深圳 notes 3: the VOA at Shekou port
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Title : 深圳 notes 3: the VOA at Shekou port
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Title : 深圳 notes 3: the VOA at Shekou port
link : 深圳 notes 3: the VOA at Shekou port
news-today.world | Hello guys I am finally back in London now and there is so much I have learnt on this trip that I can't wait to share with you. But let me get some useful, practical information out there for you travelers to begin with. Unless you're from a country like Singapore, you're probably going to need a visa for visiting China. In a previous post, I had talked about how shocked I was at the price of a visa to China, then I found out that there is a much cheaper option for those looking to visit only Shenzhen - in fact, there are several ways to get cheaper visas for China when you enter through certain ports of entry. These include transiting in major airports like Shanghai and Beijing, entering through Shenzhen or Zhuhai and Hainan is a lot more relaxed about issuing visa-free travel as long as you do not try to leave the island of Hainan for the mainland. I did find it ridiculously hard to get reliable information on obtaining this Visa On Arrival (VOA) at Shekou port for 5 days, in fact when I asked the lady at the tourist information bureau in Hong Kong, she looked perplexed and merely said, "Well, I suppose you may try." She didn't sound very convinced at all that it was a route that I should take.
So for what it is worth, allow me to share with you what I did to get VOA at Shekou port just in case any of you out there are desperately trying to google information on this route. I made this journey in May 2018: the ferries from Hong Kong sail from the HK - Macau ferry terminal in Sheung Wan. There is another ferry terminal in Hong Kong called the China ferry terminal in Tsim Sha Tsui - don't be confused, you need the one in Sheung Wan. You can check the timetable for the service from Hong Kong to Shekou here. Likewise, you can also said from Macau to Shekou and obtain the same VOA on arrival whether you arrive from Hong Kong or Macau. I am not going to quote prices here because the new Hong Kong to Macau bridge is about to open, to that would have a huge impact on the demand for ferry travel between Hong Kong and Macau - many are hoping that would mean more services being diverted to places like Shekou and Zhuhai and thus lower the prices, so just do check the websites prior to your travel, but I do think the prices are fairly reasonable. The crossing from Hong Kong takes about 55 minutes and it is somewhat further from Macau, at about 75 minutes.
Here's what you need to do when you arrive at Shekou, as you disembark the ferry, simply follow the signs for immigration. The VOA office will be on your right before the immigration booths, you will see a counter with loads of forms - it is pretty obvious to find. Photos were not allowed in the area, so I didn't take a photo but unless you're blind, you can't possibly miss it. There is a counter with a short form for you to fill in, it is really straight forward and short. Apart from the basic information like your name, date of birth, address etc, you need to supply them with your address in Shenzhen but even then, they didn't even ask to see a hotel booking or evidence of onward travel (like a ferry ticket back to Macau or Hong Kong). Nope, it was pretty straight forward and beautifully concise, quite unlike the form which I encountered when I tried to get a visa from the Chinese embassy visa office in China which demanded to know everything down to the full details of all my family members - like why would you need to know what my sister does for a living just for me to get a tourist visa to China? In sharp contrast, the VOA form was really short and sweet, you can fill up the form either in Chinese or English. You then go to the photo booth for a digital photo - the use of the digital photo booth is free, you will get a receipt with a reference number that you submit together with your form to the visa officer.
Once you have filled up your form and taken your digital photo, simply take your form and your photo reference receipt to the counter and hand the form over to the officer along with your passport. The lady who took my form didn't even say a word to me, didn't even ask me a question, so in case you're worried about the language barrier - well, just be assured that they are not talkative. She then shoved a calculator across the counter with the amount I had to pay in RMB for my visa: 314 RMB (approximately £37) whilst my Irish partner only had to pay 168 RMB (about £20) for his visa - this represents a huge saving for us, for it would have cost me about £260 to get my visa done in London. I recommend that you get RMB in cash ready prior to arriving in Shekou, they may accept card payment but you don't want to be stuck in no man's land without being able to pay for your visa if they are unable to process a Master or Visa card payment. The lady then took my money, disappeared for a good 20 minutes to process the visa - there's a duty free shop there but unless you wanted to buy booze or cigarettes, there's little of interest there. No perfumes, no chocolates, no designer goods, no Chinese art, just booze and cigarettes. After 20 minutes, the lady returned with my passport - she had pasted a page into my passport with the visa. I said thank you to her in Mandarin but she still refused me even eye contact.
Once you get your visa, the rest is fairly simple. Walk across the hall to the finger prints machine to register your finger prints, the process is really simply and the machines will give you instructions in English. You should also fill in a standard immigration arrival form as well. You can then finally approach the customs officer with your passport and arrival form, it should be pretty straight forward then: I chose to speak to the immigration officer in Mandarin since I can, the only question he asked me was, "do you have a Chinese name?" And I said I do, but it isn't in my British passport since we don't capture that information in Chinese in our passports. He then asked me to write my Chinese name down on my arrival card form - which I found rather strange, since I had never had to do that before on my previous trips to China. Was he trying to test me, to see if I was the person I was or was this just something he did because he was bored? When he looked at my name in Chinese, he just said, "that's a good name, if you have a Chinese name, you should always use it." I didn't want to say anything that would delay my entry into China, so I merely nodded politely. I wanted to tell him that it was pointless having a Chinese name that nobody could either spell nor pronounce in the West, that would be bad for me as a businessman in London. No I wasn't prepared to start a conversation about that with him.
