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Visa-related Issues
Q: What type of visa do I need to apply for when visiting Taizhou?
A: The Chinese Government issues different types of visas according to the purpose of the visit. Foreigners wishing to simply travel in China should apply to a local Chinese embassy or consulate for tourist visas (L). In the event of a group tour of more than nine persons, the organizer has to apply for group tourist visas (L). Business visitors should apply for the business visit visa (F). Those who come for study or temporary employment should apply for student visas (X) or temporary residency visas (Z).
Q: What do I need to prepare when applying for a visa?
A: When applying for a visa, foreigners are required to answer certain questions and go through different formalities depending on their visa type. All visitors however, must provide the following:
- Provide a valid passport or legally recognized substitute.
- Fill in a visa application form and hand in recent passport photos. Download the Visa Application Form (PDF)
- Submit documents needed for visa application and documents that explain reasons to enter China.
Q: Are there any Health Requirements?
A: Special vaccinations are required, but those who have travelled from an infected area before coming to China should have vaccination records available for a Health Declaration form upon arrival.
Note: Don't forget to ask the hotel whether the tap water is drinkable or not. Tourists are recommended to drink bottled water when they travel in China.
Q: Do I need to apply for a visa again after leaving and re-entering China?
A: Yes, you have to apply for another visa when you need to leave and re-enter Mainland China. Please check with any Chinese embassy or consulate for the latest status.
Q: What are the entry and exit regulations in China?
A: When arriving in China from abroad, foreigners may need to go through procedures such as a quarantine check, frontier inspection and luggage check, just as in other countries. The departure is somewhat easier; travelers only need to fill in Exit Registration Cards and have their passports and visas checked.
Q. Which items have restricted Inbound and Outbound regulations?
A: Cigarettes/ Cigars/ Tobacco Products Duty Free Allowance:
For inbound: 400 cigarettes if staying less than 6 months; 600 cigarettes if staying more than 6 months. For outbound: 4 cartons of tobacco products.
Alcoholic Beverages Duty Free Allowance:
For inbound: 2 bottles each not exceeding 0.75 liter if staying less than 6 months;
4 bottles each not exceeding 0.75 liter if staying more than 6 months.
Chinese Herbs & Patent Medicines:
For outbound: Max. 300 Yuan per person to foreign countries. Max. 150 Yuan per person to Hong Kong, Macao. Exceeding the limit on musk and other Chinese herbs and medicines is prohibited.
Gifts Items Duty Free Allowance:
For inbound: reasonable quantity of perfume for personal use
Gold, Silver & Ornaments:
For inbound: amount not exceeding 50 grams. Exporting any of these purchased items (including handicrafts of inlaid gold/silver ware) is only allowed with special invoices issued by PRC.
Cultural Relics:
Items for export should be sent to the cultural administrative departments first for verification and issuing of invoice permits or export licenses.
Electronic Appliances:
For inbound: One each of the following items is allowed: Camera, portable tape-recorder, portable cinecamera, portable video camera, portable computer.
Prohibited Articles:
For inbound: Arms, imitation arms, ammunition, explosives of all kinds, counterfeit currencies/negotiable securities, printed matter, films, photos, gramophone records, cinematographic films, loaded recording tapes/video-tapes, CDs (video & audio), storage media for computers, articles which are detrimental to the political, economic, cultural and moral interest of China. Deadly poisons of all kinds. Opium, morphine, heroin, marijuana, other addiction- inducing drugs and psychedelics. Animals, plants and/or products made thereof infected with or carrying diseases
Export: is the same as prohibited articles for import. Manuscripts, printed matter, films, photos, gramophone records, cinematographic films, loaded recording tapes/video tapes, CDs (video & audio), storage media for computers and other articles which involve state secrets, valuable cultural relics and other relics prohibited for exports Endangered or rare animals, plant (including specimens, seeds and/or reproducing materials).
Remember: All the receipts of the valuable articles, such as jewelry, jade, gold and silver ornaments, handicrafts, artifacts, paintings and calligraphy, bought in China should be kept for the exit check. Antiques are not permitted to leave China without the proper "Certificates for the Export of Cultural Relics" from the Chinese Authorities.
Your Rights
Q: What lawful rights, interests and obligations are foreigners entitled to in China?
A: The General Principles of the Constitution of PRC indicate that "the People's Republic of China protects the lawful rights and interests of foreigners within Chinese territory, and while on Chinese territory foreigners must abide by the law of the People's Republic of China."
Within Chinese territory, the legitimate rights and interests of foreign visitors are protected by the People's Republic of China. The freedom of foreign visitors is as inviolable as that of the Chinese nationals. Similar to nationals, all foreign visitors must abide by the law of the People's Republic of China. Any activities that disrupt public order, threaten public security, or infringe upon the interests of the state, the society or the collective are punished according to the laws of China.
Within the period of their visas, foreign visitors can freely travel to the areas open to foreigners. They should, however, respect the traditions and customs of local areas. Those who want to visit areas that are not open to foreigners should apply for a Foreigners Travel Permit from the local public security bureau. Only after the approval is granted, can they enter the area legally.
