London to China. Access and Visa info please!

[simonhill]

Kazakh and Kyrgyz - visa on arrival..

You just roll up at the border and ask for one?
sounds very civilised.
Apologies if I am being dim.

Exactly right, often considered to be a simple tourist tax as there are often no checks apart from on your cash. Admittedly with better computer systems checks are sometimes now made.

It is also a good opportunity for the Immigration Officials to extract a bit of extra cash out of you. Cambodia is famous for adding a few $s for all sorts of spurious things. Very hard to refuse as they will simply refuse you a visa. One of my favourites is the $2 overtime payment in Lao if you cross at the weekend.

I'd also be interested in how they got their Chinese visa. Some are reporting getting 2 month ones, whereas the norm is only one. I'll also be looking out to see how any future trade and immigration agreements affect getting a Chinese visa.

[mikeduckett]

Re Iran - I am going there in mid October with 5 friends - we have a 'guide'. My friends cycled there last year and a guide cycled with them (PE teacher) - you need to organise the visa through an office tour company as they did.

[willswitchengage]

Kazakh and Kyrgyz - visa on arrival..

You just roll up at the border and ask for one?
sounds very civilised.
Apologies if I am being dim.

Exactly right, often considered to be a simple tourist tax as there are often no checks apart from on your cash. Admittedly with better computer systems checks are sometimes now made.

It is also a good opportunity for the Immigration Officials to extract a bit of extra cash out of you. Cambodia is famous for adding a few $s for all sorts of spurious things. Very hard to refuse as they will simply refuse you a visa. One of my favourites is the $2 overtime payment in Lao if you cross at the weekend.

I'd also be interested in how they got their Chinese visa. Some are reporting getting 2 month ones, whereas the norm is only one. I'll also be looking out to see how any future trade and immigration agreements affect getting a Chinese visa.

My experience may have been a bit more positive than yours! In Kyrgyz we crossed at the ridiculous Pamir Highway crossing and the guards were mainly interesting in soliciting an adventure sticker out of me for their wall (sadly I didn't have any) and they were good humoured. No cash changed hands. Again entering Kazakh a few smiles and handshakes and I avoided a baggage search just by chatting to the guards about my holiday. Weirdly I also found that wearing a European football shirt and having a vague knowledge of the topic can get a rapport going and make official encounters a lot smoother.

Gratuitous bump too as I still intend to travel to China (incl Xinjiang) next year and still am largely in the dark about the visa process. The Russian visa was pretty complex so I got RealRussia to apply for mine and ended up with 100% independent travel. I am largely hoping that a Chinese visa allows independent travel so I can just rock up and leave when I like within the specified dates?

[robing]

Turkmenistan - went last year.

I'd avoid Mongolia if possible, I generally just found it a <i>[inappropriate word removed]</i> country and the locals were very hostile.

Really? That wasn't my experience at all. I spent 3 weeks there this summer. Admittedly it was a supported tour with CTC, but the people were very friendly and hospitable. It's also one of the safest countries in Asia. I found UB safe too.

[robing]

You can get from the UK all the way to Almaty (if you go via Caspian Sea) all either visa free or evisa. This year Uzbekistan has become visa free for UK passport holders - 30 days.

[st599_uk]

The Chinese visa will depend on your employment history and your proposed itinerary.

They'll normally let you in but your visa conditions may make the trip annoying. You may have to give them a daily hotel list and they may check up on you every day (like Russia), or you may be assigned a minder.

[robing]

Re Iran - I am going there in mid October with 5 friends - we have a 'guide'. My friends cycled there last year and a guide cycled with them (PE teacher) - you need to organise the visa through an office tour company as they did.

Am probably going to go to Iran as part of an organised tour in 2021. One thing to bear in mind is a visit to Iran will make it difficult if you plan to visit the USA - you won't be eligible for the visa waiver scheme. Actually it would appear the Iranian authorities now have a policy of not stamping passports in response to these sanctions so might not be a problem.

[simonhill]

The Chinese visa will depend on your employment history and your proposed itinerary.

They'll normally let you in but your visa conditions may make the trip annoying. You may have to give them a daily hotel list and they may check up on you every day (like Russia), or you may be assigned a minder.

Are you sure this info is current?

