I was down there on the 21st. Got a 6 month multi F visa. I emailed Cordelion the details of what the asked for each visa.

Be warned, the queue is massive!

HK. I PM'd you details.

what sort of documents did you have to get the 6 month f visa?

Hey... I'm leaving on Monday for HK to get an L visa, which i will have a friends friends visa service switch into a Z in Beijing. What documents are they REQUIRING now, and what kind of b.s. am i going to have to put up with down there? I would really appreciate the help guys.... if this doesn't go right, then its back to the U.S. for me (and i will only have 3 days before i have to leave! EEEK! Feel free to send me the details in a PM Thanks everyone. I'll let everyone know how it went and what to expect when i get back on wednesday!

Do you really have to show them hotel and flight bookings? I know they said that when i came here from the United States, but they never actually asked me to show them the stuff. If it is true.... anyone know ways to get around it? Would a bus ticket to inner mongolia work?

but what about hotels? do i also need hotel bookings?

Well... if im going to book a hotel room for a night, then i also need to find a girl to share it with... well at least in China that isn't so hard ... haha just kidding.

well here's my deal... im not actually on the lease, but my roommate is chinese and he takes care of the bills and stuff.

Now about this letter.... does it also have to be notarized? Any idea on what to say?

hey man.... by the way i really appreciate you helping me out, visavent. Its good to see all the laowai helping each other out like this in these shitty times in beijing. Ill post up on wednesday when i get back and let everyone know whats up in HK.

Just spoke to someone who just got a 3 month L visa in HK. They can stay all the way through the Olympics to Septmeber. No issues at the border at Shenzhen.

Just go to the psb with your wife and marriage proof and you'll be given a one year multi entry indefinitely renewable L visa. You have no worries it's very easy

Exactly. Not as easy as everyone has made it out to be.

The problem seems to lie with the F visa. Does anyone have suggestions or real experience with changing an F to an L visa RECENTLY?

visavent: did you go to the HK office in Wanchai or in Macau?

anyone been there in the last week? not sure that April rules apply to May...

when are you planning on making the run? i'm trying to decide whether it would be better to go there or to take a trip to Japan for a week and try there.

I had absolutely no problem changing F to L. United States passport. The thing is, they are (as far as I know) only issued 1 month 1 entry L visas through hong-kong. The person in front of me applied for a 6 month, and he got a 1 (poor bastard haha). He has a house in Shenzhen too, and he is an ABC.

I asked the window lady and she said that they only were issuing 1 month L visas. If you get another one, then maybe its your lucky day, but i wouldn't depend on anybodies advice saying that they got 3 month L visas through HK.

Also, I HEARD that the agents in HK can only do 15 day L. Your best bet is to go to the embassy.

Oh yes, and be prepared to see an argument in the embassy.... i saw 2 or 3 in the hour that i stood in line to pick up my visa.

They DEFINITELY need flight/train/buss tickets (exit-country only) and hotel bookings

And please, be NICE to them It's not those poor people's fault :)

Oh yes... hotel bookings can be fake... you can have a chinese friend hlep you make hotel bookings on a "pay as you arrive" basis.

Travel agents can make fake flight bookings, if u can speak chinese go to a travel agent and they might help you mine saved me 300 RMB because he didn't want the hassle of me refunding the ticket as soon as i got back to HK.

at least for me I don't care how long the L visa is because I can change it when I get back to the mainland for a spousal L visa. Just as long as I can get the L in any form I'm happy.

Thanks for the note. I'm planning on flying this sunday and starting on monday. Hopefully out on Tuesday night.

Bah, probably just because your prime minister can speak chinese. Your head of state is called prime minister in australia, right? (stupid question... but better to ask than remain ignorant)