Add Up Articles Directory | Free Articals | New Articles Daily | Getting the right price for visas and housing in China

Whether you're an expatriate experience or a fresh-faced newcomer to China, it is always good to know exactly how much to pay for certain services. It is easy to be cheated if you do not know the ballpark figure, and there is always the danger of people not wanting to "lose face" by providing too much or too little. We have prepared a quick guide to how much things should cost.

Visas is the bane of many an expat life. If you’re working full-time for a company, they will most likely sort out your visa for you, including setting up the necessary health checks and collecting your paperwork. The visa office is at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Wan Chai and is open on weekdays between 9:00 and noon, then 14:00-17:00. Luggage isn’t allowed inside the office, so don’t take anything cumbersome. A single entry tourist (L) 30 day visa costs HK$150 (around 132 RMB) and a double entry is HK$220 (193 RMB). A multi-entry 6 month costs HK$400 (352 RMB).

Renting a property in China is a bit of a minefield, but don’t worry – with the right guidance it can be a breeze. Possibly the best tip we can give is that you have a trusted Chinese speaker with you at all times during your dealings with the real estate agent and landlord. When you find the property of your dreams, the landlord will typically ask for a month’s rent as a deposit, and up to three months rent in advance. Some will even ask for six months to a year. This isn’t just because you’re a foreigner either, Chinese savings rates tend to be rather admirable and it’s not uncommon for Chinese renters to fork up this much money. This may seem like a hassle, especially if you’ve just arrived and struggle to get all the money together at once, but it’s just the way things work here.

Remember too that if you rent from a real estate agent there will often be a finder's fee of one month's rent, depending on the price of the apartmen. This also is not an attempt to rip you off, it is normal and usually the only way around it is to not go through a rental agency. The problem is that it is getting harder and harder to find an apartment without an agent in many cities, as the agents will pounce on any landlord who puts his apartment up for rent almost immediately and many landlords would rather just turn the whole hassle over to an agency anyhow.