How to get a Chinese Visa in Hong Kong – Index
Before you begin
If you can’t apply for a visa in your country of residence because you already live in Asia or you’re traveling, Hong Kong is still the best place to get one.
In the first part of this article, we’ll explain where you can apply for a visa in Hong Kong (you can use an agency or go directly to the CVASC), and which documents are necessary for getting a visa.
In the second part of this article, we’ll explain how to travel from China to Hong Kong in the quickest and cheapest way in order to get a visa.
Note that all the information that you’ll find in this article is the result of our own personal experience since we’ve applied for many visas in Hong Kong, starting way back in 2012.
For more general information on Chinese Visa, I suggest you read Chinese Visa application: A complete guide.
Do I need a Visa to visit Hong Kong?
If you are an American, Canadian, Australian or European (from E.U, I mean) citizen, then you don’t need a Visa as long as you stay for less than 90 days (British people can stay 180 days). If you come from another country, you should go to this page to check whether you need a Visa or not.
Once you arrive in Hong Kong, a customs officer will stick a “Visa exemption” ticket on your passport, which specifies for how long you can legally stay in Hong Kong without a Visa.
In the second part of this article, I’ll provide all the Visa costs in HKD (Hong Kong Dollars). Keep in mind that at the time of writing, 10 HKD = 1.29 USD = 1.16 Euro (you can find the exchange rate in real-time here).
Where can I get a Chinese Visa in Hong Kong?
Option A: Using an agency
First Update: At the moment, according to our readers, this is the easiest solution (unless you hold a Hong Kong resident permit).
Second update: Generally speaking, if during the last twelve months you have already obtained one or two Chinese Visas in Hong Kong, it’s going to be hard to get more than a 14 day tourist or business Visa (unless you have a legit invitation letter from a Chinese company).
If you aren’t one of those people that basically live in China with a tourist or business visa, then you should be able to obtain at least a 60 day tourist Visa (double entry, this means that you’ll have to exit and reenter China after 30 days) or a multi-entry 6-12 month business visa.
Note that if you obtain a multi-entry business Visa of 90, 180 or 365 days, you’ll have to exit China every 30, 60 or 90 days (according to the Visa you will get).
Moreover, in order to obtain a business visa with a duration of 90, 180 or 365 days, usually you must have already obtained in the past a Chinese Visa outside the Chinese territory and have in your passport at least a stamp from the Chinese immigration office (that is you have already been in China).
If you applied for your Visa through an agency before August 2013, it was possible to obtain it within five hours. Nowadays, the rush service is two working days (that is, 24 hours because in China, the day on which you apply is included in the working days) for short term tourist and business Visas, and up to fifteen working days for a 6 or 12 month business Visa (according to the situation).
There are a lot of visa agencies in Hong Kong. Personally, I like Forever Bright. With the normal service (4 working days), you’ll pay 750 HKD for a single entry L or M Visa and 970 HKD for a double-entry L or M visa (30 days per entry).
The prices for the faster services (two or three working days) are 1,170 HKD and 1,720 HKD, respectively.
However, there are many exceptions; you can check the price for your nationality by following this link.
The multi-entry 6-12 months visa isn’t available for all nationalities and will cost you between 1,370 and 2,890 HKD (however we heard of people that paid up to 8,000 HKD; thus we advise you to contact the agency well in advance, in order to know what fee you will have to pay in your case).
Here is their address and contact information of Forever Bright Agency:
Rooms 916-917, New Mandarin Plaza Tower B
14 Science Museum Road,
T.S.T. East, Kowloon, Hong Kong
Tel: 852-2369 3188
Website: www.fbt-chinavisa.com.hk
The easiest way to find the agency is to take the subway to Tsim Sha Tsui East Station, leave through exit P2 and walk North on Mody Road (just turn left at the exit) up until the intersection at Science Museum Road, where the agency is located. From the P2 exit, it takes about ten minutes to get to the office.
The other agency that seems to be quite good is CTS (China Travel Service), located at the Hong Kong airport. I’ve heard that here, you’ll need at least three working days to get your Visa.
