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uncfes
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Looking through trips on our October cruise on the Millennium and noticed that we might need a Visa into Shanghai. Does anyone or has anyone had or dealt with if you do since you are on a group tour?

 

Thanks

 

 

Uncle Fester sailing from Las Vegas

 

Married on Monarch of the Sea 07-07-07

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Pretty sure you will need a visa if you touch any land in China, except maybe Hong Kong. We did a Hong Kong to Shanghai cruise last year and found a visa service to obtain our visas since we live very far away from any Chinese embassies. We did only private tours in China and then stayed in Shanghai for several days post cruise. It really was the highlight of our trip!

Have you joined your roll call? There might be some on it that can help you with visa information. You also might want to check the Asian ports here on CC.

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I went to China a couple of years ago. You do need a Visa for visiting China. Since you are on a cruise, check to see if there is a special rule for cruise ship visitors.

For example:

Turkey requires a visa for all visitors except cruise ship passengers who are "in transit."

So, if the cruise starts in Turkey, you need a visa. If the cruise starts elsewhere and only stops in Turkey, no visa needed, even if you are there for 2 days as my recent cruise on the Reflection was.

If you do need a visa, get started on it now. It is a long and detailed application....and is somewhat expensive.

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I went to China a couple of years ago. You do need a Visa for visiting China. Since you are on a cruise, check to see if there is a special rule for cruise ship visitors.

For example:

Turkey requires a visa for all visitors except cruise ship passengers who are "in transit."

So, if the cruise starts in Turkey, you need a visa. If the cruise starts elsewhere and only stops in Turkey, no visa needed, even if you are there for 2 days as my recent cruise on the Reflection was.

If you do need a visa, get started on it now. It is a long and detailed application....and is somewhat expensive.

 

The only exception to requiring a visa for Shanghai is if you are in transit and BOTH flying in and flying out.

 

It is my understanding that you cannot apply for your China visa earlier than 3 months pre-cruise.

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We cruised into Shanghai in March this year and needed the visa before the cruise and for just 8 hours. The embassy people boarded the ship the port before Shanghai and spent the next three days issuing the documents required. We were then given a photocopy of our passport page that had a special bar code that the embassy people had printed on it declaring they had sighted our visa. It was an expensive exercise as our arrival was delayed by fog and the Chinese immigration took over an hour to clear the ship to allow us to disembark. This was on the QM2.

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Looking through trips on our October cruise on the Millennium and noticed that we might need a Visa into Shanghai. Does anyone or has anyone had or dealt with if you do since you are on a group tour?

 

I visited mainland China while sailing Azamara Journey in February [Azamara is a sister brand to Celebrity] and you will most assuredly need to secure a visa--independently--for your visit... There is no provision for short-term blanket visas for cruise ship passengers [as Azamara arranged for us in Vietnam] and there's no provision to secure visas through private tour operators as there is, for instance, in St. Petersburg, Russia...

 

The application is four pages long [it's available in PDF format], must be typed in only CAPITAL letters, every question must be answered, your travel plans must be meticulously documented with copies of your full cruise itinerary [i used my Azamara invoice; they're not just interested in when/where you'll be in mainland China but also in where else you'll be traveling (particularly if going to Hong Kong or Taiwan)], hotel reservations [if any in China], and flight reservations [if you're flying into and/or out of China], and you must provide passport-type photos [seem to recall they required two but check] as well as your original US Passport [make sure you have at least one free page for their use; they affix the visa in your passport once approved]...

 

In the United States, you must seek your visa from the China Consulate serving your state of residence [as a Floridian, I needed to apply through the Consulate in Houston; San Francisco--I know there is one there--may serve Nevadans]... And as Sue noted above, Chinese Consulates in the US--as I understand they also do in the UK--will usually not consider an application more than three months prior to first entry into mainland China [Houston was strict about the rule but individual offices do have varying practices; those assigned to use the New York Consulate had a bit more latitude]...

 

It's a pain-staking process; I suggest you be thorough/complete/compliant from the outset and that you apply on the earlier side of the time corridor used by the Consulate reviewing your application [i'd be working on it soon for an October trip]... I had no difficulty with approval but some reported initial rejection for reasons that some might consider arbitrary/picky...

