If you want to visit China, or live in China and want to stay beyond the duration of your visa you have to apply for a new Chinese visa. The easiest, if not cheapest, way to do this is to visit Hong Kong on the infamous Hong Kong China Visa Run.

Finding the Chinese Visa Office

The visa office is in the China Resources building, mid-way between Wanchai MTR station and Wanchai Ferry Terminal. This is pretty easy to find, but identifying the correct entrance for the visa office is a little trickier. Facing towards the water, the China visa bureau is on the far left side. If you ask for the visa office at the main entrance they’ll ask which one, which isn’t very helpful. The magic word is ‘official’. Ask for the official office or you’ll be sent to a visa agency.

Getting In

A queue forms outside within a few minutes of the visa office opening. When I was there it reached the far corner and looked pretty daunting, but only took 25 minutes to reach the front. The holdup is caused by two things – the small lifts and the airport style security. You’re not allowed to take in food or drinks, lighters and knives, all of which will be permanently confiscated. Bags, computers and phones all have to pass through an x-ray machine, as do you.

Forms

Arriving on the 7th floor you’ll be given a Visa application form to fill out. This form can bedownloaded in advance, but the one they gave me was slightly different so I completed it again to be sure everything was correct. Make sure it’s complete, that you’ve got a 1-1/2″ by 2″ photo, and any supporting documents. All documents need to be photocopied on both sides and there’s a photocopier available in the lobby for HK$1 per sheet. There’s also a photo booth, and a gaggle of people complaining about the high price, so get photos before you arrive. Make sure they’ve got a plain, pale background.

This is the most important stage, as there’s no pleasure in waiting for the next part only to be told something is up with your form and you need to start again. The visa officers are understandably strict so it’s best to get it right first time. Whilst I was waiting I would estimate that 1 in 5 people got turned away for missing some element. Most of these were easily avoidable – for example one chap had a 5×5 Polaroid of his face rather than a standard passport photo, and another was offering an email as proof of employment.

Before you leave home, you can check the instructions for different visa types and what documents you’ll need at the VisaForChina website. The site also shows alternative locations, such as Kuala Lumpur, Bangkok and Singapore.

Once you’re ready, take the form back to the person who gave it to you and they’ll give it a quick once over, and all being well a queue number.

Waiting

This is the worst bit. A large LED screen at the front indicates which booth to visit. The paper slip with your number on also shows how many people are in front of you. For me this equated to about a minute per person, so 71 minutes later my number came up. Take something to pass the time, but don’t miss your number as they won’t process you unless you’ve got the current ticket.

This stage could be avoided by using one of the many Chinese visa agencies in town, who for around HK$250 will fill out the form and wait on your behalf. This is great for a simple tourist visa but I was applying for a more flexible stay so wanted to be there to deal with any issues.

Application

The visa officer briefly looked through all my papers and z-visa documents before stamping them and giving me a blue slip of paper, telling me to come back in 24 hours.

Standard visa applications are turned around in 4 working days, with 2 or 3 days being available for an extra fee. The number of days includes the day of application, so 2 days is actually next day. The price of hotels in Hong Kong is so high that it’s considerably cheaper to pay for the fastest service possible than pay for an extra night in a hotel.

Take the rest of the day and enjoy looking round Hong Kong for a while.

Collection

The day of collection is much easier. Arriving at the downstairs entrance show your blue slip to the guard outside and you’ll be ushered through security without queuing. Back on the 7th floor proceed to the cashier on the far left and pay for the visa. They’ll give you a receipt, which must then be taken to the collection point in the adjacent booth. This had a longer queue but moved rapidly.

Once you’ve got your passport back check everything before you leave the building as there’s a policy of no returns once you’ve left. In the unlikely event anything is wrong just go back to the collection point and they can rectify it on the same day assuming you can provide any extra documentation.

In conclusion

It’s not that hard, and doesn’t really need the assistance of a Hong Kong travel agency unless you’re very short on time. If you’re applying for a more complicated visa an agency from your Chinese town of residence is more useful to ensure you take all the correct paperwork.

May 2012 Update

This is from Ross. Please thank him here in the comments
I’m an American who was granted a Z visa in mid-May 2012 through the Hong Kong Consulate. Here’s what I needed:

#1 Invitation Letter or Z-Visa Notice from Provincial Foreign Expert’s Bureau (aka Ministry of Foreign Affairs) – It MUST be addressed to HK Consulate; Applicants may only apply at the consulate/embassy to which this letter is addressed.

#2 Alien Employment License “JiuYeXuKeZhengShu” from Ministry of Labor and Social Security (aka Labor Bureau, Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security)

#3 Certificate of Health Examination (For me, a “Entry-Exit Inspection and Quarantine” Booklet from provincial-level Health Bureau)

#4 Invitation Letter with official company chop

 Mr. Ms.yu

Tel: 86-755-36656797

Contact to this supplier