As you know, there are currently problems with obtaining visas to China, but there is a loophole, even two.
One receipt of a visa for 5 days in Shenzhen and the second monthly visa to China in Hong Kong from the famous Mr. Shao
Below is about the 5 day visa:
If you urgently need to get from Hong Kong to Shenzhen, and you don’t have a visa… then you can get a 5-day visa at the Lo Wu/Luohu (Hong Kong-Shenzhen) border crossing. Visa to Lo Wu / Luohu is done from 6.00-23.30 hours.
So you are in Hong Kong. At the border in Hong Kong, you may be asked: “Where is the visa to China?” Feel free to answer that you will receive a 5-day visa to Shenzhen at the Chinese border.
After crossing the Hong Kong border, without standing in line at the Chinese customs officers, turn left and go up the escalator to the 2nd floor, to the visa office. You fill out a short questionnaire of the simplest form, which indicates your full name, passport number, date of birth, nationality, passport validity period, address of residence in Shenzhen and signature. I didn't give the address, but the official said that it didn't really matter.
To the right of the entrance to the office there is a counter for automatic registration of visitors, click on the icon, a ticket with a number will come out. Submit this ticket along with your passport and application form. If you are not a young girl, then problems, as a rule, do not arise. The official checks the documents, says OK and passes the documents to the neighbor.
Above each window hangs an electronic scoreboard, when your number is displayed, you will need to approach. The second approach to the official - on payment. The cost of a 5-day visa for Russians is 393 yuan. You can pay in cash or with a Chinese card. There is a sign that they accept credit cards, possibly Russian ones, but there is only the Unionpay logo.
The total time from the beginning of filling out the questionnaire to receiving a passport with a visa took me 9 minutes. The visa occupies the entire page of the passport, the type of visa is not indicated, only the number.
The visa is valid only in Shenzhen. In principle, people on these visas travel outside Shenzhen, but then there will be problems when checking into hotels. Visas are not checked on domestic trains and planes.
Unfortunately, departure is also possible only in Hong Kong. It is impossible, for example, to fly to Beijing and then fly to a foreign country.
Around the clock, the same 5-day visa is issued at the Huangan border crossing (Shenzhen-Hong Kong) and, according to unconfirmed data, at the ferry terminal in Shekou.
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Written specifically for the "Tales Laovaya" group, when copying, give a hyperlink
Most often, foreigners living in China go to Hong Kong for the purpose of affixing a customs seal, since the maximum period of residence on business and tourist visas in China is about 1-3 months. This is the so-called "visa run", that is, leaving to renew the visa corridor. Usually, to renew a visa, they travel to the following destinations: Macau, Hong Kong, Malaysia, Korea, Thailand, Vietnam. But the most popular and convenient is still the departure to Hong Kong through Shenzhen.
Shenzhen is a city bordering Hong Kong with several checkpoints, both land and sea. The bulk of all tourists enter Hong Kong through this city.
Consider the main checkpoints and crossings from China to Hong Kong, their pros and cons.
Border crossing Shenzhen - Hong Kong
There are 6 border control points between Shenzhen and Hong Kong:ShenzhenWan / 深圳湾口岸
In the port of Shenzhen, you can buy a bus ticket, and go directly to Hong Kong through the road bridge. Bus service connects the port with all areas of Hong Kong, including the Airport and Disneyland.Nearest metro: Dengliang
Opening hours from 6:30 to 0:00.
Huanggang port /皇岗口岸
The only 24-hour checkpoint from Shenzhen to Hong Kong.The disadvantage of this port is that the port does not have a metro station, and you will have to get to the city by bus or taxi. Bus service to the port is also 24 hours (including Hong Kong Airport.)
Working hours: 24 hours.
Luohu / 罗湖口岸
The most popular crossing through which the main passenger flow passes to Hong Kong and back. Located in close proximity to Shenzhen Railway Station. Long queues are possible during peak hours and holidays.MRT station: Luohu station, In Hong Kong, change from LoWu station.
