Australia to China - some basics?

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Krusty - 31 May 2005 05:24 GMT

Hi all,

Sorry to pose such basic questions but I know that many readers would know
the simple answers so here goes:

We plan to travel to China (organised 14 days) is around six weeks so I have
limited time to tie up some loose ends.

1. My passport expires in October this year (we would be back early August)
but the conditions say “a passport should have at least six months before
expiry! Is this correct & if so is it okay to renew it five months before
the due date (do you lose the balance).

2. Where & how does one apply for a Visa & what does it cost?

3. Any comments (nasties) or suggestions that we should know about before
organising such a trip.

4. With around six weeks before departure is this time frame okay or should
we delay the trip till a later time.

5. Are there autotellers in the major cities, if so are they plentiful or
scarce?

6. Will mobile (phone) roaming work in major cities (Vodafone or Telstra)

Many thanks, sorry about the banal questions!

Kevin.

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Scott Howard - 31 May 2005 13:25 GMT

> We plan to travel to China (organised 14 days) is around six weeks so I have
> limited time to tie up some loose ends.
[quoted text clipped - 3 lines]
> expiry! Is this correct & if so is it okay to renew it five months before
> the due date (do you lose the balance).

Yes, you must get a new one, and yes, you lose the balance. The 6 months
validity rule is a fairly standard one for any country. My previous
passport isn't due to expire for another few days (10th of June from
memory) yet I had to get a new one in January for this very reason.

> 2. Where & how does one apply for a Visa & what does it cost?

From the Chinese consulate/embassy. Your travel agent should be able to
organise this for you (for a fee) or you can try and do it yourself. I
got my Chinese visa in person from the consulate in Sydney - although
it does take a few hours of lining up. Cost is $30 for a single-entry,
$45 for a multi-entry.

> 3. Any comments (nasties) or suggestions that we should know about before
> organising such a trip.

The web is your friend - as is a good guide book. If you've never
travelled in asia then prepare for a shock (but not so bad you won't be
able to handle it :). A lot depends on what level of travel you're
doing - 5 star travel is very different to back-packing in China...

> 4. With around six weeks before departure is this time frame okay or should
> we delay the trip till a later time.

6 weeks should be fine, but you need to get start ASAP. A new passport
will take 2 weeks (for $150 - 2 days for $213), and the visa will take
about a week plus any courier time if you're not near a consulate.

> 5. Are there autotellers in the major cities, if so are they plentiful or
> scarce?

www.visa.com has a place where you can search for ATMs in a city. At the
end of the day it depends on exactly where you're going.
US$ travellers cheques and US$ cash are your friend. Banks are pleantiful
thoughout the whole country, and will generally do cash advances from
Credit Cards, however the fees are high.

> 6. Will mobile (phone) roaming work in major cities (Vodafone or Telstra)

Yes, pretty much, although the roaming costs are not cheap.

Scott.

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Alfred Molon - 31 May 2005 19:11 GMT

See our travelogue:
http://www.molon.de/travelogues/China/2004/

Signature

Alfred Molon

http://www.molon.de/Galleries.htm - Photos from China, Myanmar, Brunei,
Malaysia, Thailand, Laos, Cambodia, Nepal, Egypt, Germany, Austria,
Prague, Budapest, Singapore and Portugal

Reply to this Message

Krusty - 31 May 2005 23:35 GMT

Thanks Alfred,

You have done a great job, your information is a great insight into what to
expect. I'm an early riser so we hope to cover more each day!

Many thanks for your efforts!!!!

> See our travelogue:
> http://www.molon.de/travelogues/China/2004/

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Travel Forum / Destinations / Asia / May 2005

Australia to China - some basics?