Tours to Hong Kong and China have recently become more popular with Russian tourists. Of particular interest in this regard is the autonomous region of China, which came under the jurisdiction of the Middle Kingdom only in recent years. This is an amazing place where Western and Eastern, communist and liberal influences are mixed. You can go here to relax on the sea, plunge headlong into the world of shopping, get acquainted with an exclusive excursion program. And the most fashionable are tours to Hong Kong for newlyweds during their honeymoon. But how can Russians come to this country? Do I need a special visa or is it enough to have a chinese one? How to get permission to enter this amazing island? We will talk about this in detail in our article.
Do I need a visa to Hong Kong and why?
This island and seaport has long been a disputed territory, although the Chinese inhabited it. In 1997, Hong Kong finally returned to the bosom of its mainland homeland. Nevertheless, it remained a special autonomous region. Here, their laws reign, both economically and politically. It is not for nothing that to enter Hong Kong even from China, you need to have a visa and go through border and customs control, as well as to visit the island from abroad. A Chinese visa in Hong Kong is not valid, as well as vice versa. But you will have to go through all these procedures if you are going to the island for a long time. In the case of a short visit, everything is simpler.
The possibility of a visa-free visit to Hong Kong
In two thousand and nine, a special agreement was concluded between the governments of Russia and Hong Kong. It had positive effects on tourism. Thanks to this document, since 2012, Russians have been able to travel to the island for a short time without a visa. It is very simple and does not cause any problems, especially if you will be entering directly from Russia, for example, on a Moscow-Hong Kong flight. When visiting the autonomous region from China, you will have to comply with all border crossing procedures in full. What do you need to freely enter the island? First of all, you need to convince border guards that you will spend no more than two weeks in Hong Kong. Therefore, they must present return tickets with the indicated date. A similar agreement on the possibility of a visa-free visit was concluded at Hong Kong not only with Russia, but also with Ukraine, Kazakhstan and some other countries of the former Soviet Union.
What must be presented at the border for a visa-free visit
In addition to return tickets, you must have such a minimum package of documents:
- A passport that will be valid for another 30 days after you return to your homeland.
- Money, checks or bank cards showing that you have enough money to spend time in Hong Kong.
- Address and telephone number of the hotel, friends or relatives where you are going to live. In the case of a business trip, you must have an invitation from the host.
Entry from China
As already mentioned, it is possible to cross the border of a special region from the territory of the PRC. In particular, Russians with a Chinese visa have this opportunity. But at the same time, their documents must comply with all the rules for visa-free entry. Otherwise, they will not let you into the island. The border can be crossed very quickly, all formalities are simplified. There are many checkpoints where the procedures are designed to be automatic. It is enough to present a valid passport and fill out an arrival card. But in order to return back to the PRC, you must have a valid double or multi-Chinese visa. A single entry permit is no longer valid. Otherwise, you will have to fly home directly from the island.
Hong Kong visa: where to get it?
If you want to be on the island for more than two weeks, the purpose of your trip does not allow you to get there without permission to enter, or you plan to visit China at the same time, that is, several options. You can contact a special agency that will deal with your problems. But if you do not want to pay extra money, you will have to visit the diplomatic mission of the country. They are not only in Moscow and St. Petersburg. Chinese consulates work in the Urals (Yekaterinburg), Siberia (Irkutsk) and the Far East (Khabarovsk, Vladivostok).
What you need to apply for entry
A standard package of documents for obtaining a visa, regardless of its duration and purpose of the visit, consists of:
- Completed in English and personally signed visa application form designed specifically for visiting Hong Kong.
- Foreign passport. Make sure that there is at least one blank page for applying for a visa, and that the document expires at least six months after you return.
- Two recently made color photographs of the passport format (three by four centimeters). Attach one picture to the questionnaire, and hand the second one through the window just like that. This is very important, otherwise the documents may not be accepted.
- The document on the payment of the consular fee. If you only need a visa to Hong Kong, then you will give back the amount in rubles corresponding to 30 US dollars. And in the case of a trip, they will also take fifty conventional units for two entry permits.
- Visas of the country from which you arrive on the island, with the exception of cases when a direct flight "Moscow-Hong Kong" or a charter / regular flight from other Russian cities.
For traveling with children, a notarized copy of the birth certificate of the child is required, as well as permission from the mother or father if the baby is traveling with only one parent.
Types of Entry Permits
Before you travel to this autonomous region, make sure which visa to Hong Kong you need. For example, a tourist entry permit (category L) requires the standard set of documents described above. But if you want to get a work, study or commercial visa, you need to provide additional papers. As well as Chinese, a visa to Hong Kong for Russians varies in the number of entries. There is a single, double or multiple permission to visit the island. Multivisa apply to people who travel often. They also should not have comments from the Hong Kong authorities about the violation of the regime. And what about the citizens of countries that have not concluded an agreement with Hong Kong on visa-free entry, and they need to cross the country in transit? Then they must issue a special permit. It is issued to those who must transfer in Hong Kong to an aircraft or ship. Holders of a transit visa (category G) cannot leave the city limits. Travel around the region too.
Work Visa
This type of permission to enter Hong Kong (category Z) is issued to those who want to work in the region or open their own company there. Investors and participants in programs for foreigners investing in the economy of the region also receive this visa. In addition to a standard set of documents, to receive it you must have an invitation from the employer, a competent business plan or a description of the investment project. Keep in mind that all papers are checked very carefully, and therefore the chances of getting a refusal from the embassy are quite high. Applications of investors and entrepreneurs are evaluated by a special commission in terms of their effectiveness and appropriateness. Getting a work visa is easier if you are employed by an international company with a branch in Hong Kong. In those cases when you are going to get a position in an enterprise related to small or medium-sized businesses, the employer must prove that he has successful experience in working with foreigners.
Commercial Visa (M)
It is issued to business people who travel to Hong Kong to negotiate or participate in various official events, exhibitions or conferences. An invitation from the host party to obtain such a visa should be written on the letterhead of the organization with a seal and handwritten signature of its director or representative. There, the purpose of the trip should be clearly indicated and the coordinates and contact details provided to verify whether this invitation is present.
Student Entry Permit (X)
A visa to Hong Kong can be a study visa. It is multiple and long-term, and allows its holders not only to get an education on the island, but also to leave it several times and come back without additional documents. To receive it, you need to remotely apply to some Hong Kong university, and you should collect a package of papers for the embassy after enrollment. The documents for obtaining a visa are typical, but they additionally receive a sponsorship letter guaranteeing payment of your expenses for studies and accommodation, as well as an official paper that you were accepted to the university. Your sponsor (which may be, for example, the university itself or some resident of Hong Kong) must provide evidence of its financial capabilities and an obligation to pay for the student's needs.
How much to wait for the readiness of entry permits and their validity
Visa to Hong Kong requires at least a week of waiting. Often a tourist or commercial permit to enter the island takes longer than ten days. But if you need a Chinese visa along with a visit to Hong Kong, then the chances of speeding up the procedure increase. The fact is that the Chinese Embassy promotes tours both to the mainland and to a special area, and travelers who want to get to two regions at once will enjoy pleasant bonuses. A work visa is issued for four weeks in the case of a positive response from the immigration service. As mentioned above, with a visa-free visit to Hong Kong, you get a special sticker. It allows you to stay in the area for no more than two weeks. Multivisa gives you the opportunity to stay on the island for two months and is valid for three years.