Opening hours from 6:30 to 0:00
Shatou jiao port/ 沙头角口岸
Located in the eastern part of Shenzhen, 25km from the city center.In Hong Kong, the crossing is in the Sha Tau Kok area.
Opening hours of the transition from 7:00 to 22:00.
Wenjindu Port / 文锦渡口岸
The quietest of all crossings, even on holidays it is not crowded here. There are practically no queues, as such. Located in Lohu area.The subway station in SJ is Wenjin station, in Hong Kong, the transition in the area is Man Kam To.
Opening hours from 7:00 to 22:00.
Futian port / 福田口岸
The second most popular passenger crossing. It is located relatively close to the city center.Shenzhen subway station: Futian port, In Hong Kong, the exit to the station is Lok Ma Chau.
Opening hours: from 7:00 to 22:00.
Other checkpoints
- Shenzhen BaoAn airport - flights and buses
- Fuyong port - ferry.
- Shekou port - luxury speedboat.
- Shenzhen North station and Futian railway station - high-speed train.
The border between Shenzhen and Hong Kong can be crossed in 15 minutes if there are no crowds of Chinese. There are several border crossings between the special economic zone in the south of China and its special administrative region, and on one side and on the other, the city center can be reached in different ways.
Shenzhen metro map. You can get there by car, by ferry, and by bus, but we will only talk about our little experience of crossing the border at the ground border crossing, and most importantly, we got to the border by metro. You can go, for example, along the Luohu - Lo Wu transition, there is also a train station on the mainland side, but according to our host, this transition is very busy.
Therefore, we decided to go to the Futian Checkpoint station, where a bridge was laid across the small Shenzhen River with checkpoints on both sides. This transition is less crowded, the terminal is modern and quite spacious. When we get up from the metro, passport control desks are waiting for us on the third floor.
There you need to fill out a departure card (departure card), the Chinese looked at our photos and stickers of a working residence permit for a long time and stamped our departure next to them. With these residence permits, we can freely cross the border, but unlike the residents of Shenzhen living in the border area, we do not need to obtain a visa to Hong Kong, but it is quite difficult for them to do this.
Then we walked across the bridge (cover photo). Convenient passenger conveyors speed up the journey, we fill out the arrival card (arrival card) and the stamp of the special region are already in our passport, and we arrived at the Lok Ma Chau metro station, the eastern line of the Hong Kong metro. The exchange office is on the first floor, where we exchanged a small amount so that it would be enough to get to our hostel.
How to get from the border with China to the center of Hong Kong
For those who do not want to waste time, we advise you to immediately go up to the second floor and jump on the MTR subway, which will take you immediately to the Kowloon area, the fare is 38 Hong Kong dollars and in an hour you can already get to the surface in the hostel area. And for those who have time and want to save a couple of tens of dollars, we advise you to go to the center by bus.
We had time and we chose this path, it will take more time, about two hours. The first thing to do was to find a way out of the border zone. Everything is done in such a way that passengers would move without hesitation to the entrance of the metro line, which is on the second floor. The exit from the terminal to the street hid inconspicuously on the left, immediately after the exit beyond the border control line.
Bus terminal. Bus stop B1 At the bus stop, we first hop on a B1 double-decker bus for HKD 12$, which will take us to Yuen Long (it's better to immediately exchange money for coins so that there is something to throw on the bus).
We are immediately surprised, we see that we are in a special place - left-hand traffic, crowds of expats, and many Chinese who know English, free access to all sites blocked in mainland China.
In the Yuen Long area, you need to transfer to the next bus - 268B, it takes you directly to Kowloon, for example, the Tsim Sha Tsui East metro.
The main secret is that it goes to the center not from the same stop where the B1 bus brings us, but from the opposite side (approximately from McDonald's).
Bus stop 268B The fare is HKD $17. In the evening we arrived at the metro station, exchanged yuan for local dollars (if you change the amount from 1000 yuan, the rate will be close to the official bank) and settled in the New China Guesthouse, which is located in the Chungking Mansion building. One can only hope that crossing the border from Hong Kong to Shenzhen, on the way back, will be just as easy.
