Job Discussion Forums

[Ludwig]

'Billm', what do you mean by a 'business visa'? Obviously you can only get a 'business visa' if you 'have business' concerns on the Mainland (and for this you will require all germane documentation; it does not suffice to merely claim that you 'have business there'). For a Z visa, you of course will need the letter of invitation from the prospective employer, it is quite simple.

I think what you want is what most of us here in HK have for our trips to the Mainland, a multiple entry year-long F visa. You can pick this up from many places in HK, I would suggest you try CTS (China Travel Service) in TST. I think I paid somewhere between $600 and $1,000 for mine. It takes 24 hours though you can pay extra and pick it up, I think, in only a few hours from the time of ordering. Obviously you need to give them your passport and to complete the standard application form but that is about it (they take your photograph there for you). I was in and out within four minutes! (This of course makes you see, contrary to what many employers on the Mainland claim, just how simple a process it is to secure a Mainland visa.)

[Ludwig]

a) 2nd Floor, China Travel Building, 77 Queen's Rd. Central, Hong Kong Island.
b) 1st Floor, Alpha House, 27-33 Nathan Rd., Tsim Sha Tsui, Kowloon.
c) Ground Floor, Southern Centre, 138 Hennessy Rd., Wanchai, Hong Kong Island.
d) CTS Enquiry: Tel: (HK) 2853 3715

Location (b) above is arguably on Peking Road, and is but a five second walk from the TST MTR station, though I can not recall off hand what exit you need. Just ask at the customer service centre in the MTR station, they will point you in the right direction.

http://www.ypmap.com/en/viewer.asp?mapService=LocationMap

[Roger]

Now, Ludwig, you gave out "germane" information without, apprently, be in the clear yourself. If you of all people have got an 'F' visa, then may I ask:
DO YOURUN A GENUINE BUSINESS ON THE MAINLAND???

An 'F' visa IS a business visa...

To go back to the original question as posed by the poster:
You WON'T need a BUSINESS VISA - you m settle for a tourist visa. There is NO difference for you except that you would have to provide a business card for the obtention of a business visa - from most agents, though not from Phoenix.

Phoenix will charge you about the same as CTS, is located very nearby, and is quicker: you get your visa the same day if you hand in your application, 2 pics and your passport in the morning (before 11 a.m.). You get it by 6 p.m.

It would no doubt be better to be equipped with your release letter. You don't know the change of heart...

Anyway, you will have to get your old visa annulled (cancelled) before you get a new visa. The visa-issueing PSB in Shenzhen might want to see a release letter.

How much time is left on your current visa?
Why can't you use it up, then go to Hong Kong for a new business or tourist visa?