Visiting Hong Kong from China for one day?

[twinmatrix]

Hey guys,

I'm in China right now and leaving in two weeks. I was thinking about going to HK for one day to pick up a new LG V20 phone. However, I just realized that it means I probably cant get back into China, because my visa is single entry. And my return flight to my country is from China (chongqing).

Is there any possible solution to this?

Like maybe not leaving the HK airport, or some express visa renewal service, or a time limit? I have no idea, just brainstorming, haha.

Thank you in advance.

[Demonic_Duck]

I think you can pay to have additional entries added to limited-entry visas. Not sure what the exact process is, though.

[twinmatrix]

It's possible to add an entry to my existing visa before leaving China?

[abcdefg]

It's possible to add an entry to my existing visa before leaving China?

 

What they (PSB) actually do on the China Mainland is cancel your existing visa and issue you a new one with a different length of stay. Requirements differ from city to city and you usually cannot get more than an extra 30 days. Some places will only give you an extra week or 10 days. Some places will require proof of adequate funds.

 

There's a pretty good thread on visa renewal in the Thorn Tree travel forum's China section. Another possibility is obtaining a new visa in Hong Kong. You will find information there on that as well.

 

Either option is a lot of trouble just to cross over and buy a new mobile phone, even at a favorable price. The new visa, whether or not it has good terms, will cost a certain, not-trivial amount of money. Not sure where you are from, but for me as a US citizen, it costs $140 plus plus plus.

[twinmatrix]

Shoot. Thanks for the information. I was kinda hoping there was some rule or way to visit HK and return without needing to alter or adjust my existing visa. Kinda like how transfer flights work (I mean, I don't even have to leave the HK airport considering they have an LG store.)

Still, yeah, seems I might just be better off having it shipped to me and paying the 20% customs fee (which is a big chunk though).

I'll check the suggested topic out, but generally how fast do these procedures go? Given how soon I'm leaving China I'd need to alter my visa in maybe one or two days.

[889]

Sure there are ways to do this -- like fly HK to Chongqing and transit to your flight home without entering China or get a new visa in HK or even try to hassle with the PSB and see whether they will in fact give you a new visa in China with an extra entry -- but I can't possibly see it being cost effective just for the phone.

 

Maybe one of the places here will ship:

 

http://www.price.com.hk/product.php?p=236307

[abcdefg]

Kinda like how transfer flights work (I mean, I don't even have to leave the HK airport considering they have an LG store.)

 

I understand what you mean and what you were hoping. But, unfortunately, I don't think that it would be possible. After arrival in Hong Kong you would need to go through immigration and customs to get to stores that are in the "land-side" unrestricted areas of the airport. No difficulty with that. There is even a Fortress store right in the airport, and they are a reliable place to buy small consumer electronics.

 

http://www.hongkongairport.com/eng/shopping/insideshopping/all/audio/fort.html

 

But after buying your phone, then you would need to show a valid China visa in order to be issued a boarding pass on your return-to-the-China-Mainland flight.

[LinZhenPu]

Could you find someone who is also going to Hong Kong to buy the phone with your money and hand it back to you through the immigration barrier, so that you yourself don't need to put your passport through Hong Kong immigration at the airport? I think that way you would not officially enter Hong Kong and therefore would not have exited China, meaning you should be able to hop on a flight back to the mainland.

[889]

" . . .and hand it back to you through the immigration barrier, so that you yourself don't need to put your passport through Hong Kong immigration at the airport?"

 

Online sellers deliver stuff this way for pick-up at MTR stations in HK, but given the layout of airports and border crossings it's not going to work there.

[dwq]

Unless it is significantly more expensive in your home country, why not just get it back home and avoid dealing with the headaches of international warranties or lack thereof.

[Flickserve]

I haven't seen LG V20 on sale yet in HK.

[889]

Supposedly those shops listed on HK Price have them, but you always have to call first to confirm they have stock, and today's price.