 

Azamara has an account with a service--CIBT/Visa Central--that provided us with a dedicated phone line for questions and a small discount if one chose to use their Concierge Service [i didn't]; perhaps Celebrity has an account too... I chose to use Visa Central's standard services--and was pleased with it--but know that [a] there are other services if you don't chose to work directly with your assigned Consulate, and , their service fees--including cost pass-throughs for things like insured mailing and express delivery--can be somewhat high... Their website--and you need not use Visa Central to access it--is a treasure trove of current/clear information [i much preferred it to information at the Chinese Consulate website]--and has the most recent visa application [the Chinese changed it while I was doing my application] available for download... You will also find limited guidance at the US State Department website...

 

Lots of work? Expense? Yes to both!!! But I'm glad to have experienced mainland China and Shanghai--in particular--is a magnificent/memorable city...

 

Enjoy!

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Lots of work? Expense? Yes to both!!! But I'm glad to have experienced mainland China and Shanghai--in particular--is a magnificent/memorable city...

 

Enjoy!

 

Thanks for posting your experience. We will soon go through the process for the Millennium Asian cruise to China and Hong Kong.

 

One link for the Celebrity Visa Service for uncfes:

 

http://visacentral.ca/tourkits.php?bookmark=1&login=celebritycruises

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I visited mainland China while sailing Azamara Journey in February [Azamara is a sister brand to Celebrity] and you will most assuredly need to secure a visa--independently--for your visit... There is no provision for short-term blanket visas for cruise ship passengers [as Azamara arranged for us in Vietnam] and there's no provision to secure visas through private tour operators as there is, for instance, in St. Petersburg, Russia...

 

The application is four pages long [it's available in PDF format], must be typed in only CAPITAL letters, every question must be answered, your travel plans must be meticulously documented with copies of your full cruise itinerary [i used my Azamara invoice; they're not just interested in when/where you'll be in mainland China but also in where else you'll be traveling (particularly if going to Hong Kong or Taiwan)], hotel reservations [if any in China], and flight reservations [if you're flying into and/or out of China], and you must provide passport-type photos [seem to recall they required two but check] as well as your original US Passport [make sure you have at least one free page for their use; they affix the visa in your passport once approved]...

 

In the United States, you must seek your visa from the China Consulate serving your state of residence [as a Floridian, I needed to apply through the Consulate in Houston; San Francisco--I know there is one there--may serve Nevadans]... And as Sue noted above, Chinese Consulates in the US--as I understand they also do in the UK--will usually not consider an application more than three months prior to first entry into mainland China [Houston was strict about the rule but individual offices do have varying practices; those assigned to use the New York Consulate had a bit more latitude]...

 

It's a pain-staking process; I suggest you be thorough/complete/compliant from the outset and that you apply on the earlier side of the time corridor used by the Consulate reviewing your application [i'd be working on it soon for an October trip]... I had no difficulty with approval but some reported initial rejection for reasons that some might consider arbitrary/picky...

 

Azamara has an account with a service--CIBT/Visa Central--that provided us with a dedicated phone line for questions and a small discount if one chose to use their Concierge Service [i didn't]; perhaps Celebrity has an account too... I chose to use Visa Central's standard services--and was pleased with it--but know that [a] there are other services if you don't chose to work directly with your assigned Consulate, and , their service fees--including cost pass-throughs for things like insured mailing and express delivery--can be somewhat high... Their website--and you need not use Visa Central to access it--is a treasure trove of current/clear information [i much preferred it to information at the Chinese Consulate website]--and has the most recent visa application [the Chinese changed it while I was doing my application] available for download... You will also find limited guidance at the US State Department website...

 

Lots of work? Expense? Yes to both!!! But I'm glad to have experienced mainland China and Shanghai--in particular--is a magnificent/memorable city...

 

Enjoy!

 

Thank you for the detailed explanations. It will be a great help for our TP. I have just one question if you would be so kind: the application details I have seen for the UK ask for a letter of invitation. Did you have this requirement? If so, what did you use? Did Azamara provide something?

 

We shall be flying into Shanghai for 3-days pre-cruise at the start of our TP. We have flights booked through Celebrity [not Choice Air in the UK] and will book hotels through Celebrity as soon as they are available.

 

[What I consider really surprising is that we have visited China twice before both just over 20 years ago and, at that time, we did not have to obtain a visa in advance at all. I have my passport from the time in front of me now and the visa was stamped into the passport on arrival for the longer trip but nothing at all for the day trip we took a year later. Clearly, as China appears to be more accessible, the requirements to travel there become tougher!]

Edited by Project_gal
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Theres no need for that letter. Have a detailed itinerary of the ship both into and out of mainland China and that's all you need. It isn't that bad it's just expensive.

