China Visa

It looks like I might go to China at the end of March. I have read the past few China visa posts here. Between nonrev.net and my companies website forums it seems people can get visa's with standby itinerary and hotel reservations. But, everyone seems to say they went in person to the embassy.

I have called CIBT and passport visa express, even the Delta priority phone number at CIBT and I can not get a positive answer on if standby tickets will work.
They give my the 'all we can do is give them your paperwork, its up the the embassy if they except it or not'. I was really expecting CIBT to know if standby tickets work since they seem to do a lot of dealing with Delta.

Has anyone here sent there paperwork with standby itinerary and if so who did they go through?

Not much I can do except send in the paperwork and see what happens. But if anyone used a company that worked, let me know.

Tony

I think one common trick is to buy a refundable confirmed ticket (doesn't have to be transpac, just out of China, so ICN or NRT or something would work) scheduled to go out a couple days after your actual planned day out. Then use that to get your visa, but standby to actually get out. Then refund your ticket once you're back :)

Drop Vulindlela NonRev correspondent - Indianapolis, a line, as I recall he went to China last year.

Hi Tony,
Last June I hand carried the applications for myself and my wife to the consulate in Houston, TX. Make sure EVERYTHING is filled out properly. My wife printed out our standby itinerary at work (It looks different than what we print at home) and it did look similar to an actual e-ticket. It did say "Standby" on it when she handed it to me, but it might have disappeared sometime before I turned it over to the Chinese. About 10 days later it was ready and I flew back to Houston and picked them up. As a bonus, they gave me multiple entries instead of the 1 that I had requested. (I had read that 1st time visitors rarely get multiple so I checked off 1 entry). We went to Beijing in July and had a wonderful time.

Thanks scotfitz, problem is I have no time off between now and the end of March to do this in person. I have found a lot of people doing this by 'walking in' but have not really found someone who has used a visa service.

Not that it would matter but they did change there visa form in July or September of 2013.

wish me luck.

Tony

I think what scotfitz says is quite spot on. The embassy staff are not ticketing agent and they would not know if an E-ticket is on standby or not. If you show them a ticket with the words "STANDBY", you are just opening a can of worms. or spongebue strategy works well as well if you can find a ticketing agent to do that for you

Read current rules for visa and 72 hr transit visas. then read them again! Have you called a Chinese embassy or emailed them? I flew standby but my visa was supported by a letter from Beijing pilot from South America! I printed itinerary and requested multiple entries so I could "visit his wife" more than once. I used CIBT--good service. I supplied my own discounted shipping labels. I have used Haifa for Russian visa, so I'd ask for her or email her :
Esi-Haifa.Orleans-Li@cibt.com
PS--I take my own visa pics and print on 4x6. I get 4 pics for $.29

BTW--China has changed policies regarding visas frequently in the past year or two.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by scotfitz

Hi Tony,
Last June I hand carried the applications for myself and my wife to the consulate in Houston, TX. Make sure EVERYTHING is filled out properly. My wife printed out our standby itinerary at work (It looks different than what we print at home) and it did look similar to an actual e-ticket. It did say "Standby" on it when she handed it to me, but it might have disappeared sometime before I turned it over to the Chinese. About 10 days later it was ready and I flew back to Houston and picked them up. As a bonus, they gave me multiple entries instead of the 1 that I had requested. (I had read that 1st time visitors rarely get multiple so I checked off 1 entry). We went to Beijing in July and had a wonderful time.

---

I went to China in maybe some 6-7 years ago, don't know what if anything has changed. I got the visa a one time entry visa to China for 100 bucks each person. With standby tickets going into China and leaving China, no problem. I got the visas at the Chinese embassy in Houston. Flew out of Beijing to Manila on PAL. Here is some China pictures.......on my vt travel page....

"CHINA" China by Thestumps

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Migflanker

Drop Vulindlela NonRev correspondent - Indianapolis, a line, as I recall he went to China last year.

