Job Discussion Forums

shannow5 · Joined: 18 May 2004 Posts: 10

Ok, I've spent awhile looking around here and other sites for detailed information on getting a 60 day visa for Taiwan through Hong Kong.

All I can say is that every person seems to have a different experience, and claims that you need different documents.

In particular, I was wondering if someone with personal experience could answer a few questions for me.

In getting a 60 day visa, will I need a booked return ticket with confirmation of seat?
Will I need some sort of financial statement, and if so how much? (I'm hoping there is a way around this requirement, hell it'd be nice if there were a way around both, but I don't expect that)

Is there anything else that I'll need?
And, in general, how difficult is it?

I know, there are other posts that talk about doing this, but to be honest, they all seem to have a slightly different take on how easy/hard it is...
any thoughts?

clark.w.griswald · Joined: 06 Dec 2004 Posts: 2056

It is true that enforcement may vary, but the rules do not. I suggest that you comply with the rules and then you needn't worry about the enforcement.

shannow5 · Joined: 18 May 2004 Posts: 10

Thanks, yeah I've read your post, and really I was curious about the financial statement, since I'll have the most difficulty getting that while in China.

thanks again. anyone with a recent specific experience of the hong kong consulate and it's enforcement policies is welcome to contribute. Smile

saloma · Joined: 07 Jul 2005 Posts: 211

One thing to consider is that you don't need a RETURN ticket. You need an ONGOING ticket.

Many people who come here book a ticket from "point A" to "point B" (Bangkok, Kuala Lumpur, Bali, Singapore, Hong Kong), with a stop over in Taipei. If your ticket is good for a year, then your Chinese New year destination is taken care of.

By the time CNY rolls around, you have a residence Visa and don't need ongoing tickets anymore, it works out cheaper this way!

pcdavid04 · Joined: 19 May 2005 Posts: 19

where are you coming from?

i am an american...
i just got my 60 day, multiple-entry visa and all i did was mail them my passport, flight itinerary, a pre-paid return envelope, and $100. i got it back in about a week.

no questions asked. nothing about my financial situation.

good luck

BigMooseJohn · Joined: 27 Jul 2004 Posts: 16

Rather go to
1.Macau.
2.Bang-Kok
3.Anywhere else but HK.
Cheers

Wonder · Joined: 29 Jun 2003 Posts: 109

Girl Scout · Joined: 13 Jan 2005 Posts: 525 Location: Inbetween worlds

I guess the biggest questions are, Where are you? and Why do you want to go to HK? It is much easier to get a visa in your home country before you leave. There are a lot fewer questions asked. You do not need a comfirmed seat, only an onward ticket. You can get a round-trip ticket to Taiwan with an open return. You can also plan ahead for New Years vacation and get an open ticket to a different country of your choice. Most of people are not asked for financial support documents when applying from their home country.

It is not too difficult to get a visa in HK there is just a lot of red tape. You have to fill out two forms, have an onward ticket, proof of residency in home country, and proof of financial support. In HK there is no way to get around having all those documents. Also, they don't actually issue the visa in HK. You get a bar code placed in you passport and then you go to a desk just outside of immagration where they print the visa and place it in you passport. I just got back from HK where I had to go through all this. I had the bar code in 24 hours. I will admit, I was a little nervous about returning to TW without an actual visa. Everything work out just fine.

I would suggest avoiding a trip to HK for a visa run if at all possible. It is an expensive place. The time you waste and the money you waste are not worth the trouble. Take care of the business end of travel before you leave.

Aristotle · Joined: 16 Jan 2003 Posts: 1388 Location: Taiwan