[vmlinuz]

Can someone tell me why travel agents (and 'visa agents') are thought to do better - or do do better - than a direct personal application for a visa? Surely all they are doing is gathering up applications and submitting them en masse to Wanchai? I guess they may be a little less picky about the hotel/travel requirements that way, assuming they agent has taken care of it, but still...

[PDLM]

Presumably some of the extra cash gets passed to people at the Chinese visa office. Has anyone tried cutting out the middle man?

[elle]

Originally Posted by vmlinuz

Can someone tell me why travel agents (and 'visa agents') are thought to do better - or do do better - than a direct personal application for a visa? Surely all they are doing is gathering up applications and submitting them en masse to Wanchai? I guess they may be a little less picky about the hotel/travel requirements that way, assuming they agent has taken care of it, but still...

That's exactly it. The return ticket/confirmed hotel booking requirement is taken care off.
You don't have to wait for several hours only to be told what else to bring - and then wait again to submit and wait again to pick up. You are also not exposed to the mood of the actual person handling your case and how he/she interprets the new regulations.

[Janetw]

No prob. I have an L visa - not sure if this is tourist or work as my husband's office arranged it in Sept last year when my last one was cancelled for going to Tibet ( thought it was china so not sure why - LOL - Am actually glad i had to buy anopther as the original would have ran out in May...) ANYWAY no problems. I have about half my passport stamped with china stamps from hols and trips to the tailor. There were LOTS of officials there though and some people were being taken away and the queues were really long which was quite unusual - I go at this time a lot just to go to tailor and come home without chaos...... Not normal for the middle of the day. I went at about 3pm. Coming back no queues and no problem unless you count the man I wanted to slap for shouting into his phone on the train......... Hope this helps.

[Janetw]

Ha ha would LOVE to say it is just you but they do that to me too... I have blond curly hair that stands out in a bar in London and they still scrutinise me.... and under the light and i was worried cos they bent the picture so much in their efforts to see if it was counterfit that they might destroy my passport. I explained the reason it looked odd was that every official man-handled it was not taken too kindly i look like me on my passport and my id card AND that has my fingerprint.... they shoud take a closer look at the people who don't know how to work the fingerprint machine in my opinion.....

Originally Posted by hongkong7

Hopefully for Janetw they won't cancel existing multi entry visa's then,

fyi though i have been getting the once over at the border the last few times with much more careful check than previously including scrutiny of passport under UV and bend back the pages technique , also the "scrutinizing gwailo face with held up passport photo" thingy they do,asking for my Hong Kong ID and not actually looking at it etc etc-the full monty really .

In Changsha last month customs officer asked me if i was carrying any fruit(i thought only the Aussies did that)

I am starting to think it must be me.

Anyway a faint glimmer of hope -my reliable agent informed me yesterday that after the olympics may be able to get 3 year multi entry again -first time she has said that- maybe it was the sunny weather affecting her

[Goloh]

Thanks to Janetw for the entertaining and hopeful posts. The L visa is for casual visitors ("leisure?") and that's what I have been using for regular weekend visits to Shenzhen for shopping and eating. Until now there have been no problems (mine, originally for three years, expires next February) but I was worried based on some earlier posts. If I go again before the Olympics I will report the results here.

[longbeard]

Originally Posted by Goloh

Thanks to Janetw for the entertaining and hopeful posts. The L visa is for casual visitors ("leisure?") and that's what I have been using for regular weekend visits to Shenzhen for shopping and eating. Until now there have been no problems (mine, originally for three years, expires next February) but I was worried based on some earlier posts. If I go again before the Olympics I will report the results here.

How much for the L VISA?

[Janetw]

no idea. Sorry. i just give the passport to my husband's travel girl and it comes back with the right stickers in it.....

Think it depends on where your passport is from.....

[hktraveller]

Originally Posted by Shoni

Has anyone managed to get a multi entry visa from HK since the ban?

My husband's visa ran out last week and we are trying to renew. Unfortunately he does not have a HKID card. Danish passport holder.

We own our own business and are in the process of opening a rep office in China and he needs to be there to oversee the process.

Any advice?

Thanks

The easiest way is to start your company in China and go for a Z. With working permit a 1 year multiple entry residence permit is quite easy to get (At least in Shanghai). Especially for the legal representatives of a company. For my friend the whole process took about 3 weeks.

[Goloh]

Two and a half years ago, with US passport and permanent resident HKID (if the latter makes any difference), the cost of the three-year L visa was HK$1170, from the big CTS office in the China Resources Building on Harbour Road in Wanchai.