China Visa for UK passport holders

[glenswatman]

HI there.  Any suggestions please.  We leave uk early October on a round the world trip.  According to the Chinese embassy in London you can only apply for a visa up to 3 months ahead of the arrival.  We don't arrive there until mid March on a cruise ship.  144 hour T.W.O.V no good as our cruise docks in both Tianjin and Shanghai which are in different provinces.  Can we buy a China visa from the embassy whilst in Australia pre cruise?  Can we just use the Shanhai TWOV and not get off in Tianjin?  Basically what can we do other than cancel the cruise please?  

[Heidi13]

In my experience, China will not grant Visa's unless your passport is same nationality as the country where you make the application.

 

For our first visit, I used my UK passport in Vancouver and they refused the Visa, advising I must use a Canadian passport. For our 2020 World Cruise, Viking arranges & pays for all Visas, using a provider in Washington DC. They can get every Visa we require except China, as the China Embassy in DC does not accept Canadian passports.

 

For the China Visa we must go to an Embassy/Consulate in Canada.

 

They must have the ability to accommodate World Cruises, as passengers departing Greenwich tomorrow on Viking Sun's 245-day WC also do not visit China until March, but Viking arranged Visa for them before departure.

 

Once we have our passports returned with all other Visas, I am heading down to Vancouver mid-November to apply for the China Visa and we don't arrive until March. Good luck getting it resolved.

 

Does the cruise line not provide assistance with Visas?

Edited August 31, 2019 by Heidi13

[SteveH2508]

We have just applied for and got Chinese visas for a mid-October trip (from the London centre).

We got 2 year multi-entry visas (as did our travelling companions, one of whom is travelling on a Gibraltar passport but applied for her visa in London). That seems to be the default if there are no 'issues'.

 

TOP TIP - make sure your paperwork. copies of docs. etc. are completely in order, and it was actually a comparatively painless (but expensive process) (unless you are a convicted axe murderer or some such).

 

If your itinerary clearly shows when you will enter and leave China they will accomodate you WRT dates - they want your tourist Yuan after all.

 

NB you cannot pay for the visa by credit card.

[glenswatman]

9 hours ago, SteveH2508 said:

We have just applied for and got Chinese visas for a mid-October trip (from the London centre).

We got 2 year multi-entry visas (as did our travelling companions, one of whom is travelling on a Gibraltar passport but applied for her visa in London). That seems to be the default if there are no 'issues'.

 

TOP TIP - make sure your paperwork. copies of docs. etc. are completely in order, and it was actually a comparatively painless (but expensive process) (unless you are a convicted axe murderer or some such).

 

If your itinerary clearly shows when you will enter and leave China they will accomodate you WRT dates - they want your tourist Yuan after all.

 

NB you cannot pay for the visa by credit card.

Thank you for the info.  Having toured much of China before we have decided to stay on board in this instance and pick up Shanghai on a future visit combined with other places.  

[SteveH2508]

1 hour ago, glenswatman said:

Thank you for the info.  Having toured much of China before we have decided to stay on board in this instance and pick up Shanghai on a future visit combined with other places.  

Just because you do not get off the ship does not usually obviate the need for a visa. Double and triple check with the cruise line. You do not want to be denied boarding or offloaded due to visa issues.

[MBP&O2/O]

I was looking at a trip to China and came up with the following from the Gov. website.

In my case it is a day trip to Edinburgh .... talk about jumping through hoops 🙄

 

The Government website says ..

Visas

British nationals normally need a visa to enter mainland China, including Hainan Island, but not Hong Kong or Macao.

With effect from 1 November 2018, all visa applicants aged between 14 and 70 inclusive will need to make their visa application in person at a Visa Application Centre. As part of the application process, biometric data (scanned fingerprints) will now have to be provided.

Biometric data may be checked/collected by the Immigration Authorities when entering China to register your entry to the country.

If you’re transiting China, visa waivers are available in certain places. Visitors transiting through Shanghai can apply online for a 144 hour visa exemption via the Shanghai General Station of Immigration Inspection. In other visa waiver transit locations, applications must be made in person on arrival. Contact the Chinese Embassy or the China Visa Application Service Centrebefore your proposed trip for further information. You can also consult your airline/tour operator about visa requirements.