How to get from Hong Kong (airport) to Shenzhen.
Ferry
On a ferryboat: after getting off the plane, not picking up luggage and not going through passport control!!) you need to follow the Ferry signs to the E2 zone (see the diagram), where you can buy a ticket for the ferry (Ferry to Shenzhen). A ticket costs from 150 to 220 Hong Kong dollars (depending on the day of the week and time of day). When buying a ticket, you should give your baggage check to the cashier - the staff will pick up your luggage and deliver it to the ferry. Passport control is completed upon arrival in Shenzhen, at the same time you can collect your luggage. Swimming lasts only half an hour. Before buying a ticket, you should decide whether you need to go to Shenzhen Fuyong or Shenzhen Shekou (different districts of Shenzhen).
Bus
By direct bus (coach) from Coach Station in Terminal 2. There are bus ticket counters in the second terminal. A ticket costs an average of 190 - 250 Hong Kong dollars. By bus, the passenger is taken to the Huanggang border crossing: the bus goes from the airport without stops (options are possible) to the Hong Kong border, then all passengers leave the bus with all their luggage, cross the border on their own (on foot) (passport and customs control), after that they find themselves as would be between the two borders - they have already left Hong Kong, but they have not yet entered China. Then the passengers get back into their bus (you need to remember the number and the company, or keep the ticket in hand), drive just one minute, get out again with all the luggage, and again go through customs and passport control. After passing it, they leave already in Shenzhen. Then they board their bus again and proceed to the destination indicated on the ticket. You can buy a ticket only to Huanggang (which is much cheaper - only 100 - 130 HK$), but then after passing through Chinese customs, the passenger must decide for himself which transport to use next (metro, taxi or bus). The trip takes approximately 1.5 hours.
Regular bus
By regular bus A43 through the Luohu / Lo Wu border crossing. The bus runs from the Airport to the Fanling stop (that is, you need to go from start to finish). At the final stop, you should get off and walk about 200 meters to the subway following the signs and ride it from Sheung Shui station to Lo Wu. At this station, you need to follow the signs "to Shenzhen", which will lead to the place of customs and passport control. Cost: HK$30.9 by bus + HK$21 by metro. The bus runs from 05:20 to 22:30. The trip takes approximately 1.5 - 2 hours.
Underground
Metro
you need to get there with transfers: from Airport MRT station (Airport Express line) -> change at Tsing Yi station to Tung Chung line -> change at Lai King station to Tsuen Wan line -> change at Prince Edward station to Kwun Tong line -> transfer at Kowloon Tong station take the East Rail line -> go to Lo Wu. More clearly, the whole path can be traced on the Hong Kong metro map. Click on the picture on the right to enlarge. The cost of the whole trip is 100.5 HK$.
At Lo Wu station, there will be signs "To Shenzhen" or "To Mainland China" when exiting. You should follow them to the place of customs and passport control. After passing them, you will find yourself in Shenzhen.
Taxi
By taxi to get from the airport to the Lok Ma Chau / Huanggang border crossing (i.e. without leaving Hong Kong) costs approximately 310 - 350 HK$. However, a person who speaks English well can arrange with a taxi driver to take him for a fixed fee (200 - 250 HK$). This crossing operates around the clock, so the “taxi + this border crossing” option is best suited for people arriving on an overnight Aeroflot flight. There are taxi rates from the airport to various points.
About land border crossings
In total between Hong Kong and Shenzhen there is six border crossings
: Lok Ma Chau/Huanggang, Lok Ma Chau/Futian Kou'an, Lo Wu/Luohu, Sha Tau Kok/Shatoujiao, Man Kam To/Wenjindu and Shenzhen Wan. These crossings have double names as one is in Cantonese (on the Hong Kong side) and the other is in Mandarin (on the Chinese mainland side).
The Lok Ma Chau/Huanggang and Lo Wu/Luohu crossings are the most popular, as they are connected by metro lines from both Hong Kong and Shenzhen.