So that's it - from disembarking from the ferry to finally getting through customs, it took about 40 minutes in total. I am grateful that this route exists as going to the China embassy visa office in London would have taken much more time (given their ridiculous forms asking for so much detail of every family member I have, like seriously, for fuck's sake, what the hell do you need that information for) and costed a lot more, I thoroughly recommend this route. Just be aware of the opening hours of the visa office: 09:00 - 13:00 & 14:30 - 17:00. That means you must make sure your ferry arrives at Shekou at least 30 minutes before 5 pm as you will need a bit of time to fill up the forms and take the photo and the staff may need about 15 - 20 minutes to process your visa. If you show up at 4:55 pm, there is a chance that they may just turn you away as they close their office at 5 pm. Remember this is China, they are famous for very poor customer service and they really wouldn't give a fuck if they totally fuck up your travel plans just to make sure they leave the office at 5 pm sharp. My ferry arrived at 14:15, so the timing was perfect for me to have 15 minutes to get everything ready and be first in line for the visa - but really, there was only about five people looking to get the VOA on my ferry as it was a quiet Thursday. It could be a lot more busy on the weekends but nothing compared to the HK the land border crossings.
Once you get past customs, the local Metro station of Shekou is just about a 10 - 15 minute walk away depending on your walking speed but if it is a hot day, there are various buses connecting you to the nearest Metro station or the nearby Sea World entertainment area. Mind you, Shenzhen is absolutely immense, so if you you are staying in the Shekou or Nanshan area, then this route via Shekou port would make sense but if you are going to the Futian or Tianmiancun area, then that's over an hour away on the Metro and you're probably better off using one of the land crossings from Hong Kong via Lo Wu or Lok Ma Chau - however, be warned that those border crossings can be very crowded especially at weekends and far fewer people use the ferry route. You could potentially end up standing on the MTR on the Hong Kong side to get to the border, then standing again on the Shenzhen Metro - whilst on the ferry, you don't need to worry about that. It was so comfortable that I slept most of the way so if you have to go to Shenzhen, then this is probably one of the best routes to take. To be fair, the Shenzhen Metro is actually pretty modern and respectable, the fares are really quite cheap but still, given how big the city is, don't underestimate how long your journeys may take.
So that's it from me for now. I have so much to share with you guys about my trip, but let me unpack, do some laundry, get some sleep, catch up with my work and get a haircut first. You can see many videos and photos of me on this trip on Instagram. I hope this is a useful post for people looking to use the VOA route via the Shekou ferry terminal - I would definitely recommend it. Let me know if you have any questions about this, I am happy to help. Many thanks for reading.
So for what it is worth, allow me to share with you what I did to get VOA at Shekou port just in case any of you out there are desperately trying to google information on this route. I made this journey in May 2018: the ferries from Hong Kong sail from the HK - Macau ferry terminal in Sheung Wan. There is another ferry terminal in Hong Kong called the China ferry terminal in Tsim Sha Tsui - don't be confused, you need the one in Sheung Wan. You can check the timetable for the service from Hong Kong to Shekou here. Likewise, you can also said from Macau to Shekou and obtain the same VOA on arrival whether you arrive from Hong Kong or Macau. I am not going to quote prices here because the new Hong Kong to Macau bridge is about to open, to that would have a huge impact on the demand for ferry travel between Hong Kong and Macau - many are hoping that would mean more services being diverted to places like Shekou and Zhuhai and thus lower the prices, so just do check the websites prior to your travel, but I do think the prices are fairly reasonable. The crossing from Hong Kong takes about 55 minutes and it is somewhat further from Macau, at about 75 minutes.
Here's what you need to do when you arrive at Shekou, as you disembark the ferry, simply follow the signs for immigration. The VOA office will be on your right before the immigration booths, you will see a counter with loads of forms - it is pretty obvious to find. Photos were not allowed in the area, so I didn't take a photo but unless you're blind, you can't possibly miss it. There is a counter with a short form for you to fill in, it is really straight forward and short. Apart from the basic information like your name, date of birth, address etc, you need to supply them with your address in Shenzhen but even then, they didn't even ask to see a hotel booking or evidence of onward travel (like a ferry ticket back to Macau or Hong Kong). Nope, it was pretty straight forward and beautifully concise, quite unlike the form which I encountered when I tried to get a visa from the Chinese embassy visa office in China which demanded to know everything down to the full details of all my family members - like why would you need to know what my sister does for a living just for me to get a tourist visa to China? In sharp contrast, the VOA form was really short and sweet, you can fill up the form either in Chinese or English. You then go to the photo booth for a digital photo - the use of the digital photo booth is free, you will get a receipt with a reference number that you submit together with your form to the visa officer.
