11/08/2019 17:00

Hong Kong has become tougher

[IMG=18039-3433] According to instructions of China Ministry of Foreign Affairs, from October 10th Moscow embassy of that country has considerably toughened requirements to the list of documents necessary for Hong Kong visa registration. As Natalia Nikolaeva, leading manager of Russian-Chinese Club, told BANKO Information Service reporter, now the list consists of six items. ‘Earlier you needed only a foreign passport,’ she said. ‘Now they added a copy of foreign passport, a voucher confirming hotel booking, your program for Hong Kong, a reference concerning your position and salary, information about receiving company including license number and contacts, and a copy of excerpt from the tourist’s personal account, or a reference from tax inspectorate about taxes paid.’ Ms. Nikolaeva added that documents consideration will take three or four weeks instead of one. According to operators, enlargement of the document list won’t affect the quantity of people willing to go to Hong Kong, because business people mainly go there. But there might be another problem. ‘Not all travel companies will be able to cope with the flow of tourists,’ says Mr. Andrey Surikov, senior manager of China department, Express Line company. ‘Instead of one document they’ll have to register six, and the consulate receives documents three days a week, just as before.’ The majority of experts questioned by BANKO reporter are at a loss as to the reasons for such toughening of requirements. Among others there is a version that this is connected to heightened safety measures taken before the WTO that will take place in Hong Kong from December 13th to 17th.