I went to China on my bike twice, last time was about 8 years ago but I had no controls on me. You do get fully registered at each hotel so they know where you are, but no one stopped me going anywhere (legal). I know my experience is a few years old now, but I haven't heard any problems from cyclists travelling more recently.

The requirement to submit full itinerary does change depending where you get your visa. However with web hotel booking sites it's easy to construct an itinerary and then cancel it. The normal rule is not to mention cycling.

[simonhill]

Below is a post I copied from the Lonely Planet Thorn Tree, made about a month ago.
https://www.lonelyplanet.com/thorntree/ ... fa?page=40

Worth noting is that the old Chinese visa had to be used within 3 months of issue. The new one is valid for 2 years. As it's a 2 year multi entry you only go through the hoops for bookings etc for the application. Subsequent visits aren't checked as you already have a visa.

The post:

I (UK citizen) obtained a Chinese Tourist Visa in London last week. I'd booked flights to Hong Kong and 60 days worth of accommodation (booking.com). I was granted a 2 year, multiple entry visa with a 90 day stay limit. The visa arrived in 3 days. The cost was about £150 (GBP).

I'd previously (about 3 years ago) obtained a tourist visa in Ulaan Baatar on an overground trip from London to Hong Kong. The only tourist visa available in UB was a 30 day single entry visa. It was easy to obtain but needed travel and accommodation bookings. The cost was $50 (US).

So, my lesson learned, is that if you need a more flexible/longer visa then it's still currently better to apply in your country of origin! But if not, it's probably cheaper to get the visa whilst travelling though it'll probably take a few days of "effort".

Hope this helps someone.

[mercalia]

The BBC were refused a visa to take a look at the celebration of Chinas what ever mlestone

[st599_uk]

The Chinese visa will depend on your employment history and your proposed itinerary.

They'll normally let you in but your visa conditions may make the trip annoying. You may have to give them a daily hotel list and they may check up on you every day (like Russia), or you may be assigned a minder.

Are you sure this info is current?

I went to China on my bike twice, last time was about 8 years ago but I had no controls on me. You do get fully registered at each hotel so they know where you are, but no one stopped me going anywhere (legal). I know my experience is a few years old now, but I haven't heard any problems from cyclists travelling more recently.

The requirement to submit full itinerary does change depending where you get your visa. However with web hotel booking sites it's easy to construct an itinerary and then cancel it. The normal rule is not to mention cycling.

Yes, I'm sure.

It depends on your employment history, I had 3 colleagues refused tourist visas for a holiday last year. They had to get a short term visit visa which included far stricter terms on where they could go and the had to meet their minder once per day.

[simonhill]

It would have been helpful to say what their declared occupations were.

Most if not all countries are fussy about giving visas and/or allowing entry to certain people. Countries like China and Burma are concerned about human rights, etc so any savvy traveller knows how to doctor their visa application. Journalists have been no no's for a long time along with certain other professions such as aid workers and researchers.

Obviously if you are going on business then it is more difficult. The BBC reporter Mercalia mentioned was producing a piece about the 70th anniversary of the People's Republic but was also going to mention (and has now) the Tianamen Square massacre, something which is definitely frowned on by the Authorities and would certainly get a visa denied.

No harm in warning people to be cautious with their applications, but most 'normal' people who have had 'normal' lives do not need to worry.

[IrregularIrishman]

Gratuitous bump too as I still intend to travel to China (incl Xinjiang) next year and still am largely in the dark about the visa process. The Russian visa was pretty complex so I got RealRussia to apply for mine and ended up with 100% independent travel. I am largely hoping that a Chinese visa allows independent travel so I can just rock up and leave when I like within the specified dates?

A regular tourist visa (not the short term mentioned above) should still allow independent travel. However, make sure not to mention either Xinjiang or the fact that you are travelling by bicycle. When applying for my visa, I had to book one month worth of hotel bookings (all in tourist cities via Booking.com which I cancelled after I had the visa in hand) and have a (doctored) flight itinerary showing my flights in and out in of the country. Once you have the visa in hand you can cross at any international border by bicycle.

I should add that I did apply in Ulaanbaatar in October 2015 but the process should still be the same even if you are applying for a two year visa in your home country, especially regarding not mentioning Xinjiang or travelling by bicycle.

