UK Citizen requiring a Visa for China, Japan,Taiwan and Korea cruise.

Hi Everyone,

I was hoping for some help on the subject of Visa's.:( We sail with Princess next April taking in Ports in China, Japan, Korea and Taiwan ending in Hong Kong.

We stay in Beijing 3 nights pre cruise and Hong Kong 2 night post cruise.

My questions are

1: Do we need a single, double or Multiple Chinese Visa?

Itinerary includes Chinese cities of Beijing (pre cruise and port of embarkation) Shanghai and disembarkation in Hong Kong?

2: Do we need to wait until 3 months before cruise to apply in the UK in person at the " Visa for China Visa Centre" or can you go in person before the 3 month mark?

3: Do we need individual Visas for the other Countries visited?

Thanks for your help. I tried looking for all this info online and it is not totally clear. :rolleyes:

After Beijing, where does your ship go?

After Beijing, where does your ship go?

Hi There,

We have 1 day at sea then South Korea (Incheon)

if you go in and out then back in to china, it is considered 2x.

beijong and shanghai--visas are required.

hong kong--no visa required.

you are sailing with princess (me too in 18 days!!!).

if you go to your cruise personalizer, there is a tab that says travel itinerary.

below the itinerary is "important notices". that tells you what your requirements for visas are.

it sounds like you fly to Beijing, stay there and board the ship. as long as you do not leave, that is one entry. the second comes in shanghai. so it sounds like a dual entry. I used a visa service that checks over your application to ensure you have it filled out correctly, all the right documents and what kind of visa you are applying for. they never needed anything more from me, so I guess I could have done it directly but my roll call had lots of people with issues.

I'm not sure when to apply for you. there is a brit on my sailing (he used a service also). he applied around the 3 month mark, I applied at 2 months. the visa people are quick. I had to send mine away and it took about a week.

no visa needed for japan or korea. I'm not sure about taiwan. do check the personalizer and see what it says.

its not as difficult as they make it seem. :)

Hi Everyone,

 

I was hoping for some help on the subject of Visa's.:( We sail with Princess next April taking in Ports in China, Japan, Korea and Taiwan ending in Hong Kong.

We stay in Beijing 3 nights pre cruise and Hong Kong 2 night post cruise.

 

My questions are

1: Do we need a single, double or Multiple Chinese Visa?

Itinerary includes Chinese cities of Beijing (pre cruise and port of embarkation) Shanghai and disembarkation in Hong Kong?

 

2: Do we need to wait until 3 months before cruise to apply in the UK in person at the " Visa for China Visa Centre" or can you go in person before the 3 month mark?

 

3: Do we need individual Visas for the other Countries visited?

 

Thanks for your help. I tried looking for all this info online and it is not totally clear. :rolleyes:

You need a double entry. One entry to Beijing pre cruise and another for Shanghai, port of call.

The validity of the visa is 3 months from date of issue. You could of course get a 6 months multi entry visa which you could use in HK if you want to go into Shenzen just across the border for some shopping, if the cost difference is negligible as in Canada.

You do NOT need visas for the other countries listed.

Have a nice trip!

Thank you everyone, it's a lot clearer now. The cruise personaliser states double entry visa :( (more expensive)lol!

I checked Visa service online and they state only valid for 3 months unless purchasing a multi entry 6 month visa.

Glad none required for other Countries :D

Enjoy your cruise too cdngrl :)

Thanks again everyone ;)

You need a double entry. One entry to Beijing pre cruise and another for Shanghai, port of call.

The validity of the visa is 3 months from date of issue. You could of course get a 6 months multi entry visa which you could use in HK if you want to go into Shenzen just across the border for some shopping, if the cost difference is negligible as in Canada.

You do NOT need visas for the other countries listed.

Have a nice trip!

Only Americans get a multiple entry tourist visa. Other (UK for the poster or Canadians) get 2 entries at best.

Only Americans get a multiple entry tourist visa. Other (UK for the poster or Canadians) get 2 entries at best.

Would you explain why, please?

Would you explain why, please?

US citizens pay more :confused:

U.S. Citizens, 1st $, Other countries, 2nd $

Number of Entry

Single Entry

$140

$30

Double Entries

$140

$45

Multiple Entries for 6 Months

$140

$60

Multiple Entries for 12 Months or more

$140

$90

Would you explain why, please?

As per an agreement between the 2 governments dating back a few years, China must issued multiple-entry visa to qualifying US citizens (if they ask for a multiple entry). As a result the price is also the same for a single, double or multiple entry. consequently, an american should always ask for a multiple entry visa.

for citizens of other countries, they have pretty much standardized everything now and a double-entry is the best one can do.

