My Shenzhen and Hong Kong border experience

[johnd]

I've just come back from the border with some successes, so I thought I would share the experience in case it can help others.

My daughter was born in Shenzhen and her mother is Chinese. Last time we went to the US, we re-entered the Mainland using her UK passport. Our idea was that it would make travel easier, and I could add her as a dependent on my residence visa. But, as it turns out, the Shenzhen PSB wouldn't renew her visa because her mother is Chinese, and therefore she is Chinese (so they don't recognise the UK passport). So, at the moment I have to go to HK to get her visa. It's a bit of a messed up situation, but that's not the point of this story.

Last time I went to the downtown CTS and had to wait all day for the visa to be made. It cost HK900 for 3 months single entry L visa - couldn't get more than 3 months. Plus it cost a whole day in HK.

This time her visa was out of date by 12 days! I had got confused with the different visas and dates in her passport. This is at Huang Gang border crossing. They accepted that I was a stupid ass, and I paid a fine. They said the fine is RMB500 for each day, but they charged my RMB1500 total. It took about one hour to sort out the paperwork because they were very busy, but otherwise not much trouble.

While I was waiting, I found there is a CTS office at the border - and they can make the 3 month L visa without me going downtown. The catch was I had to take the bus over the river, enter HK, exit HK, and come back. The visa was made in 10 minutes for HK720 (double entry).

You can find the CTS guys in the left corner as you enter the Huang Gang Mainland side checkpoint. They said they are there every day until 5pm.

They also said that there is a CTS at Luohu checkpoint that offers the same service and you don't need to take a bus - only walk over the bridge. But waiting times might be as high as 2 hours because it's busier. I might try that another time.

[889]

Yes, the CTS office at Luohu is just to the right of the KCRC exit turnstyles: it's easy to miss, but look back and you'll see it.

Last time I asked, they did say it took about two hours to process a visa.

Because of the layout of the KCRC Station at Luohu, I'm not sure you can reach the CTS office directly; you may have to take the KCRC one stop then ride back to Luohu.

[gato]

they can make the 3 month L visa without me going downtown. The catch was I had to take the bus over the river, enter HK, exit HK, and come back.

What did they look at as evidence that you went to HK and came back?

One time right after I obtained a double-entry L visa in HK, I learned that I should have gotten an F visa instead. But I had to use up the two entries on the L before I could apply for the F. To use up the L, I basically circled the border crossing (probably Huanggang) and did two "roundtrips" between Shenzhen and Hong Kong within about 15 minutes. Although there was a barrier immediately upon entry on the HK side that steers you towards the buses, I just went around it and walked towards Shenzhen entry again. Maybe this is something you could have done, too.

[johnd]

Gato, I did walk round at first, but they wanted to see the HK stamp. When I got to the HK side, I asked them to let me go straight back - past a couple of rope barriers, instead of taking the bus to Lok Ma somewhere or other and back. They got the supervisor out and we had a friendly chat. He seemed quite surprised at what I was doing, but let me through.

[gato]

I see. Not quite the same as just cancelling the old visa then.