Entry Requirements & Customs

Entry Requirements

Passports -- Visitors must have a valid passport with a 6-month validity beyond the date of arrival and two blank pages remaining.

For an up-to-date, country-by-country listing of passport requirements around the world, go to the "Foreign Entry Requirement" Web page of the U.S. State Department at http://travel.state.gov.

Visas -- All visitors to mainland China (but not the Special Administrative Regions of Hong Kong and Macau) are required to have a visa. Tour groups are usually issued a group visa, with the paperwork handled by the travel agency (check with your agent). Individual travelers should apply for visas from your nearest Chinese embassy or consulate. Contact information for all Chinese embassies and consulates can be found at www.fmprc.gov.cn/eng. Some consulates require in-person applications while others allow applications by post or courier with extra charges. Visas are typically processed in 3 to 5 business days, though 1-day service is possible if you apply in person and pay extra fees.

The most common type of visa is the single-entry "L" tourist visa, usually good for 30 days, though you can request a longer validity period. Your request may not always be granted, and in some cases, you may be asked to produce supporting documentation (such as a travel agent-issued itinerary or an airline ticket with a return date). If you're going to be leaving and then returning to mainland China, apply for a double-entry visa. There is also a multiple-entry 6-month visa, but these are significantly more difficult to come by (requiring mounds of documentation) in most countries except in Hong Kong. Visas are typically valid for 1 to 3 months after the date of issue.

To apply for a visa, you must complete an application form, which you can request by mail or download from the various consular websites. Also required is one passport photo per individual traveler (including a child traveling on a parent's passport). Though the visa is valid for the entire country (with a few exceptions that may require special permits), in general, avoid mentioning Tibet or Xinjiang on your application.

Following is a list of embassy addresses and visa fees for some countries, along with their respective Web pages that link to the appropriate consular sites and downloadable visa application forms. Warning: Visa fees listed are accurate as of press time, but are subject to change at any time.

United States: 2201 Wisconsin Ave., Room 110, Washington, DC 20007 (tel. 202/338-6688; fax 202/588-9760; www.china-embassy.org). Single-entry visas are US$50; double-entry US$75. Applications must be delivered and collected by hand, or sent via a visa agency.

Canada: 515 Patrick St., Ottawa, ON K1N 5H3 (tel. 613/789-3434; fax 613/789-1911; www.chinaembassycanada.org). Single-entry visas are C$50; double-entry C$75. Applications must be delivered and collected by hand, or sent via a visa agency.

United Kingdom: 31 Portland Place, London W1N 3AG (tel. 020/7631-1430; fax 020/7588-2500; www.chinese-embassy.org.uk). Single-entry visas are £30, double-entry £45, with an extra charge of £20 for each package received through the mail.

Australia: 15 Coronation Dr., Yarralumla, ACT 2600 Canberra (tel. 02/6273-4783; fax 02/6273-5189; www.chinaembassy.org.au; www.chinaconsulatesyd.org). Single-entry visas are A$30; double-entry A$45, with an extra charge of A$10 for each package processed by mail or courier.

New Zealand: 2-6 Glenmore St., Wellington (tel. 04/472-1382; fax 04/499-0419; www.chinaembassy.org.nz; www.chinaconsulate.org.nz). Single-entry visas are NZ$60, double-entry NZ$90, with an extra charge of NZ$15 for each package processed by mail or courier.

Getting a Visa in Hong Kong -- Nationals of most developed nations require only a valid passport to enter Hong Kong, even though it's a part of China. Chinese visas can be easily secured at countless Hong Kong travel agencies, but they are cheapest at the Visa Office of the PRC, 26 Harbour Rd., China Resources Building, Lower Block, 7th Floor, Wanchai (tel. 852/3413-2424; www.fmcoprc.gov.hk; Mon-Fri 9am-noon and 2-5pm), where a single-entry tourist visa costs HK$390 ($50) for U.S. citizens, HK$450 ($58) for U.K. citizens, HK$150 ($19) for Canadians and Australians. Same-day service costs an additional HK$250 ($32). For 6-month "F" visas, try Grand Profit International Travel Agency, 705AA, 7th Floor, New East Ocean Centre, 9 Science Museum Rd., Tsimshatsui; tel. 852/2723-3288.

Visa Extensions -- As a rule, visas may be extended once for a maximum of 30 days at the local PSB (Public Security Bureau, gong'an ju) in most cities. In Shanghai, head to the Foreign Affairs Section of the PSB which has been relocated to Pudong, at Minsheng Lu 1500 (tel. 021/2895-1900, ext. 2; Metro: Shanghai Kejiguan/Science and Technology Museum, Exit 3). Office hours are Monday through Saturday 9am to 5pm. Extensions usually require 3 business days, and extension fees are ¥414 ($52) for U.S. citizens, ¥469 ($59) for U.K. citizens, ¥160 ($20) for Canadian and Australian citizens. Bring your passport and two passport photos.

Customs

What You Can Bring Into China -- In general, you can bring in anything for personal use that you will take with you when you leave, including laptops, GPS devices, cameras, video recorders, and other electronic equipment. You're also allowed four bottles of alcoholic beverages and three cartons of cigarettes. Travelers are prohibited from bringing in firearms, drugs, plant material, animals, and food from diseased areas, as well as "printed matter, magnetic media, films, or photographs which are deemed to be detrimental to the political, economic, cultural and moral interests of China." This last section covers pornography, overtly political and religious material, and anything related to Tibet. In practice, however, small amounts of personal reading material in non-Chinese languages have yet to present a problem. Currency in excess of US$5,000 is supposed to be declared on Customs forms, though most major points of entry seem to have dispensed with the Customs declaration form entirely.

What You Can Take Home From China -- Upon departure, antiques purchased in China, defined as any item created between 1795 and 1949, must be accompanied by an official red wax seal before being taken out of the country. Any item created before 1795 is prohibited for export. Check with your country's Customs Service for what you may bring back home.

U.S. Citizens -- For specifics on what you can bring back and the corresponding fees, download the invaluable free pamphlet Know Before You Go online at www.cbp.gov. (Click on "Travel," and then click on "Know Before You Go! Online Brochure.") Or contact the U.S. Customs & Border Protection (CBP), 1300 Pennsylvania Ave. NW, Washington, DC 20229 (tel. 877/287-8667), and request the pamphlet.

Canadian Citizens -- For a clear summary of Canadian rules, write for the booklet I Declare, issued by the Canada Border Services Agency (tel. 800/461-9999 in Canada, or 204/983-3500; www.cbsa-asfc.gc.ca).

U.K. Citizens -- For information, contact HM Customs & Excise at tel. 0845/010-9000 (from outside the U.K., 020/8929-0152), or consult their website at www.hmce.gov.uk.

Australian Citizens -- A helpful brochure available from Australian consulates or Customs offices is Know Before You Go. For more information, call the Australian Customs Service at tel. 1300/363-263, or log on to www.customs.gov.au.

New Zealand Citizens -- Most questions are answered in a free pamphlet available at New Zealand consulates and Customs offices: New Zealand Customs Guide for Travellers, Notice no. 4. For more information, contact New Zealand Customs, The Customhouse, 17-21 Whitmore St., Box 2218, Wellington (tel. 04/473-6099 or 0800/428-786; www.customs.govt.nz).