Option B: The Chinese Visa Application Service Center (CVASC)
If you don’t want to use an agency, then you will have to apply for your Visa at the CVASC (unless you own a special passport).
Here the address and contact information:
Address: 20/F, Capital Center, 151 Gloucester Road, Wan Chai, Hong Kong
Business Hours: Monday-Friday (closed on Saturdays, Sundays and Public Holidays)
Submission of Applications and Payment: 9:00 to 16:00 (Urgent service before 12:00)
Collection: Regular Service: 10:00 to 17:00, Express and Urgent Service: 12:00 to 17:00
Tel: + 852 29921999
Fax: + 852 29891116
Email: [email protected]
Website: www.visaforchina.org
Here you can find most of the information you will need (including the list of required documents, according to the type of Visa you want to apply for).
Here you find the Visa fees.
Here you can schedule an appointment for your Visa application.
Option C: The Consular Department Office (not applicable for ordinary passports)
Update: Since January 2018, this option is not applicable anymore for ordinary passports. Thus, if you own an ordinary passport, your only options are to apply with an agency or at the CVASC.
Although we don’t have any first-hand experience with it, If you have a diplomatic passport, it seems you can still apply for your Chinese Visa at the Consular Department Office. It’s close to Wan Chai subway station. The exact address is:
7th Floor, Lower Block, China Resources Building
26 Harbour Road
Wanchai, Hong Kong Island
Tel: +852 3413 2424 (here you find working time and email address)
In general, a single entry Visa costs 200 HKD, a double-entry visa 300 HKD and a multiple-entry visa 500 HKD. However, we are talking about China! This means that there are many exceptions. For example, American citizens have to pay 1100 HKD for any kind of Visa, and British citizens need to pay 360 HKD for a single entry one, 540 HKD for a double entry one and 1090 HKD for a multiple-entry Visa. There are also exceptions for other countries; you can find the complete price list here.
It takes four working days to get your Visa; however, you can apply for the express service if you want to have it within three working days (you’ll pay 200 HKD extra), or the rush service if you want to get the Visa within two working days (you’ll pay 300 HKD extra).
Note that the day on which you apply is included in the working days, so if you apply for a rush Visa on Monday you’ll get it on Tuesday. Also, take note that for some nationalities (France, for instance), express and rush Visa service isn’t available. Don’t ask me why; this is just the way it is!
If you are planning to stay in a hotel and have no interest in visiting the city, then the rush service is more convenient, as hotels in Hong Kong are quite expensive. This means that you’ll end up spending more than the 300 HKD extra needed for the rush Visa process.
The list of necessary documents for obtaining a visa at the consular office
Here’s a testimonial from our reader, Enrico Penna (edited by me).
Getting a visa at the consular office is complicated because, even if they require various documents, the complete list of the specific documents needed isn’t published anywhere, and moreover, when they deny you at the counter, of the many necessary documents they tell you only one at a time in a way that you won’t even get it the next time around.
Between my direct failings and those of other unfortunate ones, I believe I’m able to provide a complete list of necessary documents:
- The application form, which among other things must be compiled without errors or omissions otherwise they’ll make you fill it out all again (losing your place in line);
- Photocopy of your passport, including the Hong Kong immigration slip (the so-called “Visa exemption”), a small rectangle of White paper that they give you at Passport control (when you arrive in Hong Kong), often without stapling a page. Note that if you’re not paying attention and lose it, you’re screwed;
- If you’re more than one applying for a visa, they don’t accept two copies of the same page; each passport must have a good A4 photocopy;
- Copy of your round trip air ticket in both English and Chinese; if your agency has printed it in another language (such as Italian), it will be denied even if your name, airline, booking number and flight information are clearly visible;
- Copy of your hotel reservation in China, also in English or Chinese and must absolutely have your name (and the names of all people that are applying for the Visa and will stay at the same hotel) clearly visible; Booking.com had sent me a receipt via e-mail in Italian with a booking code but no name and I had to return to the site to print a copy in English;
- Depending on the number of days of your stay, which they deduce for your flight dates, they can ask for proof of your booking for the entire length of your stay in China. The problem is that if you explain to them that you don’t have an exact itinerary and will decide where to stay from day to day, there’s a very strong possibility that they’ll refuse your visa;
- This aspect is really controversial and discretional; I saw a Pakistani pass through with just bookings for the first two days in Shenzhen; whereas a French couple was chased off and had to appeal to their agency because they only had a pair of bookings for almost a month-long stay;
- To conclude, if you’re traveling with a minor child, you’ll also need a birth certificate in English and two copies of the parents’ passports.
