china Travel service or the PRC Commision, information here:

852-34132424 (Live Answering Telephone available in office hours )

Email: fmcovisa_hk@mfa.gov.cn

Taken from:

http://www.fmcoprc.gov.hk/eng/gywm/lxwm/default.htm

The only difference if you give your paperwork to CTS/a agent is you don't have to go and do all the legwork/waiting around in person, but they charge you a little more IIRC.

Cheers and cafe lattes,
IM

Hey Jay,

Sorry, actually I don't know about that. I can say that my passport has nothing but old Z-Visas and RP's. I've never had an F or L visa. Just the basic things like my med exam results, and the usual letters, 1 2" photo, and they charge people from different countries different amounts of money. As an American I think I had to pay the highest 'processing fee' of any of the other countries: 1100元。 So as a joke, I said to them, "你为什么要欺负美国人？

To get rush (2-3 day) service add 150 元。 To get express (1 day) service add 250 元。

One word of advice, if I remember correctly the hours of operation are 9-12, and then 2-5PM or so. Try to get in a little early--sometimes there is a LONG line!

Nathan

852-34132424 (Live Answering Telephone available in office hours )

Email: fmcovisa_hk@mfa.gov.cn

Taken from:

http://www.fmcoprc.gov.hk/eng/gywm/lxwm/default.htm

Give the PRC commission in HK an email. Can't see it being any trouble.

I thought I'd jump into this convo for a minute, since I was just in Hong Kong last week. I'll tell you my situation/circumstances and the outcome--hope it helps:

I was on a Residence Permit from Jilin but now I'm working in Jiangsu. My RP was about to expire, so I went to Hong Kong with all of my necessary documents and applied for the Z Visa. Granted, my passport did have previous Z Visas and RP's in it already. But I had no problems whatsoever in getting the Z-Visa. Super easy. It's now been changed into a new RP.

Good luck.

Nathan

Im baltics, if your Z is issued in HK, it isn't issued on mainland, is it?

No, it's not mate, your spot on. But I don't foresee any problem at all, as I have always been able to get a Z in HK when possessing the invitation and psb document with the all important red chop, mei wenti. The only time I wasn't able to was the olympics, but that was the same for everyone AFAIK, wasn't it?

With the Z from your homeland or HK as you claim is still ok, you are to get an RP on mainland.

I'm getting the Z from HK, and will get the RP in Zhejiang province. Outside Hangzhou. I'm not sure about Chongqing, nor Guangzhou, especially now the asian games is fast approaching.

Yeah, the interview was interesting...the guy was great! We sat and had a basic conversation about my past here in China, schools i worked for, situation now and some other sneaky q's about whether or not I would pay sb off to set up my visa or experts cert..kinda funny..I laughed when he asked "are you serious"? Understanding his position, they probably would like to know what schools are legit etc...felt like I was 15 again and explaining that it wasn't me who threw the eggs at the cop car!! Of course I would never tell, even if I knew ;)

With the hk z visa..not too sure who posted about it..anyways, yeah, you still need to come back to mainland and get your one year residents permit set up! Some say you can, some say you can't! I'm gonna ask my friend if his school has processed it yet or not..

What they did when he went to HK is this..z-visa.com....there are three applications that need to be done.. *

Original Passport

*

2 Color 2x2" Passport Size Photo Format

*

Completed China Visa Application Form

*

PSB Government Invitation Letter

*

SAFEA Invitation Letter (TEACHERS ONLY)

*

Alien Employment License (Business Only)

*

I believe you can choose either the safea or the Alien, pending on your school..some training schools usually set up the visa under the "alien" which is easier..basically the "teachers" are a "consultant" for the school that sometimes teach classes (lol)! Two of my friends are set up like this! The safea would be for maybe public schools(not too sure) who hire an actual foreign teacher (they can't get by with the "consultant" title when they're teaching 30 classes a week!) Also, with the safea, you should be signing an actual contract with your school which the give to the experts bureau..I think they(your school) can or will fill in 4800 rmb or under (tax reasons) and less number of working hours that you will actually be doing!!! Again, some provinces could be different..but this is what my friend, and many others, have done when going to hk and back to cq...again depends on your outfit..public,private,certified!!

Cheers all..will be back when all this sh@t gets sorted!

Jay

I never said it was.

But Z visas are being issued there in HK. I fail to see what is so hard about it, provided you have the proper documentation from your employer and the psb saying to apply in HK. I know because I have just received a new passport, and will have the documents in 1 week.

Nothing to sweat about, just get your Z visa in HK once you got your invitation documents, and then get your RP on the mainland.

Cheers and dreams
IM

Jay, I am glad you've come back with the interesting feedback and I am quite sure many readers on will appreciate your post as well. The Foreign Affairs Office interview, you are talking about, is unbelievable. Until this moment, I did not think any foreign teacher had ever stepped in the great office before. What's also mesmerizing, to me, is that the Foreign Affairs want all the schools in the area to be under their "supervision". Knowing the Chongqing officers, I strongly believe they are looking for a little bit extra under the table. :)

On renting of teachers, as I have said, it isn't/wasn't so legal. My former employer in Chongqing was quilty of it and many others are/were/will be...as long as there're tables in these fine offices. I was well hated as I refused to the renting agreement there.

On the Z visas, I hope you will come back yet again. Foreign teachers need to know what is going on.

All the best to Jay

Cheers and beers

Cheers.

Well all I know is i've got all my documentation and permission to get a Z visa in Hong Kong this month. So it seems they are still being issued on the mainland.

