man asked:
I live in the US (San Francisco, CA) and I am a US passport holder (though I have a Hong Kong ID card since I was born in Hong Kong). I am planning to visit Hong Kong and China for a total of 3 weeks during December 2008 – Entering HK won’t be a problem since I have a HK ID card. But for China I know I need to apply for a Chinese VISA if I use my US passport to enter China. How do I apply for a Chinese VISA? Can everything be done in the mail? If not, is there any way I can get a Chinese VISA somewhere in San Francisco (travel agent? Chinese embassy?)? Thanks!
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{ 5 comments }
You can apply at the Chinese Embassy in San Francisco. You will need to go in person, bring 2 passport photos & your US Passport, as well as cash. You will fill out a form, provide your passport & the two photos and come back approximately a week later to pick up your passport with the visa in it. I did this in 2004 and it was $50 USD at that time. Check their website for the details.
is your HK ID card still valid? It will become invalid if leave HK for more then 36 month.
If you enter via HK (irrelevant if your ID is OK or not) you can also apply a China visa in HK. There are a few special condition for US passport holders though:
if I were you jsut wait and do it in HK, if you dont want to wait check link out below
Do it in San francisco before you go. It will be easier, and cheaper since you have a HK passport. Americans pay $130 dollars.
The San Francisco consulate is a madhbouse though, expect to wait between two to three hours to drop off your passport. Since they implemented a numbering system last month, there is no “Sweet Spot” time to go there.
They have same day service but it will cost you $160 bucks. (American Passport Holders) if you dont want to wait in line, have a visa company do it.
It cost about $30-50 (don’t know the exact amount) for a single entry visa and $100 multiple entry visa, good for one year. You can’t do it by mail, at least directly to the Chinese Embassy anyways. But you can have 3rd party agencies or ask someone to do it for you.
Since you are going to Hong Kong in a couple of months from now, I would recommend that you go to the Chinese Embassy to get a Home Return Permit. You can apply it in your local Chinese Embassy and it will take about 2 months to apply. The HRP is good for 10 years and is probably easier to renew than getting a Visa to China.