Visa tips

Dear all,

Here is the visa information you need to know before the trip.

Foreigners visiting China are required to get a visa. We will process these for everyone, but you'll need to supply us with your valid passport (it should be valid at least through January 2013). You'll also need to complete this form:

http://losangeles.china-consulate.org/eng/visa/forms/P020110615059220818410.pdf

(you may be prompted to download and install Japanese/Chinese fonts for Adobe reader in order to display the form)

The visa application form is much longer than a year ago. Partly this is because the government would like to be better able to act in case of an emergency, partly it is simply a match for the sort of questions Chinese visitors to the US need to provide, and partly it is because the government is increasingly security conscious.

Type in all of the required information, sign the form, and give it, your passport, and two passport photos to us by the required date. You can get passport photos fairly inexpensively at Costco.

Visas are not required for American citizens to make short visits to Taiwan, but we'll provide the Taipei Economic and Cultural Office which is supporting our trip with the photos and information.

Some notes for the PRC form:

You'll need to use the Chinese dating system: YEAR - MONTH - DAY.

1.3 not necessary, 1.4 not necessary unless you have previously visited China under another name, 1.5 not necessary; 1.11 not necessary; 1.13 teacher; 1.14 ordinary; 1.19 regular

2.1 tourism
2.3 date of first entry (it's no problem if this changes): 2012-06-26
2.4 18 days
2.5 various hotels: Beijing, Datong, Xi'an, Chongqing, Shanghai
2.6 other - combination of my own funds, support from Freeman Foundation
2.7 medical insurance: yes
2.8 Clayton Dube, tour leader - 15216702472

3.1 -3.5 please complete
3.6 If you're using a family member as the emergency contact, you should put that person's name down here as well.
3.7 and 3.8 please complete this

4.1 only one or two members of the group have to deal with this, but put in whatever the dates your passport stamps show
4.2 for this application, put in anything that shows in your passport, including Taiwan or Hong Kong
4.3-7 hopefully the truthful answer to each of these is no

6.1-2 sign and date the form

Print it out and give it to us with the other information. If you can, please bring it, your passport, and two photos with you to the orientation on 4/14.