Chinese Visa nightmare

[Swisstony10]

I'm going on a cruise next nonth, starting in Beijing (well, Xingang, Beijing is where I'm flying to), and then via South Korea and a couple of other places to Shanghai. As a result, I need to have a double-entry visa for China. I don't know if anyone else has applied from the UK for a Chinese visa, but they like quite a lot of detail on the form, including all the places you plan to visit in China, and in what order.

They also wanted to know my occupation, so I naturally wrote "Photographer".

The Chinese visa service left me a voicemail yesterday, asking me to ring them back urgently about my visa application. When I phoned them back, they told me that it was because I'd applied for a double-entry visa for the purpose of tourism, but that my occupation is a photographer, and their visa policy is that they do not grant double-entry visas to photographers. I explained the reason for me needing a double-entry visa (the cruise taking me out of China and then back to China a few days later), and the person said they'd speak to their supervisor and ring me back.

About half an hour later, I had a twenty minute interview on the phone with someone from the Chinese consulate, who wanted to know exactly what kind of things I take pictures of (it's surprisingly hard to define "PR and commercial photography, live bands, family portraits, that kind of thing"). I managed to persuade them that my visit to China is purely for the purpose of travelling from Beijing to the port of Xingang to board a cruise ship, and that I have no intention of carrying out any kind of journalism (mainly on account of me not being a journalist) while I'm there, which is why I put "Tourism" as my purpose of visit.

Essentially, learn from my mistake. If you're a photographer, and you're applying for a visa to go and visit China, just say you're a window cleaner, or a bookbinder, or a candlestick-maker or something. Just don't tell them you're a photographer...

Russ.

[OsmosisStudios]

Originally Posted by Swisstony10

Essentially, learn from my mistake. If you're a photographer, and you're applying for a visa to go and visit China, just say you're a window cleaner, or a bookbinder, or a candlestick-maker or something. Just don't tell them you're a photographer...

Russ.

I can imagine any one of those three also raising red flags. We cant have the populace of China seeing out windows! Then they'll see what's going on around them. We can't let them have books! They'll be able to learn new things, and we'd have to censor them! Hell, we can't even allow the chinese people to have CANDLESTICKS! Why... well i'm not sure why but IM SURE THERE'S A DAMNED GOOD REASON

/has a few chinese friends who rather quite enjoy living in Canada now.

[kuvahmagh]

Originally Posted by Swisstony10

Essentially, learn from my mistake. If you're a photographer, and you're applying for a visa to go and visit China, just say you're a window cleaner, or a bookbinder, or a candlestick-maker or something. Just don't tell them you're a photographer...

Russ.

And then you are shot on sight as a spy lol.

[milosh]

I have applied two times for a Chinese visa from Bosnia and had no problems. And I believe we have to bring them more documentation than anyone else. We can't go anywhere without a visa!

I'm planing to apply for a Swedish visa tomorrow, and you know what documents I needed to obtain? Well, an invitation letter, a tax report of the person inviting me, my bank account balance statement (so they can see that I have money), then some docs from my company, a certificate that I'm employed and what I do, how big my salary is, and statement that I will get free days during that period and a proof that my company is paying all the taxes for my pension fond!?!?

Soon they're gonna start asking for a blood sample.

[Swisstony10]

That's an absolutely incredible demand for documentation for a visit!

You should try visiting the UK - 5 bottletops and a piece of paper that says you might be a student will get you in, and once you're in, the chances of being kicked out again are so slim they're not worth thinking about.

Mind you, you'd have to have a good reason to want to come here in the first place. Sorry - I'm a little jaded about how ghastly living in the UK is at the moment...

Russ.

[milosh]

I think it would be even worse than with Swedish guys, that's what it's like for us in every embassy. And you know what would they ask for if I didn't have an invitation letter, if I was going as a tourist and staying in a hotel? They would ask for hotel receipt (not a reservation, but a receipt, you have to pay the hotel in advance) and a ticket receipt for your trip (you also have to pay it in advance). Don't even ask me what if you were a student going on a tourist trip arranged by yourself. They ask for so much that you get sick of your visit before you even start the journey. And I have to travel 5 hours to the embassy and 5 hours back to apply for a visa. And then your visa gets declined for no apparent reason.. That's Bosnia.