Giant cruise agent gives wrong advice to passengers on China visas

Couple were told to drive 200 miles and spend over £300 for visas they did not need

The cruise began in Shanghai, known for its dominating Pudong skyline (Getty Images)

Britain’s largest cruise travel agent has been misinforming customers about the red tape for their voyages – in particular telling China-bound travellers to spend time and money getting visas they do not need.

Iglu Cruise sells China cruises by the thousands. Yet it does not appear to understand the very straightforward rules on visa-free permits for the People’s Republic.

China’s main cruise port is Shanghai. On cruises that begin there, and which sail direct to a different country, British passengers can arrive from the UK and stay up to six days in and around the city without a visa.

But Stephen Graveling, who has just booked a cruise starting in Shanghai next year, was told he would require a visa to enter China – at a cost of £151, and requiring a 200-mile round trip to London.

He then called Iglu Customer Care to seek clarification. “They stated that they could not give advice about the visa required as matters relating to entry into China change frequently.”

The current rule on 144-hour transit permits for Shanghai has been in force for three years.

To qualify for the option, as offered in Shanghai, Beijing and a growing number of other cities, the traveller must arrive from an airport, port or railway station from a country outside the China by air, ship or rail. They must show proof of booking to a destination in a different country outside China.

The booking must be for a departure before midnight six days after arriving in China. Travellers cannot leave the city they arrive into, but most short-stay visitors are likely to stay in Shanghai.

Mr Graveling’s planned arrival two days before his cruise qualifies; its first port of call is Nagasaki in Japan, with no other calls in mainland China. The voyage ends in Singapore.

The Independent advised him he would qualify for the 144-hour visa-free transit permit, and then made a test call to Iglu Cruise with a speculative enquiry for the same cruise, and asked about visa requirements.

The Iglu staff member said: “I can’t give too much visa advice because we’re not legally trained to do that.

“But I do know for certain you are going to need visas for this: 100 per cent for China, and then you’ll also have to check the other countries that you’re visiting as well to check whether you’ll need them there.

“So, I’m pretty sure: you’re visiting Japan as well, South Korea, these are countries you’ll need to look into for visas.”

A spokesperson for Iglu said: “Providing our customers with expert advice on the wide range of cruise holidays we offer is of the upmost importance to us.

“The vast majority of our customers start their journey on our website which contains up-to-date links to the government website for visa requirements for every country in the world.”

The trail that Iglu advises does not end well. It begins with a link to the Foreign Office general travel advice site. When one clicks on “China” and then again on “Entry Requirements” one is told: “If you’re transiting China, visa waivers are available in certain places. Contact the Chinese Embassy or the China Visa Application Service Centre before your proposed trip for further information.”

There is a link to the latter, which after some online prodding reveals inaccurate advice about visa-free transit in paragraph five.

Under the Abta Code of Conduct, Iglu is obliged to “advise their clients of passport, visa and other entry and transit requirements for the journeys to be undertaken where it is reasonably practicable for the members to obtain this information".

The Iglu spokesperson said: “We apologise if any customers have received insufficient information when they called into our call centre. It is part of our mandatory wrap up script for bookings made through our contact centre, ie prior to a customer making a booking, to clarify that customers have the correct visa, have adequate travel insurance and have at least six months left on their passport by the time they return home.”

The issue of passport validity is not relevant for any traveller in the European Union, the US and many other countries, where a British passport is valid up to and including the date of expiry.

The spokesperson continued: “As the largest cruise retailer in the country, we abide by the Abta code of conduct, regularly carrying out internal training and working closely with Abta, to ensure the requirements of the code are met.

“We will continue to ensure that knowledge of visa process and regulations are completely up to date, to ensure we continue to provide the best possible service to our valued customers.”