Image via WikipediaThe Chinese embassy in the Netherlands has activated on Friday new visa regulations (and on Monday those rules might be in place worldwide, most likely including Hong Kong)and informed visa services about the new regulations for visitors of China, like explained here on a Dutch website.Maximum stay in China is now 20 days, that was three months and for visas issued in Hong Kong even six months. Only single and double entry visas now are issued, no multiple entry visas. An extension when in China could be possible, but local police stations might have different policies.
Business travelerks need apart from a new application form, a passport and a passport picture:
- confirmation of a flight or copy of a ticket
- confirmation of a hotel booking in China
- an invitation from a Chinese company, approved by the government
At the Gele Draak is a report of chaotic scenes at the Chinese consular section this morning, as none of the applicants knew in advance of the new regulation and were sent home again, although they had sometimes booked flights for that evening. Reports also came from the representative of a visa-service who was present with 200 applications himself this morning. He got in the end his visas after putting much pressure on the consular officials.
There will be exceptions for sporters and other participants of the Olympic Games in Beijing, but ordinary visitors to the Olympics will have to comply with the new regulations.
This is not going to be fun for visitors of China. It looks like one of those draconian measure, China will have to change again after a few months, but not before throwing tourism and some other economic activities in disarray.
6 comments:
The China visa regulations are still less strict than the Dutch visa regulations for Chinese.
I'm Dutch and my partner is Chinese. When my partner wanted to visit me for 2.5 weeks, and applied for a visa, we had to fill out about 25 pages of form and hand in about 25 pages of documents/proof. After 2 months (!) there was still no answer, and the Dutch immigration office said we just had to wait. Only after a high official from the Dutch consulate in China intervened, we found out that the immigration office had lost our file. Eventually, the official gave my partner the visa, but it was far from easy.
Of course, I'm not happy that China's visa regulations got more tough (esp. the maximum duration of the stay), but that they wanna see more documents is only fair, considering how the Dutch treat the Chinese.
It's how IND generally works. It used to be extremely beauracratic in general; the disorder situation happened quite often and the applicants had to be responsible for the unfair consequences. But they have been improving their working efficiency lately. However, the world is changing somehow.
Finally, Lao Wai gets the same treatment. Cheers, fellows. They should taste what it feels like when applying a visa.
history 1, you get treated like crap at most of the countries' embassies coz of ur government.
And most of the foreigners used to come to china coz it was easy, cheap good business opportunity and so on.
If your government continues to F with us, imposing more visa restrictions, how long do you think it will take till all the businesses move to India?
Then you'll be back where you were 20 years ago, making 60$ per month, eating rice.
@Ronald, I brought my fiancee to the UK ten years ago and while the procedure was complex and expensive it was very clearly set out and we had no problems. Why is it difficult for a single young Chinese girl to travel to Europe in the promise of a marriage? Because the Chinese have a shocking track record in not abiding by the terms of their visas. Compare the situation with Taiwanese, for example, and Singaporeans. They hardly ever have problems because their track record is good. If the Chinese had a better immigration track record in Europe they would find their visa rejection rates and restrictions upon them would ease. However, in the UK at least the system for genuine applicants is transparent and fair. Having a lot of Chinese there working in appalling conditions because they are illegal benefits no-one except parasites who live off people trafficking.
The problem here is we don't know what's going on. I am setting up a company. Therefore I have to be on an F visa - there is no entity in China which can employ me. Once the company is set up, I will have a Z visa (work permit). Now I have to go to the UK just to get a visa to remain in China until my business licence, bank account, tax registration and so on is set up. And it looks like I will have to go again in a month. Or can I do it in Hong Kong? Ask seven people get seven answers. This is the problem.
history 1:
The reason its hard for you to get a visa is because:
1. your government regularly pi$$es off every other country in the world,
2. your fellow citizens, when traveling abroad, invariably break visa regulations, spit and drop rubbish on the street, go round carrying Chinese flags and beating up locals
3. China is a crap country compared to the countries you probably apply for visas to. Being a crap country, you have to offer something good to draw in business people, investors, teachers, etc, which you NEED to keep the country going. Countries like the US do NOT need Chinese to go there and reduce the average wage by working illegally.
4. There are a hell of a lot more Chinese that want to get out of China than there are lao wai wanting to get in. Supply and demand buddy.
5. Most western countries have strict but TRANSPARENT visa rules. China doesn't have ANY solid visa rules, it functions on the whims of individual government officials who are out of touch with reality and people like you think they are doing a great job. Well when you back working for $1 a day you will have them to thank.
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