Luo Hu: The border between Shenzhen (China) and Hong Kong S.A.R.
How to get to Hong Kong from China Mainland
Hong Kong by plane
If you are coming from Europe or the U.S., you can just take a flight to Hong Kong International Airport. Then take the subway or a taxi to your hotel (click here to read our reviews of the best luxury, medium-range and economic hotels in Hong Kong).
However, if you live in China and are coming to Hong Kong to renew your Visa or for a Visa run, you may want to consider taking a plane to Shenzhen, a Chinese city located just across the Hong Kong S.A.R. border.
Why? Because a domestic flight from any Chinese city to Shenzhen is usually cheaper than an international flight from any Chinese city to Hong Kong. Click here to learn what are the best website to book a flight in China or Hong Kong.
Once you get to Shenzhen, you can take line 1 of the subway from the airport to Luo Hu station, which is located on the border with the Hong Kong S.A.R. It will take ab out 90 minutes, as you have to cross all of Shenzhen.
At this point, you can cross the border by walking (it takes from 10 to 30 minutes depending on the line) and then take the Hong Kong subway to downtown (about 50 minutes). The total price is about 80 HKD.
The other option is the bus that departs from the arrivals floor at Shenzhen airport and arrives at Tsim Sha Tsui Station, which is in Kowloon but very close to Hong Kong island, and which takes about 90 minutes (if there isn’t too much traffic at the border).
Even though you have to take two buses, one to the border and the second from it, it is only one ticket (I think it costs 150 HKD). The first bus drops you off at the border, which you have to cross by walking, while the second bus waits for you across the border (it’s all explained on the ticket).
If this trip from Shenzhen to Hong Kong seems too complicated to you, you can fly directly from China to Hong Kong. In this case, I suggest you to read our guide on how to book a flight ticket in China.
Hong Kong by train
The other possibility is to take a train from any Chinese city to Shenzhen and then cross the border at Luo Hu (the train station is quite close).
Take note that a hard sleeper ticket on the night train from Shanghai to Shenzhen will cost you 470 Chinese Yuan while a plane ticket is worth around 650 Yuan. Since the difference in price is relatively small and the train is way slower (around 15 hours instead of 2), I usually go by plane.
Frequently Asked Questions
According to many comments we receive, it is possible – even if in theory such visas should be requested in the country to which you belong. They’ve told us that the key is, besides having all your documents in order, having an invitation letter that clearly specifies that the visa be applied for in Hong Kong.
From two to four business days including the day you apply for your visa.
Click here to read our reviews of the hotels we recommend in Hong Kong.
It depends on the type of visa you apply for and what you manage to get. Note that if for example you apply for a two-entry tourist visa of 30 days each, you won’t necessarily be issued that exact visa.
It is possible, depending on the case, that they’ll just issue you a single entry visa of 30 days (or less).
Yes, we have applied for – and obtained – several times a visa in Hong Kong.
Photo Credits: 
Auf nach China by Max Braun
Hi, I am in Hong Kong and a US citizen and I want to get my Chinese visa within two days. It looks like it will be around 180 USD do you know if there is more charges. I have previously held a Chinese visa before.
The Real Person!
The Real Person!
If the website says 180 USD, then it shall be that way!
Hi im from cebu philippines..we applied for a chinese visa and it so happened there was a shooting incident with there consulate,the processing was put on hold. My question is can we get chinese visa insted in hongkong? Are the requirement the same here in philippines thank you
The Real Person!
The Real Person!
Hello Tyron,
you find the answers on the article itself.
