How do I get a temporary visa to visit China?

Question

I live in South Korea, am American, and I want to visit China for a week. I can get a visa here at a travel agency, but it's expensive, like $100. Is there a cheaper way to apply for it? Like filling out an application and sending my passport with it in the mail? I heard that the shortest visa you can get is like for 3 months. Is that true as well? Just trying not to spend an arm and a leg for a four-day vacation!

PS. I'm visiting Shanghai, so I understand it's a bit different than getting a visa for Hong Kong.

Answer 1

Best Answer - Chosen by Voters

find out where the Chinese embassy is and go apply for one in person

the visas are $50 and the travel agency usually charges a fee for getting it, as an American you can only get a 30 day visa but inside China you can extend it twice for a total of 90

living in Shanghai and had to get countless visas for myself and friends

Source(s):

http://www.travelchinaguide.com/embassy/…

Answer 2

yea go shanghai! hong kong isnt really even considered chinese by us, they're just there like black holes swallowing up all the food and speaking this vietnamese gong gong dong language

i saw one ofm y friends had a temporary visit paper, or visa. it was pretty simple, and there was a bunch of chinese writing on it too .. lol good luck...

Answer 3

I'm not really up on current visa prices, but the freedom from hassle a travel agent can offer might be worth the extra money.

If you want to do it yourself, visit the nearest Chinese Consulate, fill out all the forms, and save a bit of money.

If you fly in via Hong Kong (unlikely from South Korea...) look for the China Travel Service (CTS) office in the new airport. Most people can get a tourist visa there very easily, in 24 hours or less. They have a website and could probably quote you the current price. And hey, 24 hours or so in Hong Kong is definitely not a bad thing...some of the best food and best shopping in the world!

The typical tourist visa is 30 days; the longer-term L visas are a relatively new development.

Americans don't really need visas for short-term visits to Hong Kong, but they definitely do need tourist visas for mainland China. But they aren't hard to get, and usually not too expensive. $100 US sounds a bit pricey to me too.

Good luck,
Raoul
Raoul's China Saloon
http://raoulschinasaloon.com

Answer 4

$100 is not expensive

Source(s):

http://www.brianrealestate.com