Visa regulation for Hainan Island

A special entry policy is available in Hainan Island (Hainan Special Economic Zone). Hainan enjoys more flexible and convenient policies in visa arrangement than any other provinces or cities in China excluding Hong Kong, Macau and Taiwan. There are 3 kinds of visa which are available for your stay in Hainan Island:

1/ Valid Chinese Visa (individual or group visa) arranged before your arrive to Hainan:

A Chinese Visa is a permit issued by the Chinese visa authorities to an alien for entry into, exit from or transit through China. The Chinese visa authorities may issue a Diplomatic, Courtesy, Service or Ordinary Visa to an alien according to his status, purpose of visit to China or passport type. The Ordinary Visa consists of eight sub-categories, which are all respectively marked with Chinese phonetic letters C, D, F, G, J-1, J-2,L, X and Z. Tourists can obtain individual or group visas (L type) - issued to an alien who comes to China for sightseeing, family visiting or other private purposes - from Chinese embassies and consulates, or China Travel Service offices in Hong Kong, usually within a day or two. Most tourists are included in group visas, which are not inserted into passports. For individual travelers, single-entry visas are valid for a period of 3 months. For business people and other regular visitors, there are multiple-entry visas good for 6 months at the time.

2/ Hainan Group Visa (also a type of Chinese visa):

Entry and exit only with your valid and actual passport, available for travel group of 5 persons or more. It is arranged ahead of time with the help of a Hainan-based travel agency.

How can I apply for a Hainan group visa if I want to travel to Hainan?

First, please make sure you can match following requirements according to the Hainan visa regulation:

- Your first stop to China will be Haikou Meilan Airport, Sanya Phoenix Airport. You will not stop or transit through any other Chinese city with the exception of Hong Kong, Macau or Taiwan.

- Your passport must have at least six months validity left before expiration date and at least one blank page left in it.

- Your nationality in your passport should be from one of the 21 following countries: Japan, Korea, Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, Philippines, Indonesia, Germany, England, France, Austria, Italy, Russia, Switzerland, Sweden, Holland, Australia, New Zealand, Canada, USA, and Spain.

- You must travel in a group of 5 persons or more. Travel group in group visa refers to a group which will arrive and leave Hainan at the same time and same port for travel purposes.

Second, prior to departure, give your information to international travel services in Hainan, whose registrations have been approved by the National Tourism Administration: Your necessary information should include: family name, given name, sex, date of birth, nationality, passport number, occupation, validity period of passport, arrival and departure dates to and from Hainan, departure & arrival cities, flight number. Once Hainan qualified travel agency get these pieces of information, they will prepare formal files for group visa and show it to customs (emigration Bureau) during your check in/out.

How long are Hainan group visas valid for? How much it cost?

Group visas are valid for 15 days (including the time of arrival and exit). We charge 5 USD per person for the group visa arrangements. It is free of charge for any travel group of more than 50 persons.

Can there be any problem for my departure since I can only get visa when my arrival at Hainan?

Usually, Hainan local travel agency will send you their invitation letter with formal signature by mail or fax. Necessary information required for invitation letters include your name, date of birth, nationality, passport number, occupation, validity period of passport, arrival and departure dates to and from Hainan, departure & arrival cities, flight number. Please double check with your local customs or emigration bureau to make sure there is no problem for your departure from the airport with the invitation letter and your original passport.

3/ Hainan landing visa (also a type of Chinese visa):

Entry and exit only with your valid and actual passport, available for individual travelers. It is arranged when you arrive in Hainan.

How can I apply for a Hainan landing visa if I want to travel to Hainan?

First, make sure you can match the following requirements according to Hainan Visa Regulation:

- Your first stop to China will be Haikou Meilan Airport, Sanya Phoenix Airport. You will not stop or transit through any other Chinese city with the exception of Hong Kong, Macau or Taiwan.

- Your passport must have at least six months validity left and at least one blank page left in it.

- You must originate from any country which has established diplomatic or official relationship with China (excluding the USA).

Second, apply for landing visa after your get off the aircraft. After you get off the aircraft, please go directly to the office of public security bureau in the airport, who will arrange the landing visa for you. You just give your original passport to officials to check and fill in a "visa & residence application form". It will take 10-20 minutes to complete the procedures. Usually only English speaking service is available in the airport. Simply ask your local international travel agency for assistance in advance if other language services are needed.

How long Hainan landing visa valid and how much it cost?

Landing visas are valid for 15 days. Any one who needs to stay longer may apply for an extension of their visa. The airport office will charge 20-30 USD per person for the landing visa depending on your nationality. This amount is to be paid in USD.

Can there be any problem for my departure since I can only get visa when my arrival at Hainan?