Once you have filled up your form and taken your digital photo, simply take your form and your photo reference receipt to the counter and hand the form over to the officer along with your passport. The lady who took my form didn't even say a word to me, didn't even ask me a question, so in case you're worried about the language barrier - well, just be assured that they are not talkative. She then shoved a calculator across the counter with the amount I had to pay in RMB for my visa: 314 RMB (approximately £37) whilst my Irish partner only had to pay 168 RMB (about £20) for his visa - this represents a huge saving for us, for it would have cost me about £260 to get my visa done in London. I recommend that you get RMB in cash ready prior to arriving in Shekou, they may accept card payment but you don't want to be stuck in no man's land without being able to pay for your visa if they are unable to process a Master or Visa card payment. The lady then took my money, disappeared for a good 20 minutes to process the visa - there's a duty free shop there but unless you wanted to buy booze or cigarettes, there's little of interest there. No perfumes, no chocolates, no designer goods, no Chinese art, just booze and cigarettes. After 20 minutes, the lady returned with my passport - she had pasted a page into my passport with the visa. I said thank you to her in Mandarin but she still refused me even eye contact.
Once you get your visa, the rest is fairly simple. Walk across the hall to the finger prints machine to register your finger prints, the process is really simply and the machines will give you instructions in English. You should also fill in a standard immigration arrival form as well. You can then finally approach the customs officer with your passport and arrival form, it should be pretty straight forward then: I chose to speak to the immigration officer in Mandarin since I can, the only question he asked me was, "do you have a Chinese name?" And I said I do, but it isn't in my British passport since we don't capture that information in Chinese in our passports. He then asked me to write my Chinese name down on my arrival card form - which I found rather strange, since I had never had to do that before on my previous trips to China. Was he trying to test me, to see if I was the person I was or was this just something he did because he was bored? When he looked at my name in Chinese, he just said, "that's a good name, if you have a Chinese name, you should always use it." I didn't want to say anything that would delay my entry into China, so I merely nodded politely. I wanted to tell him that it was pointless having a Chinese name that nobody could either spell nor pronounce in the West, that would be bad for me as a businessman in London. No I wasn't prepared to start a conversation about that with him.
So that's it - from disembarking from the ferry to finally getting through customs, it took about 40 minutes in total. I am grateful that this route exists as going to the China embassy visa office in London would have taken much more time (given their ridiculous forms asking for so much detail of every family member I have, like seriously, for fuck's sake, what the hell do you need that information for) and costed a lot more, I thoroughly recommend this route. Just be aware of the opening hours of the visa office: 09:00 - 13:00 & 14:30 - 17:00. That means you must make sure your ferry arrives at Shekou at least 30 minutes before 5 pm as you will need a bit of time to fill up the forms and take the photo and the staff may need about 15 - 20 minutes to process your visa. If you show up at 4:55 pm, there is a chance that they may just turn you away as they close their office at 5 pm. Remember this is China, they are famous for very poor customer service and they really wouldn't give a fuck if they totally fuck up your travel plans just to make sure they leave the office at 5 pm sharp. My ferry arrived at 14:15, so the timing was perfect for me to have 15 minutes to get everything ready and be first in line for the visa - but really, there was only about five people looking to get the VOA on my ferry as it was a quiet Thursday. It could be a lot more busy on the weekends but nothing compared to the HK the land border crossings.
Once you get past customs, the local Metro station of Shekou is just about a 10 - 15 minute walk away depending on your walking speed but if it is a hot day, there are various buses connecting you to the nearest Metro station or the nearby Sea World entertainment area. Mind you, Shenzhen is absolutely immense, so if you you are staying in the Shekou or Nanshan area, then this route via Shekou port would make sense but if you are going to the Futian or Tianmiancun area, then that's over an hour away on the Metro and you're probably better off using one of the land crossings from Hong Kong via Lo Wu or Lok Ma Chau - however, be warned that those border crossings can be very crowded especially at weekends and far fewer people use the ferry route. You could potentially end up standing on the MTR on the Hong Kong side to get to the border, then standing again on the Shenzhen Metro - whilst on the ferry, you don't need to worry about that. It was so comfortable that I slept most of the way so if you have to go to Shenzhen, then this is probably one of the best routes to take. To be fair, the Shenzhen Metro is actually pretty modern and respectable, the fares are really quite cheap but still, given how big the city is, don't underestimate how long your journeys may take.
So that's it from me for now. I have so much to share with you guys about my trip, but let me unpack, do some laundry, get some sleep, catch up with my work and get a haircut first. You can see many videos and photos of me on this trip on Instagram. I hope this is a useful post for people looking to use the VOA route via the Shekou ferry terminal - I would definitely recommend it. Let me know if you have any questions about this, I am happy to help. Many thanks for reading.
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You are now reading the article 深圳 notes 3: the VOA at Shekou port With link address https://newstoday-ok.blogspot.com/2018/05/notes-3-voa-at-shekou-port.html