Cheers and cold 2 kuai beers,
IM

ok..more info for ya...basically what's happening is that here in CQ, "most" of the schools (not too sure about training schools)are to be, or will be safea certified. this was from the experts bureau..ok..so now that they are certified, most of them will also get certified to hire their own teachers..ok..but most of these schools have no clue on what to do...ok..so they hire a company or school to do it for them, which will in turn, also provide a foreign teacher for their school! This is my situation! In the past my school, which is also set up as a training school, would sign contracts with public schools and provide them with a foreign teacher. But, I think they were not certified to do this..so...the schools are now able to hire foreign teachers, my schools helps them with the documentation and provides the foreign teacher (same price as before I'm sure)

the visa situation is this..we had an interview at the foreign experts bureau so our new certificate would now be under the school we are teaching at, not under our company, which was the case in the past! ..no problem until we went to the psb to change the z visa under the name of the school we are teaching at, not under the current company.......but, because our visa is not expired until next year, the psb said we must cancel the z, apply for an L, then reapply for a new z under the school we are teaching at!!! they did not say anything about having to leave the country to do this!! So I'm going to sit and wait, with my thumb up my ass of course, for a phone call in the next couple of days to find out what we must do! Will let you all know what happens!!

Cheers!

jay

IM, with regards to the Z visa in HK, it's hard to believe how you put it "perfectly simple". It seems the FTs in Guangdong, that I have refered to, don't count to you. Respectfully, I am astonished how clear things can be on mainland China. Cheers and beers

Jay, would you be kind and clear enough to follow up on my post here? So, you aren't on F visa, are you? You're looking to extend your RP, aren't you? You've noted in your OP you've had, or the school/company, a FEC book, if I am not mistaken. Reading your OP, it seems someone has rented you out. This has been a common practice around, although it isn't completely legal. To my knowledge, there are recruiting companies that arrange work permits for FTs, and then they send them to schools. Yet again, I have to say here that it isn't so legal to do that all.
Cheers and beers

Gib........sept 4th post answered your q...seems simple posts and questions turn out to be a real pain in the ass here...thanks guys for all your info...cheers!

thanks man, no worries:)

Hey dude, I didn't think I was against you. All I said was that Z visas may not be easy to get in HK. That was what you said you wanted to get there, wasn't it? Cheers and beers :)

yeah Ivan is right..also, a friend of mine had a visa done in HK 4 days ago...thanks for the beers gib..no reply about chongqing?

I am NOT against you dude. All I an tell you is this...I arrived to my current gig in current city on a L visa. I have to go to HK, get the whatever it is they stick in your passport for 30 days, then get the RP.

I am sorry if you thought I meant RP in china...my mistake, i am tired.

Regards and no offence,
IM

on a z visa..now that you know, is it really that perplexing? like Ivan said..you can still go to hk to get the process done..enough said I guess...so you didn't end up staying in CQ? Didn't enjoy it? Not as many opportunities as you thought there were? Enjoy reading some of your posts as well....I guess drinking and writing can give others the wrong impression/thought when it comes to actually having to understand sth so simple..my bad..any other q's i haven't answered? just let me know..

Cheers..enjoy the weekend...!

Jay

Jay, you said you were "a bit drunk" and so I accept your appology or explanation to why you didn't make a good sense. Forgive me but I still have some troubles making sense of your posts. I myself drink and write sometimes, but I wouldn't drive under the same influence as when I write. Your posts are interesting in a few ways, and then your visa situation is quite perplexing. By the way, no, I am not in Chongqing and do not frequent the expat site.
Cheers and beers to Jay's employer as well as L, Z, F or whatever that Jay is on :)

Although, if sb has a Z visa from the past in their new or old passport, they will not have to return home...this info is from a contact in the psb (chongqing)...

TBTH dude, I think it varies from city to city in any given province. I came to my present employer on a L visa after my previous Z expired, and I've been told I can just get it done in HK. So who knows eh?

sorry bit drunk yesterday and got off topic ..here's your reply...I'm on a Z visa..and yes some schools are sending their teachers back to their home country to reapply for a visa..why? This depends on if it's a new job they are applying for or even just changing schools..the psb now requires that if sb came here in the past(chongqing) on an L visa and then applied for a z/res permit..then ok no problem, they can continue to renew each! But, like I mentioned, if they are changing schools or applying for a job on an L visa,or going to teach for an SAFEA certified school, some schools or companies cannot pulls strings/payoffs at the psb anymore! They must apply for the Z back home then come back to China! Although, if sb has a Z visa from the past in their new or old passport, they will not have to return home...this info is from a contact in the psb (chongqing)...

And yes I know what I'm talking about...the past post is info from actual pamphlets in the psb that anyone can pickup, read and understand more instead of relying on what others "think" they know...not too sure where you're at, might be a different situation with the provincial gov't..

Cheers,

JAY

Jay, what are you on about? First, you don't follow up on my reply, and then you go on about some visa regulations that you do not seem to understand at all. Residency Permits are issued for varieties of reasons; one is work and one spousal, for example. It has been like that for a few years around. Before 2004 or so, there were some provinces that issued/stapled easy local Z visas to our passport pages but I think that times are over.
Cheers and beers

A really interesting topic. Looks like you're under an agency that you call a "company". Are you on F visa? By the way, I heard some schools sent their teachers home to get a Z which they couldn't get on mainland. Go figure what goes on in this country.
Cheers and beers