After the long weekend the line for visa pick ups was quite long at the Chinese Consulate in San Francisco, but luckily the line moved quite quickly and after paying $420 for three visas, we had our passports back in our possession. It was a bit of a sticker shock even though we knew each visa is $140, but I still remember when 3 visas to China were about the price of one visa now. I'm really starting to sound old when I say things like that. Next thing you know I'll be yelling for kids to get off my lawn.
We were all able to get a Q2 visa, multiple entry for 90 day duration without a problem, but the length of our visas varied. My dad just renewed his passport and was able to get 2 years. My mom's passport expires in just under 2 years so her visa was only for 1 year, but the most disappointing was my meager 6 month visa. It's the most expensive Chinese visa I've ever paid for and the shortest duration. I can't complain too much though, my passport expires next year in July and they only give visas for 1 month, 6 months, 1 year, 2 years.
In retrospect I was expecting the new rules for getting a Chinese visa to be a huge pain, but it ended up being pretty straight forward. The new Q2 visa only requires a Chinese citizen to write a letter of invitation, this should be easy considering a Q2 visa was created for visiting family in China. The rest of the requirements are more or less similar to the old requirements.
I can see how getting the L tourist visa may be slightly more of a hassle. If you go in a tour you can easily get an invitation letter through the tour company you are using, but if you are an independent traveler like myself and you don't know anyone in China who can write you an invitation letter your only other option is to book your flight and hotels before applying for the visa, then make photo copies to submit with your application along with your itinerary. I know most people aren't happy with the idea of booking flights and hotels before getting a visa, but your average citizen will not get rejected. China wants the tourism. If you really are paranoid about getting rejected for an L visa it's still not a big problem. You can easily book hotels that allow for free cancellation, but most people get stuck when it comes to booking flights. Nonrefundable tickets are usually cheaper than refundable flights, but if you get rejected for a visa you're stuck with the flight. No worries, most booking sites give you the option to buy trip insurance for a reasonable price. This trip insurance allows for a refund even on nonrefundable flights. This is what we'll be doing for Daniele's visa. We'll book all our hotels under his name and purchase travel insurance when buying his flight.
We were all able to get a Q2 visa, multiple entry for 90 day duration without a problem, but the length of our visas varied. My dad just renewed his passport and was able to get 2 years. My mom's passport expires in just under 2 years so her visa was only for 1 year, but the most disappointing was my meager 6 month visa. It's the most expensive Chinese visa I've ever paid for and the shortest duration. I can't complain too much though, my passport expires next year in July and they only give visas for 1 month, 6 months, 1 year, 2 years.
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| Q2 Visa For China |
In retrospect I was expecting the new rules for getting a Chinese visa to be a huge pain, but it ended up being pretty straight forward. The new Q2 visa only requires a Chinese citizen to write a letter of invitation, this should be easy considering a Q2 visa was created for visiting family in China. The rest of the requirements are more or less similar to the old requirements.
I can see how getting the L tourist visa may be slightly more of a hassle. If you go in a tour you can easily get an invitation letter through the tour company you are using, but if you are an independent traveler like myself and you don't know anyone in China who can write you an invitation letter your only other option is to book your flight and hotels before applying for the visa, then make photo copies to submit with your application along with your itinerary. I know most people aren't happy with the idea of booking flights and hotels before getting a visa, but your average citizen will not get rejected. China wants the tourism. If you really are paranoid about getting rejected for an L visa it's still not a big problem. You can easily book hotels that allow for free cancellation, but most people get stuck when it comes to booking flights. Nonrefundable tickets are usually cheaper than refundable flights, but if you get rejected for a visa you're stuck with the flight. No worries, most booking sites give you the option to buy trip insurance for a reasonable price. This trip insurance allows for a refund even on nonrefundable flights. This is what we'll be doing for Daniele's visa. We'll book all our hotels under his name and purchase travel insurance when buying his flight.
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