Tourist visa

[hoozah]

I am planning a trip to Beijing in a few months time and need a tourist visa. What's the easiest way to go about doing this? The nearest Chinese embassy is a 4 hour drive away. Should I contact a travel agent or send it to a embassy via mail? and is it hard to get a multiple entry for 6 months if I've never been to China?

 

[dacox]

I usually go to the embassy in Chicago, but I've also had a travel agent arrange it via mail. If you need it right away you can go to the embassy and get it done the same day. If not, I'd do it over mail since 8 hours of driving isn't worth it unless you have some other reason to make the trip.

As far as number of entries, last time I got a tourist visa my friend and I both applied for 30-day single entry ones and they gave both of us 90-day multiple entry visas anyway, so I doubt there would be a problem getting a multiple entry one. I've never heard of a 6 month tourist visa though. The people I've known who have stayed here that long on a tourist visa have had to get 90 day ones and then leave the country to renew it when the time was up.

 

[curzon]

You should be able to mail your application, the fee, and your passport to the PRC consulate nearest you that processes tourist visas - google it up. You'll also have to pay for return postage. You may have to provide an itinerary, flight and hotel info, etc. Typically it's a one entry 30-day visa (for an American it's approx. $200), but dacox is right that multiple-entry ones are available too. If you intend to visit a few times the best one to get is the 5-year multiple-entry one, but usually that's issued to business people and those with family ties to the PRC. You can also use an agent who, for a fee, will handle all your paperwork and processing. They may be able to get you a better visa, such as the multiple-entry one.

Key is not sending the application in too early or too late.