visa situation

Hi all.

Am currently in Macau trying to get back to China in order to clear up a few loose ends before heading back to ';Oz'; for family reasons.

On checking in with my normal travel agent this last Friday morning in order to get a new mainland visa she informed me that the ';easy visa'; scheme - which allows selected travel agents to accept your money, a photo, and get your visa approved for the following day - has been suspended until ';at least after the Olympics';. So if you were planning to use this method to get into China (whether via Macau or Hong Kong), you%26#39;ll need to wait a while ... it might work out faster to get a visa through the embassy in your home country.

My agent also said that even the Foreign Affairs offices here and in HK are getting paranoid about handing out tourist visas and even most business ones, so I%26#39;ll let you know how I go trying to hand in my application tomorrow.

I don%26#39;t know if the ';shopping visas'; - ones issued on arrival in Shenzhen or Zhuhai have been affected - does anyone else have news of those??

visa situation

I haven%26#39;t heard anything about this in Hong Kong, although I do know that a new visa length is limited to 90 days now.

The last I heard, this place, http://www.fbt-chinavisa.com.hk/ was still offering a one day service in Hong Kong.

visa situation

No trouble submitting visa application at Foreign Affairs in Macau, apart from a 2 hour wait.

Most destinations in China can get 60 or 90 day visas, but if you want to go to a ';sensitive area'; (Qinghai, Gansu or Sichuan at present) officials will want to know why you want to go there, maybe ask for extra documentation, and possibly only give you 30 days.

Would you tell the consulate/visa agency if you were going to Qinghai/Gansu etc?

official channel (Ministry of Foreign Affairs) in HK is still offering same day/next day service.

Absolutely, Zhuhai, particularly as there is increased surveillance of foreigners in those areas at present. I don%26#39;t want to risk future work options in China by not being scrupulously honest at a time when colleagues in Qinghai tell me they all seem to have their own personal PSB ';tails.'; The travel agent was very reluctant to sell me an air ticket to Xining - she is quite convinced that any laowai won%26#39;t be allowed on that plane, and I had to promise that I wouldn%26#39;t come back and complain if I was turned away at the airport.

Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Macau now has signs up saying that one day rush visas will only be issued in cases of ';urgent official business';, but it%26#39;s still possible to get a visa processed overnight.

Here%26#39;s the latest, according to South China Morning Post:

scmp.com/portal/鈥?/a>

as of April 3, shortest time possible is 24 hours (read the whole thing, not just the title which is confusing)

fmcoprc.gov.hk/eng/zgqz/bgfwxx/default.htm