Question

Asked by AJ from new zealand | Aug. 19, 2023 20:51

About:Chinese Embassies and Consulates

Dual US/NZ citizen residing in NZ wanting to apply for China visa as a tourist in London or Taipei

NZ/US dual citizen residing in New Zealand (NZ). As traveling to London (LHR) next week there isn't time to get a visa before leaving NZ. Want to visit Shenzhen (HK & Macau Sep 22 for 4-10 days) and I probably will book a flight to Hong Kong (rather than Shenzhen) as I believe it is possible to get a visa on arrival there.

Option 1
Question 1. Does London (Chinese Visa Application Service Center) allow visitors to UK to apply for a visa? I only see mention of people with UK work or study visa or residence permit listed on the visaforchina.cn website (nothing about visitors ).

Question 2. If allowed to apply, would I have time to get a visa? I arrive at LHR on Tu Aug 29 at 11:10 am and leave in meetings Sep 4 and leave LHR Tu Sep 5 at 12:15 pm (so would need to pick up my passports on F Sep 2). Is it possible to 1) submit the application on Sep 29th, 2) make an appointment for Sep 30th to drop off the application, and 3) pick up the passports on F Sep 2nd?

Option 2
Question 1. After London I will be in Taipei Sep 11-22 (and available to go to visa appointments Sep 11-16 and Sep 22 in the morning. Again can a person who is a visitor in Taiwan apply for a Chinese visa in Taiwan?

Question 2. And do I have enough time to do so \? Thank you for any advice.

Option 3
Question 1. Could I fly from Taipei to Shenzhen and get a visa on arrival? I would probably need multiple entry as I might need to go to Hong Kong/Macau.

Question 2. I'd also probably want multiple entry visas for Hong Kong/Macau as I don't know what my schedule will be, yet.

Thanks in advance for any advice.

Reply

Answers (3)

Answered by Bruce | Aug. 20, 2023 19:21

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Option 1: The success rate is very low if one is only a visitor there.
Option 2: There is no China Visa Application Service Center in Taiwan. The agencies usually send the application to HK to process it, so it is even more time consuming.
Option 3: Yes, you can get a VOA at Shenzhen airport. But only single-entry is available. When you visit Shenzhen again from HK/Macau, you need to apply for another one. It costs CNY168.

BTW, the route Taipei - Shenzhen - HK/Macau is eligible for 144-hour visa free transit; but you need to show the ticket leaving Shenzhen when applying for it at Shenzhen airport. There is no visa fee for it.

You don't need to apply for HK or Macau visa. US or New Zealand passport holders can stay in HK visa-free for up to 90 days and in Macau for up to 30 days.

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Answered by AJ | Aug. 21, 2023 03:57

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Thank you for your very helpful reply. Could I fly to Hong Kong arriving from Taipei Sep 22 and leaving Sep 26 for Auckland. Is it possible for a NZ or US passport holder to enter Shenzhen on a 5 day visa (Shenzhen Special Economic Zone Tourist Visa)? If so, is Luohu Port the best place to enter and how do I find out if the visa office will be open? I tried calling HK Immigration (no one answered) and Luohu Port (they didn't speak English). Again, many thanks!

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Answered by Bruce | Aug. 21, 2023 18:03

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Yes, it's very possible for you to get Shenzhen VOA using either of your passport. But Luohu Port is quite busy and there is always a long queue at the VOA counter. If possible, I recommend you to use Shekou Ferry Port, where there are less applicants. Both the immigration offices open from 09:00 to 16:30 and you'd better go early enough as the queue, especially at Luohu, usually forms around 08:30.

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