What does this mean exactly? Well it means that you will make a trip (hopefully short) to Hong Kong, deliver all your papers, get your visa, and in 48 hours be back where you came from. IN YOUR DREAMS!
48 hours is the MINIMUM amount of time it will take to get your Z visa. Mine looks set to take 6 days.
Here is my trip so far;
1. Fly into Shenzhen.
2. Because my flight was late at night, I could not cross the border into Hong Kong so I needed to rent a hotel room.
3. Wake up very early the next morning, exchange 5000 RMB for the equivalent in Hong Kong Dollars and hop a train (paid in RMB) from Shenzhen to the border.
4. Spend 2 hours in customs because there is only one line open.
5. Get to the Hong Kong visa office only to discover that my visa can't be processed because my bosses forgot to give me a copy of the receipt for my last visa extension.
6. Frantically find a public wifi spot, pay for a wifi card at a 7-11 and hop on BOTH skype and QQinternational to rally help for myself (messaged my friend who is organizing people to cover my work that I will miss and messaged my boss telling her what I needed).
7. Find the cheapest hostel in Hong Kong and rent a room for 6 nights.
8. Wake up early the next morning, collect the missing receipt, and run down to the visa office AGAIN.
9. TBD. A. Maybe be told I have to wait 4 days before I can submit the papers. B.Maybe get it all done in 1 day.
10. If A, frantically go to bank and exchange the rest of the 9000 RMB I brought. If B, call boss, book flight, stay one more night and then fly home.
Paperwork you need (bring 3 copies of each; originals + 2):
This is what they TELL YOU TO BRING (all of which I had):
1. Health check document
2. Letter of invitiation
3. Residency Permit
4. List of invited people on company letter head.
5. Visa application paperwork and Supplemental Visa Application paperwork.
6. Passport
7. 3 extra passport photos
8. Foreign expert certificate
9. Foreign worker ID number*
*You may not have this, it's OK.
What they DON'T TELL YOU to bring (but which you should):
1. Copies of hotel reservations in both Shenzhen (if you are like me and stayed there one night) and in Hong Kong with their addressed listed.
2. COPIES OF ALL RECEIPTS YOU HAVE PERTAINING TO EXTENDING YOUR PREVIOUS VISA (if applicable).---This is what I was lacking.
Where to go:
The visa office is in the China Resources Building located mid way between the Wanchai Metro Station and the Wanchai Ferry Terminal. Finding the building is not hard. From the Shenzhen border, you take the light blue line to it's end at Hung Hom.
When you get to Hung Hom station, you take the connecting pink line to East Tsim Sha Tsui station. You get off there and walk a bit to the other side of the station (follow the general flow of traffic) where you hop on the red line to Central station. Get off at Central and catch the dark blue line 2 stops to Wan Chai station.
From here, exit the metro and walk out the skywalk and follow the signs for Gloucester Road. Once on Gloucester Road, walk toward Harbour Road and the China Resources Building.
Here is a map of the block. The actual entrance is on the side of the building facing Fleming Road.
Address: Consular Department of the Commissioner of Foreign Affairs for the people's Republic of China.
Chinese Visa Office
7th Floor, Lower Block, China Resources Building
26 Harbour Road,
Wanchai, Hong Kong S. A. R.
Website: http://www.fmcoprc.gov.hk/eng/
Telephone: 3413-2424
Hours of Operation:
Monday-Friday: 0900-1200 and 1400-1700
Getting In:
If you get to the building, but can't find the entrance, simply ask the nearest concierge where the OFFICIAL visa office is. The key word here is OFFICIAL. If you just ask for a visa office, they might send you to a visa service company.
When you enter, you and our bags will have to go through a security check and x-ray. No lighters, knives, or food or drink are allowed. However personal electronics are OK.
The Operation:
Be sure to get there early. A cue will form a few minutes before the office opens and depending on the day, it may take anywhere from a few minutes to an hour to get inside.
Once you are in the building, proceed to the 7th floor and take a number. MAKE SURE YOU HAVE ALL OF YOUR REQUIRED PAPERWORK AND ALL COPIES HANDY.
The Wait:
This is the worst part. There is a large LED screen that displays the cue numbers. depending on the day, it can take anywhere from 1 minute to 2 hours for them to reach your number so bring something entertaining like a laptop, book (*gasp*), or play games on your phone or tablet.
When your number is called, you will hand over all your documents to the lady [usually] behind the desk for processing. She will make sure all sections are filled out adequately and that you have not missed any paperwork. If you have missed something, you go back to the end of the line to try again later.
There is no same day service. the days of service are listed and INCLUDE the day you submit the paperwork. So a 2 day service is really the next day. This is the selection you should make. It costs more, but it's better than waiting 4 days. A hotel in Hong Kong is quite expensive at 260 HKD/night for a cheap hostel and north of 400 HKD/night at a nicer hotel. It is considerably cheaper to pay for the faster service.
Collection:
It takes anywhere from 24 to 48 hours to process your visa if you choose the 2 day option. The day of collection is much easier. You simply show your receipt to the guard and are ushered through without having to wait in the cue. Before you leave, make sure you pay any fees they require and that your new visa is properly placed in your passport, with valid dates and a number.
Hope this helps you!
Here are some additional useful sites for your Hong Kong adventure:
Visa Paperwork:
Application forms A and B and a list of everything you will need to bring for each visa type.
Hostels:
Several low-cost Hostels offering single private rooms for as cheap as it gets in Hong Kong (there are 80 "guest houses").
Hotels:
Hong Kong hotel search engine.
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