Additionally, if you have a Turkish stamp in your passport your visa may be denied as has been a regular occurrence over the last few months. This is due to the Chinese clampdown on the Uighirs. Due to this clampdown, cycling in Xinjiang has also become heavily restricted. Over the last year police have been forcing cyclists into their cars, and taking them to cities with approved tourist hotels. This post gives a small snippet of the situation:
https://www.crazyguyonabike.com/forum/b ... 863478&v=C

Post by robing » 29 Sep 2019, 8:51am

willswitchengage wrote:
Turkmenistan - went last year.

I'd avoid Mongolia if possible, I generally just found it a <i>[inappropriate word removed]</i> country and the locals were very hostile.


Really? That wasn't my experience at all. I spent 3 weeks there this summer. Admittedly it was a supported tour with CTC, but the people were very friendly and hospitable. It's also one of the safest countries in Asia. I found UB safe too.

Also, unfortunately I have to agree with willswitchengage here, Mongolia has been gaining a bad reputation among independent touring cyclists and motorbikers. Most tourists to Mongolia only visit the countryside as part of organised tours, with a local guide, meaning they are never targeted. Therefore most leave with a good impression of the country and state how safe it is.

In reality, if you are traversing the countryside on your own, you are very vulnerable and there is a good chance you will be targeted. In the last few years there are a group of bandits that operate near the Russian border that have robbed a lot of the independent motorbikers passing through, now even attempting to ram them off the road in their cars! I was unfortunately attacked by one of these bandits who had invited me into this family home. I had heard about how safe Mongolia was and trusted this man and his family and was nearly killed because of it. The full details on this group can be found here: https://www.horizonsunlimited.com/hubb/ ... vice-82979

Additionally, I have a friend who was attacked in the countryside by three men who jumped out of their car and tried to beat him with sticks. I know of several people who had their bicycles robbed from outside their tents, two RTW tandemists were robbed at knifepoint when their tent was discovered earlier this year, and then there was the recent story of a British paraglider who was stabbed to death for his wallet in the countryside.

I would also highly recommend reading a female viewpoint on independent cycling in Mongolia. I found this post very well put together. It is incredible that she was even punched on two occasions by men looking to fight her: https://annewestwards.com/2016/10/the-d ... -mongolia/

And just in case you believe any of the above is hyperbole, I did a three year RTW cycle and found the vast majority of countries quite safe, including those that would traditionally be considered more dangerous - Iran, Colombia, South Africa etc. Unfortunately, I found Mongolia as an independent traveller much more dangerous than any of these.

[robing]

fair enough - I bow to your greater knowledge. Obviously a guided CTC tour is a world away from what you did. We only went from the Gobi up to the centre and then back to UB, not the wild west. We did encounter one aggressive native who thought we scared his horses on our bikes and proceeded to ride his horse at us, but our guides soon sent him packing.
I thought Jenny Graham who set the record for solo female RTW said Mongolia was one of her favourite countries.

[simonhill]

Interesting post irregirish.

My 3 Chinese visas were all obtained abroad in the good old days. Hong Kong in the 80s just after they started doing independent ones and then two in Bangkok in the 2009&10. Those last 2 were a doddle, fill in a form, give it to a travel agent with £25 and 3 days later a visa. Minimal questions on the form and no evidence required. Travel as you like and easily extendable for another 30 days. There was also an easy fiddle to get a 6 month student visa from a Chinese college after a day or two studying. As I said, the good old days.

The Beijing Olympics saw a beginning of an end to all that as the Chinese Govt clamped down, then further reacting to harsh rules by Western Govts, brought reciprocal conditions. (Edited)

However, the new 2 year visa is a bit of an anomaly as from what I can work out you only need supply all that info on application for first trip. After that you are free to enter within the 2 year period for up to 90 days. Almost worth a week's hols in Hainan to get it.

Personally, the whole Stans thing has never appealed to me. Again in the old days when that was all part of Russia, the normal route was South via Iran, Pakistan and India. I know that Iran and Pak are out now, but why is India ignored nowadays. I s'pose the purist want to cycle all the way, but missing out on India is missing one of the most fascinating countries in the world. Also you can now cycle across Burma to link up with SEAsia. Six month visa for India, online visa for Burma and free entry to Thailand. Why look for walls to bang your head against.