Usually, Hainan local travel agency will send you their invitation letter with formal signature by mail or fax. Necessary information required for invitation letters include your name, date of birth, nationality, passport number, occupation, validity period of passport, arrival and departure dates to and from Hainan, departure & arrival cities, flight number. Please double check with your local customs or emigration bureau to make sure there is no problem for your departure from the airport with the invitation letter and your passport.

Which kind of form should I fill in when I enter or exit Hainan airports?

For your arrival, you should complete a health declaration form on entry/exit. You should also complete an entry card and a luggage declaration form (for incoming passengers). For your departure, you should complete a departure card and a luggage declaration form (for outgoing passengers).

Health and Emergency

Any trip which involves a change of climate and diet can lead to difficulties in physical adjustment. One should take along usual medicines, such as those for colds, diarrhea and constipation, though they are available at local drugstores and pharmacies. Those who take special medicine on a regular basis should be sure to carry an adequate supply with them. It is advisable to avoid, not boiled water and raw or under cooked meat. Medical treatment in China is usually very inexpensive and drugstores and pharmacies are numerous in all major cities. Many medicines, however, are only labeled in Chinese and store staff is not guaranteed to speak English.

Emergency Numbers

For emergency services in China, dial: 114, for local directory assistance, 113 for long distance assistance, 115 for international assistance, 110 for the police hotline, 119 for the fire hotline, 112 for medical aid.

Currency

RMB is the sole legitimate currency of the People's Republic of China. The basic unit of RMB is yuan, which is divided into 10 jiao, which is again divided into 10 fen although the fen are rarely used in transactions today. RMB paper notes include: 1,2,5,10,50,100 yuan, and the smaller 1,2,5 mao. There are also 1,2,5 yuan, 1,2,5 mao and 1,2,5 fen coins. Currency exchange centers sponsored by the Bank of China can be found in airports, hotels and tourist stores. The exchange rate fluctuates with international market conditions. You should keep the form you fill in when changing money, because you will need to show it when you change RMB back into foreign currency. Most exchange centers and banks are open seven days a week from 9 am to 5 pm.

Hygiene and Vaccinations

Foreign tourists are required to fill in a cursory Health Declaration Form upon arrival. Recommended vaccinations for prolonged stay are influenza, tetanus, hepatitis B, tuberculosis, Japanese encephalitis B, gamma globulin and polio. The best policy in China is the same as other destinations, and caution should be exercised with regards to food, water, beverages and hygiene. Useful items to consider taking along on your trip include general antibiotics such as tetracycline, antacid tablets or Pepto Bismol to be taken before or after meals and insect repellent in the summer. Toilets off the beaten tourist track tend to be primitive so it is useful to bring along your own sanitary necessities when venturing outside your hotel.

Climate and Clothing

China's climate from year-round tropical heat in Hainan to Siberian conditions in the far north and classic desert weather in the far west. Clothing is usually dictated by the weather. In winter it is a good idea to wear layers of garments - thermal or silk underwear with a sweater and padded jacked - so as to be able to strip down when necessary. Padded jacked and wool-lined boots, in all sizes and styles, are among China's best buys. For warm climes, clothes should be casual and designed for comfort, without being too revealing. Slacks are still the norm for women in China, and are recommended for strenuous sightseeing. The Chinese are generally conservative in their dress, favoring dark colors. In recent years, the Western coat and tie have become popular. As always, comfortable walking shoes or sneakers are recommended for visiting many historic spots as a fair amount of walking is often required.

Language

In China, both Chinese Mandarin and English are the language of business. Foreigners traveling to China for business purposes can usually communicate with the Chinese merchants in simple English. Tourists should remember, however, that Mandarin is the official language of China and most Chinese outside of major cities and tourist destinations do not speak English with any degree of fluency. Foreign travelers should therefore be prepared for the occasional inconvenience.

Credit cards and ATMs

At present the Bank of China accepts Master Card, American Express, Dynasty, Visa, JCB and Diners Club cards. Travellers may use these cards to draw cash over the exchange counters in China's banks, make purchases or pay bills at large department stores, restaurants and hotels in more than 100 major cities in China and on Hainan. A surcharge of 2 per cent is always charged for card transactions. ATMs can be found in many major hotels.

Postal Service

Postal services are usually provided at hotel desks. Large hotels have mail boxes and sell stamps for letters, post cards and parcels. Post offices, with eye-catching green emblems, are usually found on main streets, at railway stations, the airport and major scenic spots. They are open seven days a week from 9 am to 3 pm. A letter costs 0.8 yuan within China. Letter mailed trough mail boxes with yellow caps are delivered faster than ordinary services although no extra postage is needed. Stamps in China have no adhesive backing, so you will need to glue them onto envelopes. Glue is usually provided free of charge at post office.

Telephone

Direct phones are very common in China. Usually you can easily call from your room in a hotel, or go to a public telephone booth by street. In some large cities, you can now buy IP phone cards which can save a considerable amount of money. Large hotels, post offices and telecommunication centers provide telegram and telex services.