Visa for China?

[wailea4me]

If we are only visiting China - Shanghai, Xian, Beijing - do we need a Visa? We are US citizens.

[paul929207]

Yes, you will not be able to board the ship without one.

[Ashland]

This was the exact same itinerary (Beijing, Xi'an & Shanghai) we did on our China land trip last October..We opted for this rather than a cruise and were so glad we did...due to the logistics of these cities..

 

Yes...we were required to have a Chinese Visa...We easily completed the paper work...submitted it (to our tour operator..Affordable Asia) along with our passports and a new passport photo..they took care of everything, and in less than 2 weeks we received our passports back in the mail with the visa attached to one of the pages....

 

This was all very easy to do....Have a wonderful trip...we did !!!

Edited December 17, 2013 by Ashland

[hallasm]

You might even need a multiple-entry visa.

[Philob]

There was an earlier thread here about visa free entry into China for in-transit visitors (less that 24 hours at specific entry points).

 

However for your itinerary you will need a Chinese visa since you are traveling inland to Xian.

 

Recommend applying for a multiple entry visa, it costs the same as a single for US citizens, to cover contingencies.

[Keith1010]

You do need a visa and it must be a multi entry visa.

 

We have gotten visas for China several times including most recently for an upcoming cruise.

 

Read the requirements carefully so that you provide the proper documentation.

 

Keith

[Gunner22aa]

Needed for your trip without question. Not only will you not get on the ship without it you will be denied boarding on your aircraft to fly there.

[Zach1213]

You do need a visa and it must be a multi entry visa.

 

We have gotten visas for China several times including most recently for an upcoming cruise.

 

Read the requirements carefully so that you provide the proper documentation.

 

Keith

 

Based on what OP is saying, that cannot be determined. If it's going to inland places, it's possibly a river cruise or partially a land-based vacation. As such, there may only be one port-of-entry in to the People's Republic of China, meaning only a single entry visa is required. But based on the limited info given by OP, I cannot determine.

 

If, for example, OP enters in Shanghai and leaves from Beijing without leaving the country in between and without intention of re-entering the country, a multi-entry visa would NOT be required.

 

That being said, a multi-entry visa is recommended, if you can get one, because (as mentioned earlier) you never know what could happen.

 

OP: My company does many multi-entry business visas each year and we always use My China Visa and they've always been great.

Edited December 18, 2013 by Zach1213

[Keith1010]

Based on what OP is saying, that cannot be determined. If it's going to inland places, it's possibly a river cruise or partially a land-based vacation. As such, there may only be one port-of-entry in to the People's Republic of China, meaning only a single entry visa is required. But based on the limited info given by OP, I cannot determine.

 

If, for example, OP enters in Shanghai and leaves from Beijing without leaving the country in between and without intention of re-entering the country, a multi-entry visa would NOT be required.

 

That being said, a multi-entry visa is recommended, if you can get one, because (as mentioned earlier) you never know what could happen.

 

OP: My company does many multi-entry business visas each year and we always use My China Visa and they've always been great.

 

You answered your own comment.

 

The Original Poster should get a multi-visa and yes I made the assumption that they are on a cruise but either way that is what they should get.

 

Even when we've gone to one port in China the visa services requested a multi visa for us which we got.

 

Keith

[TravelMore&More]

You answered your own comment.

 

The Original Poster should get a multi-visa and yes I made the assumption that they are on a cruise but either way that is what they should get.

 

Even when we've gone to one port in China the visa services requested a multi visa for us which we got.

 

Keith

 

That is because it is the same price for an American so why not get one just in case.

[4774Papa]

There was an earlier thread here about visa free entry into China for in-transit visitors (less that 24 hours at specific entry points).

 

However for your itinerary you will need a Chinese visa since you are traveling inland to Xian.

 

Recommend applying for a multiple entry visa, it costs the same as a single for US citizens, to cover contingencies.

It may be 72 hrs now.

http://www.thechinaguide.com/?action=preparation/visas