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Having trouble getting Chinese visa!

 
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cazador83



Joined: 28 Feb 2006
Location: Seoul

PostPosted: Mon Jul 17, 2006 6:12 am    Post subject: Having trouble getting Chinese visa! Reply with quote

Ok so my friend and I leave for our trip next week...starting in Russia, then heading to Mongolia and then China, via the trans-siberian railway.
We have our Russian visa, but still haven't gotten our Chinese visa. We work 9-5 and were waiting for today (Monday) to go since we knew it was a Korean holiday and we wouldn't work. We were told by the Koreans at our school that the Chinese embassy would be open, since they wouldn't observe this holiday. Well, after getting there today, they were closed! We leave on Saturday for Russia, and we're kind of in a pickle because we work during the day.
Now, the front gate of the embassy was a bit confusing because it was in Korean, Chinese and English, so at one point it said: VISA 9:00-11:30am" (hours of operation of course). and later it mentioned 1-4:30 or something like that, which you'd assume would be after the lunch break. BUT, the latter part that said 1 - 4:30 didn't say VISA next to it, but something in Korean.

I'm just wondering...if the visa section ONLY open from 9:00-11:30am!?! That's just ridiculous! I mean, we were thinking of calling in sick and going, but then we'd have to call in sick again just to retrieve the visas later (we were planning on doing the expedited option and getting it done in a day or whatever).

Does anyone know if they really are open til 4:30pm? That would be GREAT news for us, because we would probably be able to duck out early one day for that.

On another note... would it be possible for us to get our Chinese visas while in Mongolia (Ulan-Bataar)? Because we'll be there for 2 days, and that could work too!
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davai!



Joined: 04 Dec 2005
Location: Kuwait

PostPosted: Mon Jul 17, 2006 8:53 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Are you starting in Moscow? There is a Chinese embassy here and they will give you a visa same day for 3600 rubles ($140) if you show them your travel tickets and get there by 11am.

It's in Russian, but...

http://ru.china-embassy.org/rus/lsyw/sbqz/t128805.htm
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ttompatz



Joined: 05 Sep 2005
Location: Kwangju, South Korea

PostPosted: Mon Jul 17, 2006 10:08 am    Post subject: Re: Having trouble getting Chinese visa! Reply with quote

jmoore2001 wrote:
Ok so my friend and I leave for our trip next week...starting in Russia, then heading to Mongolia and then China, via the trans-siberian railway.
We have our Russian visa, but still haven't gotten our Chinese visa. We work 9-5 and were waiting for today (Monday) to go since we knew it was a Korean holiday and we wouldn't work. We were told by the Koreans at our school that the Chinese embassy would be open, since they wouldn't observe this holiday. Well, after getting there today, they were closed! We leave on Saturday for Russia, and we're kind of in a pickle because we work during the day.
Now, the front gate of the embassy was a bit confusing because it was in Korean, Chinese and English, so at one point it said: VISA 9:00-11:30am" (hours of operation of course). and later it mentioned 1-4:30 or something like that, which you'd assume would be after the lunch break. BUT, the latter part that said 1 - 4:30 didn't say VISA next to it, but something in Korean.

I'm just wondering...if the visa section ONLY open from 9:00-11:30am!?! That's just ridiculous! I mean, we were thinking of calling in sick and going, but then we'd have to call in sick again just to retrieve the visas later (we were planning on doing the expedited option and getting it done in a day or whatever).

Does anyone know if they really are open til 4:30pm? That would be GREAT news for us, because we would probably be able to duck out early one day for that.

On another note... would it be possible for us to get our Chinese visas while in Mongolia (Ulan-Bataar)? Because we'll be there for 2 days, and that could work too!


The visa section is ONLY open in the mornings. You can get same morning service (1 hour) but the fee is double (70k for most and 120k for Americans).
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cazador83



Joined: 28 Feb 2006
Location: Seoul

PostPosted: Tue Jul 18, 2006 12:45 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

davai! wrote:
Are you starting in Moscow? There is a Chinese embassy here and they will give you a visa same day for 3600 rubles ($140) if you show them your travel tickets and get there by 11am.

It's in Russian, but...

http://ru.china-embassy.org/rus/lsyw/sbqz/t128805.htm

we are starting in Irkutsk
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dulouz



Joined: 04 Feb 2003
Location: Uranus

PostPosted: Tue Jul 18, 2006 1:05 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Thats a nice trip you have planned. Make sure you do a write up!
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tzechuk



Joined: 20 Dec 2004

PostPosted: Tue Jul 18, 2006 3:09 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Drop your passports at a travel agent's. They will get it done for you the same day.
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cazador83



Joined: 28 Feb 2006
Location: Seoul

PostPosted: Wed Jul 19, 2006 5:51 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

thanks tzechuk. does anyone know if its possible to find a travel agent that's open after 5pm? all my experiences with the ones in itaewon are that they close around 2pm. I work til 5, and I would really like this to happen! (i live in bundang).

OR, would it be possible to have someone else drop off my passport (and a friends)? or would we physically have to be there at the travel agent? it just really sucks that we work during business hours!

thanks again for the help!
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tzechuk



Joined: 20 Dec 2004

PostPosted: Wed Jul 19, 2006 6:57 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

jmoore2001 wrote:
thanks tzechuk. does anyone know if its possible to find a travel agent that's open after 5pm? all my experiences with the ones in itaewon are that they close around 2pm. I work til 5, and I would really like this to happen! (i live in bundang).

OR, would it be possible to have someone else drop off my passport (and a friends)? or would we physically have to be there at the travel agent? it just really sucks that we work during business hours!

thanks again for the help!


Where do you work? Isn't there a travel agent's near where you work?

Can you not spend a morning going there??
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itaewonguy



Joined: 25 Mar 2003

PostPosted: Wed Jul 19, 2006 9:58 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

to use the travel agents. shouldnt you have bought the tickets from them?
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davai!



Joined: 04 Dec 2005
Location: Kuwait

PostPosted: Thu Jul 20, 2006 12:24 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

jmoore2001 wrote:
we are starting in Irkutsk



Just curious, how are you getting from SK to Irkutsk? How much did it cost?
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tzechuk



Joined: 20 Dec 2004

PostPosted: Thu Jul 20, 2006 4:38 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

itaewonguy wrote:
to use the travel agents. shouldnt you have bought the tickets from them?


Nope. Not necessary. They will do visa *runs* for you for a fee.
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cazador83



Joined: 28 Feb 2006
Location: Seoul

PostPosted: Thu Jul 20, 2006 6:55 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

I live in Bundang, and I haven't seen any English-speaking agencies here.
and I teach 9-5, and they wont let me off. Ugh.

I bought the tickets online from zuji.com.au for my tickets.

Seoul - Irkutsk 1way was about $650

Beijing-Seoul 1way was about $450
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