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Visa for China and Hong Kong What You Need to Know!

The number one issue we hear about from WWOOFers is that they didn’t get their Visa’s in the time frame they want to visit China and WWOOF. Applying for your Visa before your visit is the first step to WWOOFing successfully in any country. And the rules may be different in Hong Kong and Mainland China, and that is why it is very important to plan your WWOOF vacation in advance of your actual travel.

WWOOF China does not advise about obtaining a visa but we have included some links to help you better understand. You do need a valid passport and in some cases additional documentation, tickets or evidence of travel and departure. You can learn more about obtaining a Visa to Hong Kong here.

Chinese VisaTravel to China requires a different Visa depending on your country of origin, purpose and length of stay. China wants you to apply for a Chinese visa from the Chinese embassy in your home country, Yet, while that remains the official rule, you may be able to get a tourist visa for China while you are in Hong Kong, but this still has some risk as your timetable may not work with the time frame required. There may be other factors that influence your Visa so be sure to do your research and application in advance.

If you find the process of applying for a China Visa complex tour and travel agencies may be able to issue business visas to visitors or at least advise and assist you. It should always be free to inquire. 

Depending on your citizenship this may affect which application you complete. Remember WWOOF is not a work organization but instead a tourist program to visit and learn on organic farms in china. This may be considered volunteering by some countries. You can learn more about applying for a tourist Visa here and full information about your Visa to the China mainland here.

Remember to always present your printed WWOOFer Permit, available in your WWOOF Dashboard once you are registered. WWOOF China requests all hosts to ask to see your identification and Permit when you arrive. Register today and start planning your WWOOF China Vacation!

Happy WWOOFing

WWOOFer Forum Goes Live (but needs your love)

wwoofer forum

WWOOF and Aquaculture

This year we’ve added two BIG features to the web site.

The first feature that’s working well is the ability for Hosts to add up to two photos when they register. Not all the newest hosts are uploading photos but the majority of them are. So when browsing the details directory of hosts look for photos at the top of their detail listing in the Host Directory.

Remember only registered WWOOFers can see the Host contact details but anyone can see the directory detail photos without logging in.

We, at WWOOF China get pretty excited every time we see a photo of a new Host farm. We hope you will too! (spoiler alert-chickens).

The other feature we just rolled out… TODAY is the WWOOFer forum. We want you to be excited about this feature too because without you, the forum is just a hollow shell of a WWOOFer exchange.

Some of you have already been WWOOFing in China and some of you are making plans. Those who have already gone and visited a diverse range of hosts, have a wealth of practical, REAL KNOWLEDGE to share with those who are going but aren’t there yet. In the future we plan to implement a Host forum and a “Host looking for WWOOFer – WWOOFer looking for Hosts” forum.

You can make a big difference in the success of a new WWOOFer’s experience.

 

So we are asking YOU, the WWOOFers to log in, think about your experiences, plans, WWOOFing dreams, expectations, challenges, hurdles and rewards, and then SHARE THEM in the forum. Make a new topic and post it. Use one of the existing topics.

Please be sure to read the forum rules and guidelines, as they will make the forums a fun and fruitful place to share and learn, just like the WWOOF program.

Questions About Visas

Prospective WWOOFers ask for information about Visa’s and traveling in China. WWOOF China is giving this link which hopefully will answer all the questions about Visas for traveling to China.

NOTE: There is a newer version of this post here.

http://www.china-embassy.org/eng/hzqz/zgqz/t84246.htm

Things to remember

WWOOF is a cultural exchange experience for tourists in China.

Chinese citizens and residents may also becoome WWOOFers.

You must be 18 years of age to WWOOF without a legal guardian.

Hosts will ask to see your identification and WWOOFer Registration when you arrive.

Each adult must have individual registration and show their ID.

Happy WWOOFing!