---

We did the 72 hour visa free, so I would not be of much help...

Thanks everyone, I was able to contact a coworker who had used mychinavisa dot com with United standby itinerary. I listed on a United flight to see what the ticket looked like and it is MUCH more official looking than a Delta itinerary. I am sure the visa service company does not matter because it will all come down to the person at the embassy but I think I will use mychinavisa and a United itinerary.

OK, here's the dealio. Fill out the Chinese visa app CAREFULLY AND COMPLETELY. It must be typed. In the space where it asks for "Itinerary in China", put your hotel name and address, and the dates you have reserved. If you ahve multiple ones, put them all, and the dates and addresses. In the blocks for "Information of Inviter in China", put N/A in all the blocks. Everything that does not have or need an entry, put an N/A in the block. Sign and date the application in blue or black ink.

Print a copy of your hotel reservation, print a copy of your nonrev listing. If you reside in the following states: Alabama, Arkansas, Arizona, Southern California, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Louisiana, Mississippi, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Texas and Pacific Islands, please provide a current copy of your Driver's License or State ID . If you do not have Driver's License, please provide Utility Bill, Bank Statement, or School ID. Children must provide copies of parents' Driver's License. Look everything over to make sure it is perfectly correct. Take all this with you, along with a passport-style photo and your current passport. Of course this all assumes that you're going to take this into your nearest Chinese consulate. If you use a service, they will tell you what you must have.

I did mine Monday at the Chinese consulate in SFO, it was ready on Thursday. All for the tidy fee of 140 USD. So yes folks, they will accept nonrev standbys as travel confirmations.

So PVG, here I come in May!!

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Tony757

Print a copy of your hotel reservation, print a copy of your nonrev listing. If you reside in the following states: Alabama, Arkansas, Arizona, Southern California, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Louisiana, Mississippi, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Texas and Pacific Islands,

---

Southern California isn’t a state yet - although we are working on it.:cool:

your own state? Southern California is a whole different PLANET!

I am back after 3 full days in Shanghai and basically 3 full days in Beijing with high speed train in between. I will get a trip report typed up when I can. quick rundown, best part was the great wall, biggest disappointment was the forbidden city (only about 10% is open to the public).

Really? 10 percent? Must be alot of renovations or constructions going on. They were doing some of that prior to the Beijing oplymics but I thought the forbidden city was excellent and far from a disappointment. No doubt about the Great Wall. Which part did you go to? I went to the one in joyongwon pass. So you visited the Great Wall? Now you can say you've been to CHINA.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by offroader

I am back after 3 full days in Shanghai and basically 3 full days in Beijing with high speed train in between. I will get a trip report typed up when I can. quick rundown, best part was the great wall, biggest disappointment was the forbidden city (only about 10% is open to the public).

---

We had the same feeling about both sites. Although Forbidden City was interesting, they have minimal access areas for tourists. Many are are off-limits. I'd say 10% is about right. We had only one day to spend at the wall, so we went to Mutianyu. Even with all the snow, it was impressive--not many folks around. Can't wait for the big report!

You guys are complaining about not being allowed into things at the Forbidden City? Hmmmmm...

:)

Hey, no complaint from me--any longer and I would have been BORED. I kept picturing scenes from "The Last Emperor" (which I made Boss see before we left--prob 25 yrs since I watched it) I wish we'd had time to go the gardens above to see the expanse of the entire complex, tho--I understand it's quite a staggering sight!

You can spend all day at the forbidden city and not see it all just like you can climb the great wall and end up in Western China. Did you see the ming tombs, or the jade factory, Tea houses? I do wish to get "Shanghaied" one day.

Btw, I got one year, multi entry!! Woohoo!!!!

I think most places (online) only apply for one year multiple entry. I noticed that once you selected US passport the entry section automatically went to multiple with no selection to change it. They also seem to put in max stay of 30 days. I knew I would not spend 30 days there and put down 15 but my visa came back with 30 day max.