Has anyone been on a visa run to Hong Kong? How long does it take?

[mandarinstudent]

Has anyone here been on a run to Hong Kong to change their visa? How long does it take? I know at the New York embassy you can get same day visa service if you pay a bit extra. Can you do that in Hong Kong? Im changing from a tourist visa to a work visa. I just want to know how long I need to plan to be there. Thanks.

[MarkKang]

Try Shoestring Travel Ltd. They are open earlier than CITC.

I just used their regular service, but I think they have express.

4/F Alpha House, 27 Nathan Road

Tel: 852-27232306

shoutvl@hkstar.com

[roddy]

If you have all the paperwork there's no need to use an agency - you can just turn up to the (I think, double check) China Resources Building in Wanchai. Turnaround time I don't know - as you say, generally Chinese embassies will do a sameday service for a fee.

[Prodigal Son]

If you have all the paperwork there's no need to use an agency - you can just turn up to the (I think, double check) China Resources Building in Wanchai. Turnaround time I don't know - as you say, generally Chinese embassies will do a sameday service for a fee.

What kind of paperwork do you mean, employment and invitation documents? If you had that, couldn't the company in the mainland just get you a visa by themselves?

[[欧阳江]]

I'm just back from Macau for renewing my visa. It took me 24 hours and it cost me 900 Patacas (about the same in RMB) for a F-visa (multiple entry). If you want to get a F-visa you will just have to provide your passport and some passport photos. I'm not sure how long time it will take to get a Z-visa and how much it costs.

[Prodigal Son]

What was the length of the visa that you got, 6-months I assume?

[[欧阳江]]

Yes a 6-months visa.

[Crivens200]

Do you know, is it still possible to get a 1 year F Visa for a UK passport holder?

[[欧阳江]]

They told me that they don't issue F one-year-visas anymore (Macau). I don't think Hongkong is an exception.

[Prodigal Son]

where did you get the visa in Macau? Do you have the address of URL of a website?

[[欧阳江]]

CTS Office in Macau

Address: 澳门萝理基博士大马路南光大厦 (Avendia do Doutor Rodrigo Rodrigues Avenue, Nánguāng Tower)

Telephone: (0853) 7998117

TIP: By flying to 珠海 [Zhūhǎi] instead of flying directly to Macau and then cross the border on foot will save you a lot of money.

[Prodigal Son]

I was thinking of flying to Guangzhou and then taking a bus to HK, staying there for a few days, and then taking the ferry to Macao. Flight to Zhuhai sounds like a nice shortcut, though. Thanks for the help!

[Prodigal Son]

to any Americans who might be curious: this morning I went to Macau CITS and paid 1,300 RMB for a 6-month 2-entry visa. So expensive! I'm used to paying less, but my German passport is in the mail to get renewed.

I submitted the visa at 11am this morning and it'll be ready at 5pm tomorrow.

[Crivens200]

For what it's worth, I'm just back from a visa run:

I'm a UK passport holder. Previously my visa was a 1 year F Visa - Multiple entry. I first went to the Official visa place in wanchai but they wouldn't give me any sort of visa without the paper work, ie an invite letter from a chinese company . . . . . . so I dashed across to the Japan travel service in Kowloon and got there just before the same-day visa deadline of 12 o'clock. They no longer do a 12 month visa so could only give me a 6mth F Multiple for HKD1,150. Ouch. Went back the same day at 6 oclock and they had my passport with fresh visa so I hoofed it up to Shezhen and had the night in SZ before heading to Shanghai early next morning. No need for an overnight in HK.

I presume that in 6 mths time I'll be able to renew my 6 month F Visa without leaving China and will then have to leave again after a year?

Anyway, not too difficult. Wonder if anyone has ever been refused a visa in HK?

[roddy]

Thanks for the update.

I think it's always possible to get some kind of visa - at the very least a tourist one. Problems arise when you can't get the one you actually want.

Interesting to know the one year visas are still unavailable.

[sailorphyn]

Are most of these visa places open on the weekends? I need to do a visa run, but I wanted to know if I can go on a Friday and still get it back in 24 hours, or if I would be better off waiting until Monday.

Thanks

[roddy]

I'm pretty sure I've picked a visa up on Saturday, but you're probably best advised to get in touch with the one you are going to use and check. Watch out for public holidays as well, I've had to spend extra time in HK previously as nobody told me it was . . . I don't know, Skylee Day or something.

[venture160]

Looking for updates on the Visa situation. I am looking to go down to Hong Kong around the 30th of December to get a visa before I leave the country for 6 months. I am looking to get a 1 year mult entry F visa, but I don't have the paperwork. Is this possible anymore? I hear places like Japan travel won't give them out anymore. Is there any news on this front?