Not surprised anymore
- 2009-01-23
Don't need to, just go to ChunkKing Mansion on Nathan Rd. in Kowloon, Tsim Sha Tsui, and you will find over a dozen alone just in that building. It is the haven for foreigners from underdeveloped countries, and has loads of cheap visa agents. Also has loads of guest houses, costing as little as 50 HK dollars a night.
There are others, but they cost more. However, if you must have specifics, just use google, and do your own research, I am not your research "lackey". You have all the info you nbeed, take it or leave it. I suggest you go to Chungking Mansion. If you choose not to, than good luck, and good bye.
Not surprised anymore
- 2009-01-22
Firstly, you want to be very careful when it comes to uing a visa agent. Just because you have not heard anyhting bad, wel, this could simply mean they are new, or have changed their name, or not screwed over enough people to have word out on them.
Firstly, don't trust anyone who has a simple yahoo, or hotmail account. Reputable agents, if there is such a thing, since it is a pretty shady area to begin with, will have a website, and a website email address. They won't be asking you to email tham at yahoo or gmail, believe me.
As for visa agents in Shanghai, none of them that I know of will let you get a visa done outside of Shanghai. You either must live there or travel there, I kno thos from research and first hand experience. Beijing agents are a bit different, and you can mail them your passport at the least. Most other places require you to be the physically. depending on locale.
Be careful though, any fool who sends their passport to someone ho doesn't have a website of quality or a private email is just asking to get the passport stolen. Many a person has sent their passport to someone they thought was a reputable visa agent, *cough cough* only to never see it again, or hear from the agent again.
References can be helpful, however be careful, often agents will just give you email accounts they own, and will write themselves a glowing report. Use someone only a friend has used, or that you can verify through research it legit. Otherwise, don't trust "not having heard anything bad" as a good reason to use them.
Finally the OP told me via email that he knows many reputable visa agents in mainland China. This prompted me to ask, and ask again, what the heck did you bother us with your questions for if you already have what you say you seek? Very dumb if you ask me. If you know reputable agents, they would have told you what I told you in my resopnse, which I posted here. Clearly they are either not reputable, or not very good at their jobs. I'd suggest finding another agent, or agents, but don't waste our time if you are not going to use our advice, and continue to use the same crap agents, who know less than I do. I'm thinking they should know more since it is their livelihood, but hey, maybe that's just me. Bye.
greil
- 2009-01-22
hello friend; please send me the email address or contact number of a certain agency where i can buy my chinese visa in hong kong. Thanks for the info.
English teacher
- 2009-01-22
Check the website: www. visainchina.com
This agency is in Shanghai and I haven`t heard anything bad about them.
Not surprised anymore
- 2009-01-21
Go to any travel agent in Hong Kong and they can get you a 3 month multi entry visa. No proof is required, nor is an invitation letter required either. Visit ChungKing Mansion in Kowloon, Kowloon is in my opinion the go to place in HK. It is on Nathan road, Tsim Sah Tsui East line, not hard at all to find. Only problem with this visa is you must leave China every 30 days.
Anyhow, once there the building is loaded with visa agents, travel agents, as well as guest houses of various sorts, most super cheap.
You will find all you need there. Once you have that F visa of 3 months duration, I can not say whether or not it can be extended, I doubt it, but posibly. However travel agents in HK can also procure you a longer term F visa, for a higher price. Cost of a 3 month F is not too bad, between 1,300 to 1,900 yuan. at Chunk King Mansion you'll pay around 1,600.
Just so you know, the freeze on L to F visas is temporary, meaning that it will expire after the Chinese new year. If I were you, I would get my L visa extended for one month, which you can do twice, the cost is only 130 yuan in most places for a one month L extension, for zero entries. This can be done at any entry and exit burea in whatever city you are in. All you need, hotel temporary residence card, which by law and hotel you stay at must give you, passport, a passport size photo, and a photocopy of your old visa and passport page. Piece of cake really. Some places will ask for a bank slip saying how much money you have in the bank, to show you can afford to live here. However, if you tell them you simply get sent money via western union every one or two weeks, and pull out a big wad of cash, well, cash is proof enough, hard to argue with that as proof you can afford staying here.
Call or email any visa agent in mainland China, they will tell you the same, that after Chiense new year ban on L to F will end.
My advice, get your current L visa extended, than in a month, use a mainland visa agent to get an F for 6 months, cost around 3,500. Or you can buy yourself a cheap invitation letter, common practice, and apply in HK for yourself, might save you some money, costs around 1,400 for next day service I believe if you apply yourself.
Hope I have been helpful. If you want the names of some trustworthy mainland visa agents, or ones in HK, send me an email. Take care, and good luck.
KS
- 2009-01-21
Please check this link:
http://www.eslteachersboard.com/cgi-bin/china-work/index.pl?read=4056
I just finished a brief chat with a visa agent here in China and was told the visa regulations have, only last week, been changed AGAIN. It seems they cannot do anything like change an "L" visa to an "F" anymore but CAN extend an "F" visa that has first been procured in Hong Kong. Can somebody tell me the minimum I need to do to get this "F" visa in Hong Kong and roughly how much it costs?
Thanks.