Japan or China with 3 boys (8, 12, 14)

[kmedina]

Yes, you will need a visa. It is complicated paperwork-wise, so we and many others paid a company to do it for us. I used Peninsula as that is who my work uses, but I believe there is another one that is well reviewed here as well though I don't remember the name.

https://www.peninsulavisa.com/

Thanks, getting someone to do it for me is a good idea. I did not even think of that.

They weren't the cheapest, but I used CIBTvisas, which is the company recommended by ABD (at least they were in 2017, I have no idea about now ). They were very easy to work with, and really knew their stuff, and once they accepted all my documentation, the next I heard was that I got my Visa. It's kind of frustrating, because there's a window of like 3 months where you can apply, and leaving it to that late was really nerve-wracking for me. But they do that because you don't know how long of a Visa China will decide to give you, and you don't want to get one that will expire before the trip is over. (They can be anything from 6 months to 10 years).

Yeah, I am definitely going to get someone to do it for me. Thanks for the advice.

 

[China Expat]

Be advised it is impossible to get a tourist visa right now, but I'm sure things will change by 2023. I'm hoping to visit my former school in May 2022 in Beijing...crossing fingers.