I’m supposed to be in China right now. The only problem is I found out as I was checking in at the Haneda Airport in Tokyo this morning that an American Citizen with a U.S. passport can’t go to China without a visa. Live and learn. I’ve been to 12 countries outside of the USA in the past six years and none of them required a visa for short stays so I didn’t even think to look it up. Also, someone in China handled all of my travel plans so I figured if I needed anything (like a visa) they would let me know. They were as surprised as I was when I wasn’t allowed to board the plane today.

So if you have a US passport, and plan to travel outside the USA, check the above map long before you go so you don’t end up in my shoes. Outside of Brazil, Russia, China, India, some countries in Africa, much of the Middle East, and a few other countries, you are good to go with just a US passport if you are staying for a short period of time.

The good news is my trip isn’t cancelled, just pushed back 10 days. The other bad news is a visa for China isn’t cheap (15,000 + 3,000 yen).

One thing I don’t understand is why someone with a Japanese passport can go to China without a visa but someone with a US passport cannot.

Posted on February 26th, 2010 under China • RSS 2.0 feed • Both comments and pings are currently closed