I am an American living in Bangkok. I just got a job offer in China. I have an ‘invitation letter’ and a ‘Chinese Work Permit’ that only took 7 weeks! (ha ha) Anyway, I applied for the ‘Z’ visa in Bangkok and they told me to go to Hong Kong because that is what the school wrote on the invitation and work permit.
The problem is that I don’t want to fly to Hong Kong. Can I just send All of the paper work including my passport to an agency and have them mail me the visa?
The Real Person!
The Real Person!
I think you do need to fly to Hong Kong. See if some agency like FBT can do it by mail, but I’m not sure it’s possible
Hi Furio Fu
I am looking at going to Nanjing, China on a tourist visa and was wondering if it would be possible for me to convert the tourist visa to a Z visa once I have found employment? This will all be done on a South African passport. Would you be able to tell me what the best option would be ?
Thank you.
The Real Person!
The Real Person!
Hello Jason,
you can’t convert a L Visa into a Z visa. Theoretically, it’s possible to convert a L visa in working resident permit (which is what you want). Practically, it’s easier to get a new Z visa in Hong Kong! However you can’t be sure to get it in Hong Kong, according to the situation you may need to come back to your country
Hi Furio Fu
Thank you for your response, its greatly appreciated !
Hello Furio,
I’m a French passport holder and obtained a-double-entry 30 days business visa (M) although I should have to stay longer than this period. Could I get a new business visa in Hong-Kong with the invitation letter of the Chinese collab ? If I, how long does it take to make it at this time (because the article is old now) ?
Thank you for your attention,
The Real Person!
The Real Person!
Elodie,
you can apply. If you have a good reason to stay, you have more probabilities to get a new visa. However there is no guarantee
hey how are you
i am from algeria ok
my questions is
i can get visa in hong kong and you say before i have visa double entry validity 6 months
i fly a hong kong the first november 2015 thanks
The Real Person!
The Real Person!
You can apply. Nobody is 100% sure to get the visa
Hi! My husband and I are Brazilian and he is studying for one semester at Tonji University, with a student visa. I would like to stay with him for the remaining 3 months, but I have just found out that each entry is with the maximum of 30 days. I couldn’t get the visa in my home country because they want me to have hotel reservations, but I’m staying at his place. He is not allowed to invite me because he is not Chinese. Do you think I can get a tourist visa at Hong Kong and renew it twice for staying 3 months?
The Real Person!
The Real Person!
3 months is quite a long shot. I think you can get a 2 entry 60 days visa.
Hi there,
I’m Nepalese passport holder with US permanent residency. I’m in route to Nepal from US with transit in HK. I heard we need a transit visa even not leaving airport. How long does it take to get a visa approved from USA, how much does it cost and what documents does consulate need? Can we get a visa at HK aiport?
Hello Dude, How is doing ?
I am flying from Brazil to HK to aply for the Chinese Visa (Turist). And go to Beijing.
I would like to know if possible, how long i would have to wait to take this visa ? And if the easiest way to make it is in the airport?
Also if it can be a problem in the moment for aply the Tourist Visa, only have with me the ticket one way to go to Beijing from HK.
Cheers, Victor
The Real Person!
The Real Person!
It shall take a couple of days.
Yeah, it could be a problem to only have a one way ticket.
hello, i almost read all the comments haha, thanks for this fourum is very good for the people that are looking for options, im a chilean person, my country is far away and i have a X2 visa, the problem is that in chili the embassy give the x2 but with 30 days, here i apply for the extension and they give me with out any problems, but they said that the extension you only can apply one time, so i have back to my country to apply again for the x2 or x1 visa, you don’t know people that did that type (x1 or x2) in hong kong ?
thanks
The Real Person!
The Real Person!
Ask to FBT (link on the article!)
I have a philippine passport and holding a regular one. I apply here in my country but suddenly they denied my application I asked what went wrong but they said its not applicable to gave out reasons.
I’m going to visit my friend in china for 3-6 months is it possible if I re apply again in hongkong? Can they still reconsider my application?
The Real Person!
The Real Person!
Visit for 3-6 months?
I don’t think there is such a VISA, even in Hong Kong!
