Shenzhen 5-Day Visa on Arrival from Hong Kong

Question

We'll be in Hong Kong for 10 days and planned to spend 5 of those days in Shenzhen using the 5 day Visa On Arrival (VOA) program for the Shenzhen area.

I have a couple of concerns regarding the VOA which I'm wondering if anyone has experience with.

• This article suggests that travellers with entry stamps to Turkey will probably result in a denial. My wife and I both have a Turkish stamp in our passports.
• The same article also suggests that if your passport is relatively new, eg. under a year old, you may be required to produce your old passport. We had our kids passports renewed and don't currently have access to their old ones. Their new passports will be approximately six months old when we plan to travel to Schenzhen.

I'm trying to make a decision on whether given the above it's worth trying, or if I should shelve the idea and simply spend those 10 days in Hong Kong.

I'm concerned about being denied and the cost of losing a booking for accommodation in Shenzhen, and having to book 5 more days in Hong Kong at the last minute.

Has anyone entered using this VOA who had a Turkish stamp or a newer passport? If so what was your experience?

Answer 1

I can only answer for the "new passport" part. I've used the 5-day visa facility in Luohu with a virgin passport - zero stamp in it. They only asked me in Luohu to produce the little piece of paper HK gives you in lieu of a visa stamp, to check that I indeed came from HK.

Answer 2

According to a Ministry of Public Security contact in Shenzhen, visas on arrival will not be issued, regardless of nationality, to holders of passports with visas or stamps from countries whose nationals cannot obtain this visa on arrival.

That is: Afghanistan, Algeria, Bahrain, Cameroon, Egypt, India, Iran, Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Liberia, Libya, Nigeria, Oman, Pakistan, Palestine, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Somalia, Sri Lanka, Sudan, Syria, Turkey, Uganda, Yemen

Apparently, though, this may or may not be strictly enforced, depending on the officer and your overall appearance, so you certainly could give it a try.