 

Great. Thanks. OK, I do not like the expense [but it is understandable when we make it expensive for the Chinese to come here] but I hate it when the requirements are difficult to meet.

 

I remember the application for an India visa had just been moved to an online form [which then had to be printed off] and it was really difficult to complete because it was not designed for our type of trip [a cruise] and you need to know the names of the administrativbe districts of everywhere you were visiting to understand which sections you needed to complete.

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Thank you for the detailed explanations. It will be a great help for our TP. I have just one question if you would be so kind: the application details I have seen for the UK ask for a letter of invitation. Did you have this requirement? If so, what did you use? Did Azamara provide something?

 

 

I believe the letter of invitation is for non-tourist visa applications.

I found the same request but I was looking at business travel requirements.

 

Another question that we have is the requirements for visiting Hong Kong as well. Does the Chinese visa cover that as well or does Hong Kong not even require a visa for short tourist visits?

Edited by ~Cruisenut~
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I have just one question if you would be so kind: the application details I have seen for the UK ask for a letter of invitation. Did you have this requirement? If so, what did you use? Did Azamara provide something?

 

I retained the electronic copy of my China Visa Application [having delivered it to Visa Central's office in Miami, they checked it over before accepting it] and find that I responded--with success--to item 2.8 [information Of Inviter In China] in the following way...

 

Name Of Inviter: Azamara Club Cruises [Azamara Journey]

Address: I used the address for Azamara's Corporate Headquarters in Miami

Phone Number: I used Azamara's [uS] toll-free customer service number...

Relationship with the applicant: Cruise Line [self-Initiated Tourism]

 

As noted earlier, you will certainly otherwise need to provide them with a copy of your itinerary; as the China application also asks "Who will pay for your travel and expenses in China?", I used my Azamara invoice [even though I applied for my visa before final payment, it did show my deposit] to serve both purposes/also considered it as my Letter Of Invitation... No questions...

 

I will reiterate that Visa Central--and perhaps it's just a bugaboo of theirs--cautioned that every question on the application should have some sort of response even if a question is answered by supporting documentation... I do know of a person whose application was initially rejected for what was regarded as incomplete information though I don't know what specifically was regarded as missing [and I don't know if there is a consular fee associated with resubmission--surely, such a practice would be revenue-enhancing--when an application is initially rejected]...

 

If in doubt, I'd think of the process as "bureaucratic"; one always needs to justify his/her own employment and, as such, wouldn't expect it to be a "rubber stamp" process...

 

Have a great trip; I loved China and, once past the gates [they are pretty thorough during immigration reviews], they love tourism... That said, they are not so socially open a society--at least with their own citizens--as one might expect [though I suspect it is getting better]... My trip was cut short by a mechanical that Journey experienced in Tokyo Bay [propeller damage after a piece of steel cable became entangled/caused damage]; when I attempted to send copies of the ship's related communications to a tour operator to support cancellation of my tour plans, the e-mail attachments were censored/removed before delivery to the intended recipient...

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No Hong Kong visa required for Canadian tourists.

 

There were quite a few Canadians aboard Journey earlier this year and surely we compared notes...

 

There is no visa requirement for US citizens--in Hong Kong [or Taiwan]--either...

 

Though I know that I sound like a broken record, the Visa Central website is a great resource--and you don't need to use their services to access it--in the markets in which they operate... No, I don't work for them!!!

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No Hong Kong visa required for Canadian tourists.

 

There were quite a few Canadians aboard Journey earlier this year and surely we compared notes...

 

There is no visa requirement for US citizens--in Hong Kong [or Taiwan]--either...

 

Though I know I sound like a broken record, the Visa Central website is a great resource--and you don't need to use their services to access it--in the markets in which they operate... No, I don't work for them!!!

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I retained the electronic copy of my China Visa Application [having delivered it to Visa Central's office in Miami, they checked it over before accepting it] and find that I responded--with success--to item 2.8 [information Of Inviter In China] in the following way...

 

...

 

Have a great trip; I loved China and, once past the gates [they are pretty thorough during immigration reviews], they love tourism... That said, they are not so socially open a society--at least with their own citizens--as one might expect [though I suspect it is getting better]... My trip was cut short by a mechanical that Journey experienced in Tokyo Bay [propeller damage after a piece of steel cable became entangled/caused damage]; when I attempted to send copies of the ship's related communications to a tour operator to support cancellation of my tour plans, the e-mail attachments were censored/removed before delivery to the intended recipient...