Q: How do foreigners go about protecting their rights and interests?
A: The People's Republic of China protects the lawful rights and interests of foreigners within Chinese territory. You have the right to complain to us (Tourism Jiangsu) or any of the city tourism bureaus in Jiangsu, when:
- Your travel agents, hotels or other travel operators offer you poor service or do not follow the agreements or contracts you have with them.
- The guides or other travel staff extorts money from you.
- You are injured, or your baggage is damaged or lost due to the fault of the travel operators.
Also, all large tourist cities have hot lines for tourists to voice their complaints. Most of the complainants are satisfied with the verdicts, which are determined after thorough investigations and verification of facts.
Money Matters
Q: What currency is used in China?
A: The Chinese currency is called Renminbi (people's currency) and is often abbreviated to RMB. The basic unit is the yuan. Ten jiao make one yuan; 10 fen make one jiao; and thus 100 fen make one yuan. You can check the latest currency exchange rate at http://www.gocurrency.com or use our widget.
Currency Converter
Q: Where can I change my money into Chinese Yuan?
A: You can exchange traveler's checks or cash in most banks and hotels.
Q: Are Credit Cards Accepted?
A: Many hotels and shops accept major credit cards. No surcharge will be levied for credit card use.
Q: Can I open a bank account in China?
A: Foreigners can indeed open bank accounts in China, both Chinese RMB and US dollar accounts (the latter only in special foreign exchange banks). It’s not necessary to have resident status in China; a tourist visa is sufficient.
Others
Q: Can I bring any electrical appliances to Taizhou?
A: Yes, as long as they're compatible with local electrical voltage. Electrical appliances will require an adapter that can change the shape of the plug prongs, as well as an electrical voltage converter that will allow a normal 110-volt American appliance to take 220 Volt Chinese current. Throughout China 220 volt is used, although 4 & 5-star hotels are wired for use of 110-volt electrical appliances. Most hotels have a hair-dryer in each room.
Q: Am I allowed to bring my medication to Taizhou with me?
A: Yes, we do suggest that you take some common medicines with you. However, the containers should be clearly marked with the generic name of the medication, and you might also want to bring along a prescription for the medication to show that you legally use it.
Q: Are there any useful and emergency telephone numbers in Taizhou?
A: The following is some commonly-used telephone numbers you may find helpful:
110 for Police
119 for Fire
120 for Emergency
Other Numbers:
113 for Long Distance Operator
114 for Directory Inquiries and information
115 for International Operator
116 for Long Distance Inquiries
117 for Time
121 for Weather
Q: When are the national holidays?
A: China has many holidays, and unlike other nations, some of the dates change. Official National Holidays, however, do not:
January 1 - New Year's Day (1 day off)
Late January and Early February - Chinese New Year (The first day of the first month on the Chinese Lunar Calendar, 3 days off)
May 1-3 - International Labor Day (3 days off)
October 1-3 - National Day (3 days off)
Q: What’s the baggage allowance on domestic Chinese flights?
A: Carry-on Luggage
Passengers traveling first class that hold adult or child tickets are permitted to carry on two pieces of hand baggage. For business or economy class passengers, only one piece of carry-on baggage is allowed. Your hand baggage should be less than five kilograms (about 11 pounds) in total and any piece must have dimensions no larger than 20×40×55 centimeters (8×16×22 inches). Any items that exceed these criteria are treated as checked luggage.
Checked Luggage Allowance
Except for infant ticket holders, passengers who hold an adult or half-price ticket (for a child) are allowed to take a certain amount of checked luggage for free. The limitations are shown below:
| Cabin Class |
Maximum Total Weight |
Maximum number of items |
| First Class (F) |
40 kilograms (88 pounds) |
Two pieces |
| Business Class (C) |
30 kilograms (66 pounds) |
One piece |
| Economy Class (Y) |
20 kilograms (44 pounds) |
One piece |
Each piece of checked luggage should not exceed 50 kilograms in weight (110 pounds) and 40×60×100 centimeters (16×24 ×39 inches) in size.
In addition, each passenger is allowed to carry aboard the following items for free:
- A handbag/gripsack
- An overcoat or raincoat; a travel blanket
- An umbrella or a walking stick
- Pocket-sized camera
- A miniature telescope
- Reading matter for the flight
- Food for an infant during the flight
- A bassinet
- Folding wheelchair, or a pair of crutches, and artificial limbs
- A notebook PC
Other items, such as a backpack, attaché case, typewriter, portable radio, powder box, hatbox, good-sized camera and books (not for reading on the plane), cannot be taken as carry-on luggage above your free allowance, and will be treated as checked luggage.
Note: The above are the general stipulations issued by CAAC (General Administration of Civil Aviation of China). Individual airlines may have different standards for free checked luggage. Please read the explanation printed on your air ticket.
Overweight Luggage
If your baggage is overweight, the excess amount will incur an additional charge calculated by distance and weight: Generally, 1 kilogram (2.2 pounds) costs 1.5% of a full economy-class airfare (one way, adult ticket).
(source: China National Tourism Administration; 05/01/2009) |
