, Hong Kong

Tel:

24-hour recorded visa information service: 852-34132300

Live answering telephone: 852-34132424 (available hours: 10:00-11:00am and 3:00-4:00pm on workdays)

Fax: 852-34132312

Email: fmcovisa_hk@mfa.gov.cn

Website: http://www.fmcoprc.gov.hk/eng/zgqz/bgfwxx/default.htm

Note:

1) Office hours are 9:00-12:00 and 14:00-17:00, Monday to Friday (except on Hong Kong public holidays)

2) "Within One working day" means: the visa should be processed within 24 hours; "Fast Process" means: the visa should be processed the same day.

3) For safety reasons, all applicants and their belongings are required to go through security check at the entrance of the visa office. It is suggested that applicants do not take luggage to the visa office.

Requirements to obtain a Visa in Hong Kong

A. 1 recent passport photo.

B. Passport which needs to be valid at least more than 3 months.

C. Call the office before your visit.

A China Tourist and Business (F) Visa can be obtained easily in Hong Kong. It can be obtained with the help of a travel agent but at least 3 full working days should be allowed for this procedure.

Valid Passport or Travel Entry Permit is required for one to enter Macau. The period of validity should be 30 days at least. If you join in a tour group, the procedure for visa transaction should be processed by any of the travel agencies in Macau.

Macau Visas are required to all travelers who travel to Macau except:

a) Holders of the "Hong Kong Identity Card", "Hong Kong Permanent Identity Card" or "Hong Kong Reentry Permit" can stay up to one year;

b) Passport holders of France, Italy, Germany, Belgium, Denmark, Sweden, Spain, Portugal, Luxembourg, Egypt, Greece, Holland, Finland, Austria, Hungary, Czech, Norway, Iceland, Britain, Ireland, Rumania, Estonia, Slovenia, Croatia, Tanzania, Cyprus, Lebanon, Poland, Lithuania, South Korea and Malta can stay up to 90 days;

c) Passport holders of South Africa, Australia, Brazil, Canada, Philippines, India, Japan, Malaysia, Mexico, New Zealand, Singapore, Switzerland, Thailand, USA, Uruguay, Turkey, Indonesia, Liechtenstein, Samoa, Seychelles, Monaco, Namibia, Israel and Kiribati can stay up to 30 days;

d) Nationals of China mainland with valid Macau entry/depart documents, including residents of Mainland China .

Below is Hong Kong visa free list for foreign countries.

New Rules about China Visa

China Highlights recommends that you obtain your visa before leaving the country where you live.

The costs and the length of time to process a visa vary from country to country. Please check the website for the Chinese Embassy in your country to find the information applicable to you. Application forms can usually be downloaded from the website. China Highlights Travel Service can also supply a current visa application form.

We will supply this letter to our clients upon request after they confirm the tour booking by written form. The following information is required to complete the invitation.

1. Names as the same on the passport;

2. Sex: male or female

3. Date of birth:(Example:SEP.6th, 1962)

4. Passport No:

5. Nationality

The travel advisor will offer you more information about it when you aply for the Visa.

Upon receiving your information, we will fax you your tour confirmation letter on our official stationery with our company seal.

All visitors traveling to mainland China, whether for business or pleasure, require a visa. To enter HK, nationals of most countries do not require visas and can stay for periods varying from 7 days to 180 days, depending on nationality. You can visit http://www.chinahighlights.com/hong-kong/visa.htm to see if you meed the standard.

Residents of most countries can enter Hong Kong without applying for a visa in advance and are allowed to stay for 90 days. A visa will be issued on arrival.

To check the status of your country, please vist the following page: http://www.chinahighlights.com/faq/travel-tips/visa-passport/hong-kong-visa-free-countries-list.htm

The Chinese consulate requires a photo similar to the one in your passport. They will only accept photos which are head-only, full frontal, with a white background, approximately 1-1/2. Cut-outs from personal photographs are not acceptable.

You can apply for a China Visa in your home country before leaving for China or in Hong Kong or ask a travel agency to apply for a 114 Group Visa if there are 3 or more people in your group.

