Editing Hong Kong (section)

=== Visa for mainland China (ex HK/Macau/Taiwan) ===

Most visitors of mainland China require a visa to visit mainland China, except holders of Singaporean and Japanese passports and holders of Hong Kong Permanent Identity card with Chinese ancestry.

There are 8 types of Chinese visa. The popular types are: L Visa (for tourist), F Visa (for business), Z Visa (for work), X Visa (for study) and G Visa (for transit in Guangzhou, Shanghai and Beijing airports).

China has a complicated visa policy that is constantly changing for various reasons. The visa requirements for holders of different passports are different. It is highly advisable that you check with the Chinese Embassy in your home country shortly before you visit China.

Hong Kong is a popular place for foreigners to apply for Chinese visas, because the time required for the granting of visa is relatively short compared to most foreign Chinese embassies.

'''L Visa: different sub-categories'''[[File:L-visa.jpg|300px|right|thumb|L Visa - All visas require one full passport page]]
(Note: If you plan to visit the Tibet region of China, you will need to obtain a separate permit in addition to the L Visa.
# Single/double entry in 3 months
#* available to all nationalities
#* '''this is the most common visa that most travelers are granted'''
#* application methods:
#*# via Chinese embassy in your home country (3-10 days)
#*# via CTS in Hong Kong (4 working days, expect to queue up for 1-2 hours)
#*# via visa agents in Hong Kong (0.5-1 working day, most agents charge ~HK$80 as handling fee)
# Single/double entry in 6 months
#* available to all nationalities
#* not a common visa, however, for overseas Chinese visiting relatives in China, it is sometimes granted
#* application methods: same as in item (1) above.
# Multiple entries in 6 months/1 year
#* only for holders of Hong Kong identity card (permanent or non-permanent), whatever passport the applicant is holding
#* application methods
#*# via Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Hong Kong (about a week)
#*# via CTS (4 working days)
# Visa on arrival: 5-day visa for visit to Shenzhen only
#* for certain nationalities only (as of June 2010 - holders of Australia, Canada, New Zealand, Brazil, Ecudor, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Panama, most EU countries passports) - RMB160 for most nationalities (Note: many exceptions, eg. RMB460 for British)
#* the visa only allow the holder to stay in Shenzhen only. Holder of the visa must exit Shenzhen to Hong Kong (by land) or to Macau (by ferry), you may not travel to any other part of China with this visa.
#* application methods
#*# via Luo Hu Border Custom Building (go up 2/F after crossing the HK-Shenzhen bridge at the Lo Wu border point) (30 minutes)
#*# via Shekou Ferry Terminal (go straight after landing in the Shekou pier) (15 minutes)
#*# Note (1): Not available in Huanggong, Futian (aka Lok Ma Chau), Man Kam To and Sha Tau Kok custom points
#*# Note (2): The policy for the 5-day Shenzhen visa changes from time to time and from our past experience there is no announcement of change. If you intend to apply for this visa at the border, it is advisable that you call the Lo Wu border office (see contact number below) before your trip to check whether your passport is qualified under the latest version of the policy.
#*# Note (3): Further discussion - http://www.evisaasia.com/visa-guide/shenzhen-five-days-visa/
# Visa on arrival: 5-day visa for visit to Zhuhai only
#* for certain nationalities only (as of June 2010 - holders of Australia, Canada, New Zealand, Brazil, Ecudor, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Panama, most EU countries passports) - RMB160 for most nationalities (Note: many exceptions, eg. RMB460 for British)
#* the visa only allow the holder to stay in Zhuhai only. Holder of the visa must exit Zhuhai to Macau (by land) or to Hong Kong (by ferry), you may not travel to any other part of China with this visa.
#* application methods
#*# via Zhuhai Jiuzhou Ferry Terminal (turn right and walk down the narrow corridor after arriving in the ferry terminal) (15 minutes)
#*# Note (1): Not available in Gongbei custom points
#*# Note (2): See Note (2) and (3) for 5-day Shenzhen visa on arrival above.