Being attracted by the unique charm of China's scenery, more and more foreigners have come to China. However, planning a trip to a foreign country can be complex, for there are some important preparations you should not ignore.
Being attracted by the unique charm of China's scenery, more and more foreigners have come to China. However, planning a trip to a foreign country can be complex, for there are some important preparations you should not ignore.
Passport
The Chinese government requires that your passport must be valid for at least six months beyond the expiry date of your visa. Remember to leave at least one-entire blank page in your passport for the visa.
Your country's embassy or consulate can usually add additional pages to your passport if need be. Losing your passport is very bad news indeed. Getting a new one takes time and money. However, if you will be staying in China or any foreign country - for a long time, it helps tremendously to register your passport with your embassy. This will eliminate the need to send telexes back to your home country to confirm that you really exist.
If you lose your passport, you should certainly have some ID card with your photo many embassies require this before issuing a new passport. Some embassies will accept a driver's license, but others will not. An expired passport will often save the day.
Visas
Before planning a trip to China, it is important to learn about obtaining a visa. For traveling o China, you will need to apply for a tourist visa from the Chinese Consulates or Embassies stationed in their respective countries. For groups of 9 or more, they can apply for a group tourist visa.
Foreigners intending to visit the special economic zones in China, such as Shenzhen, Zhuhai, should apply for "Special Economic Zone Tourist Visa" from visa-granting offices at the above mentioned ports, or they can alternatively apply for such visa from the embassies or consulates. For travelers planning to stay in Hainan Province for no more than 15 days, they can apply for an entry visa at the port of Haikou or Sanya. If foreigners in Hong Kong wish to travel to Shenzhen in a group and stay for no more than 72 hours, they need not apply for an entry visa. Foreign holders of tourist visa can only enter the country by passing through appropriate border checkpoints.
You can travel to areas open to foreigners in China based on your own up-to-date passport and tourist visa. The Chinese Government protects the legal rights of foreigners in China. However, as a foreigner holding a tourist visa you cannot engage in any activity not aligned with your status such as employment, religious promotion, or journalistic reporting.
As long as the visa is valid, you may travel within China. If your visa is close to expiration, you may apply for an extension through a local police station if necessary. At the end of your travel, you need to exit by passing through a border control check before the expiration of your visa.