Can you just enter with a US passport/

CP

There is no visa at the airport, or at least there wasn't a couple of years ago. I had to wait two days to get my visa at the China Embassy in Thailand. You can also get it in the U.S, in San Francisco I believe.

Thanks.

NQT (Not Quite True) the Official line is that one needs a visa before entering i.e boarding a plane - Your most authoratitive source will be the nearest consulate or Embassy depending on the passport you carry.

That was where I got my information from upon going to China a couple of years ago. Now I did take a plane as oppose to hike there from Thailand.

Here are some recent URLs - One for UK nationals and one for the US -
http://www.chinese-embassy.org.uk/eng/13876.html

http://www.china-embassy.org/visapassport/english/qz.htm

It seems that if you are on an official visit, your sponsor has to be at the airport - Only then can you arrive at the airport and get a visa.

Anyway be safe and get one in advance. Never hurts

The easy way is to go to Hong Kong. You need no visa to enter. Then when you arrive have a travel agent get you a china visa. One day wait and no hassles

Here is the method I use.
You will be tired after the flight to Asia. If you fly to China, you will either be met by the group you are going to see at the airport or the next morning in your hotel. This is not enough time to rest.

It is best to go to Hong Kong, get a good night's sleep or prowl the bar at the Holiday Inn Golden Mile. The next day cross Nathan road and go to the China Travel Service and they will get a visa for you in one day. You get a day to rest and possibly another night in Hong Kong.

If you need a visa real fast in Hong Kong, take the Star ferry from Kowloon to Wanchai. The red stone building across the streetfrom the ferry, Chinese Cultural Center, has a large Chinese tourist goods store on one side of the building (the Right side looking from the back). There is a side door on the building with an elevador that goes up to the place (Floor 5?) that is run by the Chinese government where everyone gets their visa. You can get a visa here in one hour if you want a simple single entry visa.

If on business you need a letter from someone in China even when you apply for a visa from the USA before you leave.
If it is not business apply with 2 photos, send money and wait.
Remember they will NOT, REPEAT NOT, let you in if your passport has to be renewed within 6 months.

You can get a business visa in Hong Kong without any letters. You still need pictures though. The first time you will get a single or double entry visa

i got a china visa at the chinese consulate in bangkok. 4,400thb fee and it takes 4 business days to get it back. i should note the embassy website said 3,500thb (or close to that) but upon arrival at the embassy it was 4,400thb. and the rates were listed on a white board with eraseable ink. i imagine they may change often. cost an extra 1,200 or 1,500 to get it in 2-3 days. and more if you wanted it in one day.

getting to the embassy is very easy. take the MRT and exit Phra Ram 9 station. use exit 2 (towards true tower) and once you are above ground, walk in the direction of tesco/lotus (easy to see, across the street from you). you'll be walking away from Rama 9 road. after a couple minutes of walking, take the pedestrian overpass (first one you come to) to cross to the other side of the street. once you get to the other side, continue in the same direction as before and embassy is first bldg on your left (walk less than 30 seconds). you have to go down a side street to get to the entryway (lots of activity at the corner so you shouldn't have trouble finding the entry).

18thb/each way from sukhumvit MRT. and don't go on a monday. i did and immediately walked out of the place. it was packed. went back on tues and much better. picked up on a wed and even less people then (but still a tough slog for the guy with no patience).

They simply don't update their website very often. China raised the fee for Americans again last year. What you paid was the correct new fee; the web was the old price.

If you really want to be creative, China actually has a consulate in Tijuana and you can get a visa there as well.

Lomas del Monte #1614 behind Hipódromo de Agua Caliente.

Of course getting a Chinese visa in Tijuana may be grounds for internment is one of China's infamous Mexican swine flu concentration camps.

Convenient for the San Diego crowd.

while in kul i applied for a 6-month (should've checkboxed 2 yrs), multiple-entry tourist visa. received it less than a week later. about 165usd for americans.

if u plan to travel to tibet the visa application ctr can provide u a tel# to call & requires more paperwork, mandatory foreigner permit, etc. if u wanna visit sites other than potala palace in Lhasa, another special foreigner permit is needed. to go to west tibet a military permit is required. to view mt everest fr base camp an additional permit & entry fee must be purchased w/ tour package from accredited chinese travel agency w/ authorized vehicle & insurance, etc. lots of bureaocratic red tape & hoops to jump over.

btw do not bring to china any items such as tour books, magazines, reports, maps, etc showing taiwan, hong kong, or tibet as not part of prc. they will be confiscated.

Zoner, maybe if you flaunt them they might confiscate them, but even then I doubt it unless you look like a subversive. I've never been subject to any kind of inspection except an occasional scan of my luggage going into PRC and have done so many many times (I currently have a multi-entry 1 year visa). First time years ago when I went through China Immigration and Customs, I was scared to death. In fact, they are much easier to go through (assuming you have a legitimate passport and visa) than getting back into the U.S. where secondary inspections of everything are fairly common.