The current situation in Shanghai - some useful links

April 11, 2022

Author: Shanghai BenCham

The Benelux Chamber Team hopes everybody is doing well during the current situation in Shanghai.

The team is part of a larger group of volunteers in China who have been hosting Wechat groups for people to exchange information and experiences regarding different topics related to travel restrictions in/from China, and lockdown(s) in Shanghai and China. Some key groups are listed below.

Update - June 24, 2022

Returning via HK becomes busy, prices are rising and slots to cross to Shenzhen are limited.
no flights from HK to SH for now.
Transit via other countries is possible: South Korea, New Zealand, Finland, Norway. Under certain conditions also Thailand, Singapore, Canada. Theoretically also Taiwan and Japan, but entry is difficult.
Route to Belgium: flights from SH to transit in BJ are not possible without quarantine at the moment.
Hainan Airlines requires a 3rd test (1 extra compared to Embassy requirements) to fly from Brussels to China, to reduce the risk that future flights will be cancelled.
PU letters requirement for getting Chinese Z, S and Q visa will gradually be dropped worldwide. This is already rolled out by the CN Embassy in The Netherlands but not yet in Belgium.

Update - June 16, 2022

for the first time this year, there are more requests/questions on entering China than exiting China
Hainan Airlines restarted, big impact for Belgian nationals. However: the route is now on hold due to Covid cases. Unclear what the near future holds for travel from Belgium to China
HK route gets more popular, consequently it is getting more difficult to get a quarantine hotel in HK and on SZ side
Expired visa: it is important to contact the Exit Entry Bureau (EEB) to ask for advice, and record that you have tried to extend your visa. Some officers have advised that there is a 'grace period' for visa expirations until 31 July but this is unconfirmed
For EEB appointments, it seems people are getting rerouted to Pudong EEB.

Update - June 11, 2022

Resumption of Hainan Airlines direct flight has caught Belgian residents with indirect tickets by surprise, having to cancel their return plans. The CN embassy in Brussels will no longer issue HDC code for indirect flights for them.
Exit Entry Bureau: how to make appointments to process work permits
Non-criminal behaviour (NCB) certificate and notarization: process and template
NCB: differences between Pudong, Changning and Qingpu offices (Qingqu is recommended)
Entering China via HK route: quarantine regulations and hotel bookings
Entering China via HK route: crossing to Shenzhen (experience and how to get around the quota)
Flight volunteers needed for pets (some people willing to sponsor flight out of China)

Update - June 1, 2022

Some of the hot topics of the past days that are being discussed in these groups are:

PCR tests for getting into HK (from international), iso certification of foreign labs
Resumption (or not?) of Hainan Airlines flights to China
Getting kids' vaccines and PCR test results into the parent's phone
How to get bilingual international vaccination certificate from Alipay
Testing appointments at Novamedik, Schiphol airport, for transit and NL originating passengers
Booking slots with quarantine hotels in SZ for entering via HK
MU and KLM flight cancellations to/from HK

Groups for practicalities around travel, testing and flights:

Giving away and sharing gruop (for people who give their unused stuff to others)
Leaving Shanghai (general group, and groups per departure month)
NL - China (from NL to China)
Belgium - China (from BE to China)
Entering China via HK
AMS route (transit through Amsterdam)
Leaving with pets
Leaving with kids
Exit-entry bureau issues

Add wechat 'ibennink' to connect and be added to groups.

Here are some useful links that might help.

The Consulate General of Belgium

Email address: shanghai@diplobel.fed.be

Contact number in case of emergency: +86 139 0165 6117

For the latest travel advicse on China, you can click here in Dutch and in French.

The Consulate General of the Netherlands

! Next online meeting for Dutch citizens is on April 14

To contact the Consulate General: +86 21 2208 7288 and +31 247 247 247 or by email: SHA-CA@minbuza.nl

Contact number in case of emergency: +86 182 1776 2372

The Consulate General of Luxembourg

Email addres: shanghai.cg@mae.etat.lu

Contact number in case of emergency: +86 137 8898 2410

How to get your QR code Nucleic Acid Test Code

See how you can get your Nucleic Acid Test Code here.

For mental health support

for mental health support, you can reach out to Lifeline. You can reach out for support on WeChat, look up 'LifelineConnect' on Wechat.