 

Thanks for the information. We love China when we visited years ago but have not been to Shanghai before. Really looking forward to being back in the country although we know it will have changed a great deal.

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  • 4 weeks later...
If a ship is visiting two or three Chinese ports without visiting any other country does one need a single or a multiple entry visa?

 

E.G. Xiamen, Shanghai, Beijing and then staying on in China.

 

When we did a cruise in 2013 we needed a single entry visa on a similar itinerary as yours.

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China had updated its entry/exit law last year (2013) and the 24hours visa free transit include not just air but also ship and train.

 

Here's the latest information from China Consular Affairs (in Chinese)

http://cs.mfa.gov.cn/wgrlh/lhqz/cjwdn_660600/t1175678.shtml

 

Translated to English:

http://translate.googleusercontent.com/translate_c?depth=1&hl=en&prev=/search%3Fq%3Dcs.mfa.gov.cn%26biw%3D1440%26bih%3D767&rurl=translate.google.ca&sl=zh-CN&u=http://cs.mfa.gov.cn/wgrlh/lhqz/cjwdn_660600/t1175678.shtml&usg=ALkJrhjD0gkSwbHoF-S3lr9tzTCPHLhX4w

 

Past examples of cruise passengers using the 24hours visa free transit in Shanghai

 

http://www.sh-immigration.gov.cn/lis...?lx=37&id=2943

http://www.sh-immigration.gov.cn/listPageEn.aspx?lx=37

 

The new rule is already in place for some time but cruise lines haven't update their website with the new information.

 

If you are flying in and taking a cruise to a 3rd country within 24 hours from the same city you should be fine. Going on a cruise and leave a Chinese port within 24 hours after the cruise or transiting a Chinese port to a 3rd country within 24 hours is a bit tricky since you may be denied boarding the ship at the embarkation port (although the above example seems to indicate certain cruise line (Costa) will let passenger board the ship without a China visa. May be the cruise lines are aware of the new rule but haven't update their visa requirement)

 

It's best to call cruise line directly and ask for clarification whether a visa is required for transiting a Chinese port. In most cases the cruise line will probably tell you to get a visa. If you can get a definite answer from the cruise line that no visa is needed then make sure they advice the port agent at the port of embarkation so you won't be denied boarding. Keep all correspondences from cruise line and bring them with you when boarding.

 

With more ships going to Far East/Asia it will be the cruiselines best interest to clarify China visa requirement for transiting Chinese ports (especially Shanghai or Tianjin) since it will gather more interest for those sailings if no China visa is required.

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I visited mainland China while sailing Azamara Journey in February [Azamara is a sister brand to Celebrity] and you will most assuredly need to secure a visa--independently--for your visit... There is no provision for short-term blanket visas for cruise ship passengers [as Azamara arranged for us in Vietnam] and there's no provision to secure visas through private tour operators as there is, for instance, in St. Petersburg, Russia...

 

The application is four pages long [it's available in PDF format], must be typed in only CAPITAL letters, every question must be answered, your travel plans must be meticulously documented with copies of your full cruise itinerary [i used my Azamara invoice; they're not just interested in when/where you'll be in mainland China but also in where else you'll be traveling (particularly if going to Hong Kong or Taiwan)], hotel reservations [if any in China], and flight reservations [if you're flying into and/or out of China], and you must provide passport-type photos [seem to recall they required two but check] as well as your original US Passport [make sure you have at least one free page for their use; they affix the visa in your passport once approved]...

 

In the United States, you must seek your visa from the China Consulate serving your state of residence [as a Floridian, I needed to apply through the Consulate in Houston; San Francisco--I know there is one there--may serve Nevadans]... And as Sue noted above, Chinese Consulates in the US--as I understand they also do in the UK--will usually not consider an application more than three months prior to first entry into mainland China [Houston was strict about the rule but individual offices do have varying practices; those assigned to use the New York Consulate had a bit more latitude]...

 

It's a pain-staking process; I suggest you be thorough/complete/compliant from the outset and that you apply on the earlier side of the time corridor used by the Consulate reviewing your application [i'd be working on it soon for an October trip]... I had no difficulty with approval but some reported initial rejection for reasons that some might consider arbitrary/picky...

