Question

Asked by Nick from australia | Aug. 04, 2019 21:30

About:Visa on Arrival

Transiting in and out of Shenzhen via Hong Kong

Hi,

I need to travel to SZ for work urgently and have just realized I have less than 6 months on my Australian passport (China require a minimum of 6 months validity) so I have fast-tracked a renewal (48hrs) to enable me to travel in the coming days. The only issue with doing this is my APEC card will take 1-2 weeks to update to the new passport number which means I do not have a current China visa.

I will be flying into HKIA from Australia and leaving via HKIA 4 days later but I would like to know the best recommendation for a visa in SZ. I will not be leaving SZ and am wondering if I'm eligible for either 72 or 144 hour visa (free) compared to paying for a VOA?

Thanks for your help.

Nick.

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Answers (3)

Answered by Nick | Aug. 05, 2019 16:20

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Hi Zupan,

Thanks for your reply, this definitely makes sense.

Do you know if they have a Shenzhen VOA counter at Shenzhenwan as I was planning on going here directly from HKIA (staying in Nanshan).

Nick.

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Answered by ZUPAN | Aug. 04, 2019 23:29

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Nick, Shenzhen VOA is definitely the best solution for your current needs. The price for Australian citizens is 168 CNY and I consider this price more competitive than a visa free transit option. You can easily obtain a Shenzhen VOA by applying for one, preferably at Lo Wu / Luhou border crossing. General suggestion is to have at least that amount of Chinese currency in cash. You can easily obtain it at one of many Hong Kong money changers. Of course, they are accepting the credit cards too, but it is always a question whether your credit cards are compatible with the list of eligible credit cards. So, just bring a cash and in case that your credit card is compatible, you will use a card.

As I have already said, you can enjoy a visa free option, but in this case it is noticeably more expensive option. To be eligible for 144 hour visa free scheme, you will have to:

- take a flight from Hong Kong to Guangzhou
- take a train from Guangzhou to Shenzhen
- take a ferry from Shenzhen to Macau
- take a bus or ferry to Hong Kong

As you can see, it is possible to use this visa free transit option, but the cost would be practically tenfold compared to Shenzhen VOA.

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Answered by ZUPAN | Aug. 06, 2019 12:40

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Having in mind your micro location within Shenzhen, I would say that the most practical option for you is to take a ferry from HKIA to Shekou port. Like this you are also skipping Hong Kong immigration procedures and you will be able to apply for Shenzhen VOA at Shekou port.

The only negative part regarding Shekou port is the opening hours for Shenzhen VOA issuing. Exactly, these are opening hours of visa facility in Shekou:

9:00 - 13:00 & 14:30 - 17:00

So, in case that your flight is arriving within the time frame of working hours of Shekou port visa facility, you should definitely use this option. Have in mind that you should not cross Hong Kong immigration because once crossed the immigration, you cannot use a ferry anymore.

In case that your plane arrives outside the opening hours of Shekou visa facility, you should use a combination of bus/train to reach Lo Wu / Luohu border crossing or if you prefer cross-border coach services, you can use even them, but here one warning. Don't use the buses that cross the border at Shenzhen Bay Checkpoint, although this would be the most logical option for your destination in Shenzhen because at that checkpoint there is no visa facility. So, you should take a bus that crosses the border via Huanggang border crossing because you will be able to obtain your Shenzhen VOA there.

So, first take a look to use a ferry and secondly a cross-border coach, but through Huanggang border crossing.

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