Foreigners who want to stay in China beyond the duration of their visa need to apply for an extension.

The visa extension application should be a form submitted to the Local Public Security Bureau 7 days before the expiration date of the visa.

Visitors traveling with a group on a group visa and who want to stay longer than the group should apply for an individual visa.

Visitors who want their visa to be extended should provide the following evidential materials:

1. Valid passport and visa

2. A completed application form for visa extension

3. Reason for the extension.

The length of the extension depends on the type of visa and Multiple entry visas can not be extended

You are advised not to overstay the duration of your visa or fail to apply for an extension before your visa expires as you risk being heavily fined and have your travel plans disrupted.

Please contact your travel advisor for assistance in visa extensions.

Invitation letter is a written document from an authorized travel company. Tourists may need an invitation letter for the visa apply process. Our company can only provide invitation letters to our clients after they confirm the tour booking in writing.

1. Be sure to check if your passport is indeed lost before you report it. Once it is reported lost, it is cancelled and no longer valid, and you’ll need a replacement. Also note that offices handling such issues usually close on weekends and public holidays.
2. Ask your tour guide for assistance, and immediately report the loss to the nearest Public Security Bureau, who will issue a proof of loss for you.
3. Go to your hotel and ask for stamped proof of your residency.
4. Have your original identity and proof of citizenship (must be the original government-issued photo ID document).
5. Have about 8 passport photos 2" X 2" (5 cm X 5 cm) with a white background. It usually needs 2 photos for the application of new passport, but you will also need photos to apply for visa, emergency passport and your new passport.
6. Have a copy of your passport (Suggest you take several copies of your passport before you start your trip just in case)
7. With all the things prepared, locate the nearest embassy or consulate of your own country and apply for a replacement passport in person. You’ll be required to complete a new passport application and there will be fee charged for replacing passport. The processing time is about two working days.(Check out embassies in China at http://www.chinahighlights.com/embassy/)
8. After the new passport is issued, go to the Public Security Bureau and apply for new visa, so you can go on your trip or re-enter your country. Please note that in some cases, a replacement may take weeks to process, and it may be valid only for a limited time. (If you travel with a tour group, and the processing time of the replacement makes you fail to catch up the group's travel schedule, you need to apply for separation from group visa.) So take especial care of your passport in your journey.

The Chinese visa is generally valid for 3 months from the issue date to enter China. Please apply for your visa within 3 months of entry into according to your travel itinerary, and avoid expiry of visa, or extra cost of urgent fee due to lack of application process time. Please also decide the duration of stay in China. The permitted duration of stay of Chinese visas are generally up to 30 days. If you need to stay longer, it is suggested that you contact the Chinese Embassy before making the application or ask your travel advisor for more information.

Single-entry China visas are usually valid for 3 months after the issue date, and will permit you to stay in China for a maximum of 30 days. This visa will allow you to travel as a tourist or conduct general business activities. Most people need only to apply for a single-entry.

You need to apply for 'double' or 'multiple'entry Visa if you need to leave and re-entering mainland China. Please keep in mind that even when you leave for Hong Kong, Macao from mainland China, you still need to have 'double' or 'multiple' entry Visa.

You should apply for an individual visa. A group visa is usually applicable to an organized group which is arranged by tour companies in the originating country and in China. It requires the tourists to enter and exit the country at the same time as a group, and the Chinese Embassy in your country would ask for a special document that requires an official stamp from the tourism bureau in China. China Highlights does not issue this type of document.

Your passport (original, not a copy), which must be valid for at least 6 months from the date of travel, with at least one blank visa page (amendment pages and pages with bar codes are not acceptable for visa stamping).

One completed, signed Visa Application Form for each passport, with two passport photos. China Highlights Service can supply a current visa application form.

China's official regulations prevent impendent travelers from traveling to Tibet. China Highlights Travel offers great Packages to Tibet and we will also take care of your Tibet travel permit. A China visa is required in addition to the Tibet travel permit.

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