 

Azamara has an account with a service--CIBT/Visa Central--that provided us with a dedicated phone line for questions and a small discount if one chose to use their Concierge Service [i didn't]; perhaps Celebrity has an account too... I chose to use Visa Central's standard services--and was pleased with it--but know that [a] there are other services if you don't chose to work directly with your assigned Consulate, and , their service fees--including cost pass-throughs for things like insured mailing and express delivery--can be somewhat high... Their website--and you need not use Visa Central to access it--is a treasure trove of current/clear information [i much preferred it to information at the Chinese Consulate website]--and has the most recent visa application [the Chinese changed it while I was doing my application] available for download... You will also find limited guidance at the US State Department website...

 

Lots of work? Expense? Yes to both!!! But I'm glad to have experienced mainland China and Shanghai--in particular--is a magnificent/memorable city...

 

Enjoy!

 

We went to China in late fall 2012. We were on Diamond Princess and visited Shanghai, Hong Kong, and ended our cruise from Bangkok in Tianjin flying out of PEK. We also spent 7 days on a private tour before the cruise in Beijing and Xian. YOU WILL NEED A MULTI ENTRY VISA. You will enter and exit China with each city. Single visa at that time would not do. You may need a Chinese citizen to "sponsor" you and our tour company sent at my request a paper showing official signatures and whatever that went on for 3 pages -- it did note the hotel we were staying at, the name of the company, the tour guides/names for each city and our exit flights to Bangkok and then to Washington DC. We appeared in person -- I think a top flight visa service might be the easier way. Waits were long and you had to appear in person twice but we could pick up only for the other family member in the group (I think family member was operating word there). It took time and they were very democratic -- no one got any special treatment even if you had a small question you waited your turn. You are taken by number and if it is lunch time you wait the two hours until lunch is over! Doors were closed at the clock stroke of 4:00 PM and they all walked out in a line -- done or not with your problem.:eek: The fee is/was $125 per person but I may be wrong on this. Visa services charge much more because they have to hire someone to sit in the office (maybe hundred people waiting:eek:) to turn in the paper work and then come back for the visas. OH AND NOTE have exactly the picture they want -- there is a guide on the website -- have to be looking certain direction and certain colors. YOUR Passport must have enough pages and must have 6 months from EXIT date! ( a lady on a cruise had 6 months at that time but not 6 months from the last day in China and they turned her down flat and no discussion -- added drama to our wait:D) Yep the hardest Visa to get in my experience (about 10 countries or more) but definitely the most interesting but one (Brazil visa for touring choir from Africa made of children who were orphans -- I was merely a driver and host! children had to appear in person all 35 of them.)

 

LAST NOTE HURRY. You need lots of time for this paperwork. It seems to me that those who most need the Visa quick are the least likely to have it go smoothly. Visa days are interesting if you live close to a visa office. Look up where the visa application goes -- each state is different and sometimes it does not make much sense. Enjoy China -- it was so wonderful to see -- would not want to live there. (Another tip -- no wifi as we know it -- Starbucks had to register with Chinese government to connect wirelessly and also on hotel machines. I chose not to give all personal information to government -- not sure if there was wifi on ship while in Chinese waters. bit controlling them.

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So first thanks for some great answers..

 

So this past week I happen to be in San Francisco and hit the consulate. If any of you had ever had the horrible experience of sitting in line in a DMV, this makes that seem like sitting on a bed of roses..... What a horrible wait in a little room with a foul smells......

 

After a few hours the guard stood up and started calling numbers out because the counter was broke and it took a while until anyone caught it. Now I know I needed a picture of my wife but took a chance... no luck..... but did manage to get mine done... sort of...

 

Here's the **** part..... the lady took all my paperwork and passport, I had a horrible time trying to make out anything she was talking about through the glass window....on top of that it was originally my understanding that it would be a one day process.... nope, guess I was misinformed...

 

So she tells me "ready on Wednesday"

I said "I am only in town for the day...."

She said "So sorry already started, pick up Wednesday, next please"

 

So now I am beyond pissed, have to figure out how to get my wife's done (find a service to pay that I can depend on). Depend on my 19 year old granddaughter who happens to go to college in SF, to pick it up without them giving her trouble.

 

 

All for about 10 hours of land time.......

 

 

Also my cruise is in October and no you don't have to wait till a month out. Also the Visa is good for a year....

Edited by uncfes
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The visa process is never an instant process around the world. It always takes three days. Its pretty clear on their website.

 

There's a courier service through links on each cruise sites planner which is what we used as we don't have a consulate in our state. Or certified mail.

Edited by Pushka
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