Hi furio what I mean is I will reapply for a tourist chinese visa in hongkong because I got denied in the philippines.
The Real Person!
The Real Person!
1. I don’t think you can get a 3-6 months tourist visa. Best you can do is 2 months, at the moment
2. You can re-apply in HK, however you got no guarantee you’ll get it, especially if the Visa was denied the first time
hello,
i want to visit shanghai for 90 days, but i only get double entry visa from indonesia, so i only can stay in shanghai for 60 days (after 30 days in shanghai im going out to another country and back to shanghai again to refresh my 30 days visa).
so i am planing to go to hongkong after my 60 days in shanghai. can i make a china visa at hongkong agency? (i am indonesian and my passport is indonesia passport).
i also have a problem, i heard that i cant make china visa if i dont have a hotel booking paper. in shanghai i only stay in my friend’s room (she is a korean who study chinese in shanghai), so i dont have any hotel booking paper.
i hope for explanation and reply.
thank you.
The Real Person!
The Real Person!
Hello,
yes, you can get a new visa in Hong Kong, although it’s not sure! As for your friend, make sure to get an invitation letter from him. We explained the details on our article about travel visa
Hi,
I am from Denmark, and would like to apply for Visum in HK. In Europe it is not possible to apply in express/rush mode when you are from Denmark (rule made against a few European countries). Is the same rule valid in HK, or is it possible to get express visum ?
The Real Person!
The Real Person!
Probably it’s the same! contact FBT for details (there is a link on the article)
Hi, i have just been giving an invitation letter from a football club in china, which visa do i intend to enter china?
The Real Person!
The Real Person!
Are they going to pay you a salary… then it shall be a Z VISA. Anyway, this is something you shall ask to the football club!
Hi MR. Furio
i have enter china on 18 august 2015 with 30 days single entry and i have extended it for one another month from shenzhen and now it will expire on 24 October 2015 but i still want to stay in china for 2-3 months,,,,so can i extend it again for another 30 or 60 days,,,,,what documents should i have to extend visa again,,,,please tell me what i have to do in my situation,,,,,,
The Real Person!
The Real Person!
I don’t think you can just extend the VISA all times you want. I think you may need a new visa instead
hi furio. im meckaila. like wasim says.. me too. if you said it may need a new visa, how ?
Hello,
I have a french passport and i want to apply for a chines business visa in HK. Is it possible ? If yes, where ? In which agency ?
I have the invitation letter from the company and i want to make the visa procedure in Hk then go back to china with the business visa.
I really need help thanks again.
Camille
The Real Person!
The Real Person!
Hello, please read the article. it’s all explained there, including a link to a reputable agency, FBT
I have just entered on CHina on a 14 day visa and have been offered a job in China how will I go about getting a Z visa. Is it best to go back to the UK to do this or can I get the visa in China or Hong Kong?
The Real Person!
The Real Person!
If you can, try to get it in HK!
Hi Furio Fu,
Thank you for all the help you are giving people, hopefully you can answer my question as well.
I am working here in Shanghai now for 2 months on a business M-visa and need to go to HK to get a new visa. I need to stay here till December so I will need at least a double entry 60-day visa. My company can provide the invitation letter and all that’s needed. Do you think FBT will be the best solution?
Thank you in advance.
Yes, we think FBT is the best solution, other companies don’t have the FBT reputation. The most important think is that your invitation letter states that you are going to apply in HK. Anyway you’d better contact FBT to know the details.
Thank you for your reply!
Hi,
Currently I m in China in a tourist visa. I have joined for a 6months mandarin course. My institute told me that I should travel to HK from China for applying for Student visa and they have done all the paper works with one agency there. Can you please tell me whether there will be any issues in getting the student visa and also whether I can travel from HK to China with this student visa(or do I need to go back to my country and come back). I m an Indian passport holder.
Thanks in advance.
The Real Person!
The Real Person!
Many people are able to get the Visa in Hong Kong. However the law says you shall go back to your country, so there is no guarantee.
Thanks for your reply. Is that 100 USD for the fast service for the standard 4 day service? : )
The Real Person!
The Real Person!
Hello, contact FBT for details on prices!