Anyone doing a Mongolian exit stamp run?
- Joined: Jul 26th, 2010
- Posts: 3
I'm new to China, on a tourist visa, but I'd like to get an exit stamp and then come back in. I heard that people go to mongolia to get an exit stamp and then come back in the same day. The whole thing, from Beijing to Mongolia and then back to Beijing, takes about 2 days and costs about 3-400 yuan. Does anyone else need to do this? If so, I'd love to team up. I've never done it before, but I think I'm going to try it this coming weekend. Does anyone have any advice?
I'm going to follow this guide, but it was published in 2008, so I wonder if anything has changed since then: http://thruchina.lunetours.com/blog/how-to-1/
delavue
Re: Anyone doing a Mongolian exit stamp run?
I did the Mongolia visa run a little over six months ago, and I'm planning on doing it again in about two weeks. When I went, it wasn't that difficult, but border laws/situations change frequently. If you are an American citizen, it's quite easy since you do not need a visa and are quickly ushered into the country. (This hasn't changed, as far as I've checked.) The only snag I reached was a bit of confused gesturing and perplexed looks once in Mongolia as I tried to immediately cross back into China. There is positively nothing on the Mongolian side except for abandoned trains. As far as I know, everything is still the same.
If you speak Chinese, it's easy to get around Erlian, but beware of some unscrupulous characters. Bring a book or wander the very interesting local markets if you have time to kill.
talonflade
Re: Anyone doing a Mongolian exit stamp run?
Thanks for your reply delavue. I'm American, so hopefully it'll be as easy as you say. Do you take the K3 train when you go? or do go by bus?
delavue
Re: Anyone doing a Mongolian exit stamp run?
Buses are more frequent, but any form of transport that goes to Erlian is fine. Prices are around 150RMB one way. Good luck!
chaofan
Re: Anyone doing a Mongolian exit stamp run?
If money is a big concern then I guess that is easy enough way but if you want a little trip do as I did and fly into Shenzhen ( a much better city ) take a quick 15-20 minute bus to the HK border, walk in, get stamped, turn around and go back to Shenzhen. Easy, no looks, tropical weather even in winter, cheap hotels or fly back home the same day.
Maq86
Re: Anyone doing a Mongolian exit stamp run?
doing an exit stamp run next week if anyone is intersted in coming with, leaving sometime between monday & wedensday. Oh also, i read somewhere on this forum about the government giving you some kind of grace period. I was 3 days over last time, and I didnt get a fine, not even get a scowl, just them asking eachother " hey do americans need a mongolia visa ?" ill try to find out what the official stance is on this 10 day grace-period none-sense.
Monkey King
Re: Anyone doing a Mongolian exit stamp run?
I'm glad I probably won't ever have to do one of these "visa runs".
What I'm wondering, though, are you all that busy that you'll go all that way only to return as soon as you get your stamp?
I'd try to make a little vacation out of it, I think; get my money's worth. Hong Kong and Mongolia are both entertaining enough to spend 2-3 days, or even more, after all.
I don't know, maybe I've just got way too much idle time on my hands.
Happy New Year 2Bi! I hereby grant you early release for a month of good behavior.
Don't violate your parole though, naughty naughty!
Maq86
Re: Anyone doing a Mongolian exit stamp run?
There is nothing more exiciting than a "visa run" it's nice to break out of the mundane day-to-day existense & make a run for the border, taco-bell style. Now if only I could find a bean burrito in Mongolia, that would make the entire trip worth it.
talonflade
Re: Anyone doing a Mongolian exit stamp run?
Well, i did the run. It was quite exciting and not a big hassle. I met a guy on the boarder who offered to take me over for the low low price of 120 kuai. I laughed at him, but he stuck around apparently so he could flag down a cute girl. I explained that i wasn't paying 120, but he stayed around and we smoked a few cigarettes. He ended up taking 50 and then loaded me with the cute girl and a woman into a car that took us across.
I had to explain to the chinese boarder patrol that americans didn't need mongolian visas. Apparently, they didn't know that. He said in perfect english "You don't have mongolian visa; please go back to our land."
I said "Americans don't need mongolian visa to enter mongolia," and at this point the cute girl, who was Japanese and spoke Mongolian, took over and somehow explained I just needed the exit stamp and the boarder patrol agreed and gave me the stamp. So i met the car that i paid 50 kuai for and got back in with the girl and the woman. They took me across and after some extensive conversation between the girl and the mongolian boarder person, i was allowed in, went to the other side of the building, waited bedhind a throng of maybe 100 mongolians entering china, and was stamped back in. No problem. It was actually pretty fun.
Once bol for me, then drive, then you, and thereby motioned myself into another car for 50 kuai with an old man and his family, who took me across the boarder.
I took a taxi from the boarder to the bus station and then I took a taxi back to Beijing with 4 other guys, paid 200. On the way we stopped in a small village and ate lunch and it was some of the best food i had had. I paid 30 kuai because i ordered chick, but the other guys paid for everything else. Even though i only speak about 5 chinese words, I really had no difficulty.
Overall, i paid less than 700 kuai. 150 for the sleeper seat on the train, 125 for the hotel, about 100 or so for drinks and food and taxis on the train and in mongolia, 100 for the cars across the boarder, and then 200 for the taxi home and 30 for lunch. I think next time i can do better, but overall, I consider it a success because it was cheaper than a plane ticket. It took 2 days. Left beijing at 7:45am wednesday, got home 8 pm the next day.
I think i might do the shenzhen run next time i need to renew the visa, but it was a great time and they had dinosaurs in erlian, which made the whole thing worth it. (Don't believe me about the dinosaurs? you gotta check it out for yourself.)
lijia
Re: Anyone doing a Mongolian exit stamp run?
I just got back from this visa run by flying from Beijing to Erlian. I've written up a guide here for anyone that wants all the specific details. In short, fly one way for Y160-260, take a black cab back, all in one day (16 hours).
lambaa
Re: Anyone doing a Mongolian exit stamp run?
how in the name of burning hell did you get a flight from beijing to erlian for that little? its 780 yuan one way for the cheapest i found, even booked two or three months in advance....
行者无藏
chaofan
Re: Anyone doing a Mongolian exit stamp run?
Just read your write up, very interesting since I need to do this procedure sometime in May. I think I will go with the Shenzhen route, your write up is good with great details but your trip seemed to go perfectly, nothing wrong at all, very lucky, but I see many chances for things to go wrong on that Mongolia run, little risky but I am chicken, the Shenzhen run was alot more expensive but also very safe and super super easy!
My Shenzhen write up, take a flight to Shenzhen airport, get off the plane and board a bus to Hong Kong right outside of the airport, forgot the price but very cheap. Get off the bus which takes you right to the boarder crossing, enter, get stamped going in, do u-turn, get stamped going out, back on the bus or taxi and get a flight back to Beijing. So so simple, no haggling for prices getting into black cabs or strange trucks. (sorry, no dinosaurs) Price of the plane ticket sucks, your looking at about 2000rmb round trip.
chaofan
Re: Anyone doing a Mongolian exit stamp run?
Oh, I forgot to mention the weather, it is great there, the bus trip from the airport to the boarder takes you through lush green vegatation, Shenzhen is like Florida or Hawaii, very tropical and green, palm trees and lots of green everywhere. Just the sunshine, fresh air and green vegatation is the worth the trip out of Beijing!