China

[Pete471]

Hi
Can someone advise how easy is it to get a visa for China and Tibet when you're on the road. The Chinese website tells me I need to apply 3 months prior to entry, and I need a permanent residence.
As I'll be on the road somewhere - possibly Nepal or Pakistan, can a NZ passport holder get a visa from either of these countries to get into China please.
Thanks
Pete O'Keeffe

 

[El-Dracho]

Hi
Can someone advise how easy is it to get a visa for China and Tibet when you're on the road. The Chinese website tells me I need to apply 3 months prior to entry, and I need a permanent residence.
As I'll be on the road somewhere - possibly Nepal or Pakistan, can a NZ passport holder get a visa from either of these countries to get into China please.
Thanks
Pete O'Keeffe

I don't know the latest status regarding crossing China with your own vehicle and whether a guide is still mandatory. Many overlanders have formed a group in the past to reduce the cost of paperwork.

I think our member @Sea Diamond , who is based in China and travels there frequently, can give you some valuable information on this.

 

[Pete471]

I don't know the latest status regarding crossing China with your own vehicle and whether a guide is still mandatory. Many overlanders have formed a group in the past to reduce the cost of paperwork.

I think our member @Sea Diamond , who is based in China and travels there frequently, can give you some valuable information on this.

Excellent - thank you for your reply. @Sea Diamond if you see this can you let me know your thoughts please
Many thanks
Pete

 

[Diamond_king999]

Hey! When I went to China for a day tour with China Private Tours & Local Tour Guides the process was smooth, but I applied for my visa beforehand. From what I know, you can get a Chinese visa in Nepal—Kathmandu has a Chinese consulate that travelers use often. Just plan for a few days for processing. Tibet requires a special permit on top of the visa, and that's usually handled by your tour operator in advance. Good luck!

 

[socal66]

This is a real good question that I am also interested in. It has been my understanding that it is very difficult to impossible for foreigners to enter China with their vehicle and drive there without going through a lot of process and logistics that all but discourages that from happening. Ideally I would like to travel there for an extended period of time and also be able to connect to Mongolia and a couple of the Stans on the west side of the country as well. I have really given up on that idea based on what I information I have found regarding Chinese regulations on this. Now I am just planning on renting an off-road vehicle in Mongolia to only tour that country.

 

[Sea Diamond]

Hi guys

Not sure how much advice I can offer here but a self driving tour would be a difficult undertaking, especially entering into Tibet (XiZang) from outside of China. There is a tour company that is located in Lhasa that could possibly assist:
www.tibettravel.org
But what I can confirm, touring here over the years has been an amazing experience in every way.