I am Canadian and have traveled many time to China in the last 10 years. I used to get a multiple-entry visa but recently I can only get a one-year double entry visa despite my "good history".

Thanks for the explanation!

Colsers, you need a passport size photo and you can type the form online and then print it, attach your photo and post it with all the accompanying paperwork. I posted mine to the Edinbugh office and it came back in less than a week.

You need to enclose supporting info, which from memory was photocopy of the passport personal info page, copy of the cruise line invoice and itinerary, photocopy of any previous Chinese visas, welcome letter from any hotel in Beijing if that is where you are staying pre-cruise, pre-paid special delivery envelope £7.50) so they can post your passports back to you! Plus the completed application form. It sounds a nightmare, but it wasn't that difficult.

This is the official website. I applied within 3 months of travel.

http://www.visaforchina.org

Colsers, you need a passport size photo and you can type the form online and then print it, attach your photo and post it with all the accompanying paperwork. I posted mine to the Edinbugh office and it came back in less than a week.

 

You need to enclose supporting info, which from memory was photocopy of the passport personal info page, copy of the cruise line invoice and itinerary, photocopy of any previous Chinese visas, welcome letter from any hotel in Beijing if that is where you are staying pre-cruise, pre-paid special delivery envelope £7.50) so they can post your passports back to you! Plus the completed application form. It sounds a nightmare, but it wasn't that difficult.

 

This is the official website. I applied within 3 months of travel.

http://www.visaforchina.org

Thank you! I have just came across your reply now!

We will be visiting Edinburgh in January anyway so may just make an appointment to attend in person but very helpful to know that you can apply by post.

We don't have a welcome letter from the Hotel in Beijing though just a note of it on our T/A's invoice, do you think that would be enough proof?

if you go in and out then back in to china, it is considered 2x.

beijong and shanghai--visas are required.

hong kong--no visa required.

 

you are sailing with princess (me too in 18 days!!!).

if you go to your cruise personalizer, there is a tab that says travel itinerary.

below the itinerary is "important notices". that tells you what your requirements for visas are.

 

it sounds like you fly to Beijing, stay there and board the ship. as long as you do not leave, that is one entry. the second comes in shanghai. so it sounds like a dual entry. I used a visa service that checks over your application to ensure you have it filled out correctly, all the right documents and what kind of visa you are applying for. they never needed anything more from me, so I guess I could have done it directly but my roll call had lots of people with issues.

 

I'm not sure when to apply for you. there is a brit on my sailing (he used a service also). he applied around the 3 month mark, I applied at 2 months. the visa people are quick. I had to send mine away and it took about a week.

 

no visa needed for japan or korea. I'm not sure about taiwan. do check the personalizer and see what it says.

 

its not as difficult as they make it seem. :)

Not quite right.

Visas are needed for UK citizens to visit all the countries you listed.

But in Korea, Japan, and Taiwan, the visa is part of a blanket visa that is automatically granted when your ship brings you to that country.

Sometimes it is stamped in your passport; sometimes it is granted only for the time that your ship is in port.

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showpost.php?p=44830012

This was posted today on our 2015 Arcadia WC cruise thread. The cruise has 2 China ports.

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk HD

Perhaps this information I received from my TA today will help;

You are responsible for getting your own visas. However for Vietnam you just get this on the ship -

Vietnam Da Nang, Hanoi (from Halong Bay)Ho Chi Minh City (from Phu My), and Nha Trang

For all nationalities, visas will be issued upon the ship's arrival in Vietnam and therefore in transit guests are not required to obtain a visa in advance of the cruise.

A visa fee of $31 will be automatically charged to each guest's onboard account.

Please note that guests joining the ship in Vietnam MUST obtain a visa in advance of the cruise.

For China you will need a Visa and you will need to apply for this about 3 months in advance -

China Beijing, Dalian, Qingdao, Shanghai

All nationalities, with the exception of Hong Kong and Taiwan residents are required to obtain visas prior to arrival in mainland China. All guests are responsible for obtaining their own visa. (NOTE: Chinese Visas are not required for entry into Hong Kong). Full details of how to apply for the Chinese visa will be sent to guests approximately 10 weeks prior to departure.Passports must be valid for six (6) months from the date of first entry into China and must have a full page for each visa required. Visas MUST be obtained in advance of the cruise.

Guests who enter the country, then exit and reenter are required to possess a DOUBLE ENTRY VISA. Guests who enter China only one time are required to possess a SINGLE ENTRY VISA however we recommend obtaining a DOUBLE-ENTRY visa to ensure the visa will still be valid at the time of travel. Pre-cruise document information will confirm the appropriate visa required for each cruise.

Hope this helps ?