8 ms·

Is there any way to visit Shenzhen without submitting your fingerprints to the Chinese government? I've heard that everyone gets their fingers scanned at entry

Is there any way to visit Shenzhen without submitting your fingerprints to the Chinese government? I've heard that everyone gets their fingers scanned at entry these days even if you never had to submit fingerprints with your visa application. Is that correct?

mlacks 7y ago
I’ve been to China three time in the past three years; I’ve never had to be fingerprinted.
- spats1990 7y ago
  Anecdata but I got fingerprinted just passing through Shanghai airport in transit at the end of 2018. I haven't visited the US or transited through a US airport but again anecdotally I've heard this happens there too (even in transit).
  - Tijdreiziger 7y ago
    I'm not sure about transit but when I (EU citizen) have been to the US they took all ten of my fingerprints, and this has also been the experience of my friends. (Incidentally, my own government doesn't even have any of my fingerprints...)
    - mschuster91 7y ago
      I wouldn't be so certain that your government does not have your fingerprint... if it's European you can bet that at least your secret services have it as part of "we spy on your citizens, you on ours" agreement.
      - neuronic 7y ago
        Of course they do - at least in Germany. Your biometrics are part of your personal ID and passport. It is only thumb and index finger though plus facial scan / photo.
        mschuster91 7y ago
        The prints are only stored on the passport/ID card and not indexed by the government (although there are plans to change this)
      - anilakar 7y ago
        Incidentally, when EU countries introduced biometric passports in mid 2000s, USA was one of the first countries to actually require the fingerprints and not accept older but otherwise valid documents.
    - lvh 7y ago
      Your handle suggests you're Dutch: every Dutch passport issued in the last decade (and hence, I think almost every current valid Dutch passport?) has your fingerprints. In fact, the Netherlands is the only EU country so far (I think) that's storing them all together centrally, not just in the passport. https://web.archive.org/web/20100108102201/http://www.nrc.nl/international/Features/article2363938.ece https://web.archive.org/web/20100108102201/http://www.nrc.nl...
      - Tijdreiziger 7y ago
        That article is from 2009. I believe a few years later fingerprinting was scrapped again due to public backlash. Now they're implementing it again due to EU regulations.
  - adventured 7y ago
    The US has been doing that for about 15 years, based on laws (such as US-VISIT) passed after 9/11. Jan 2004: http://www.nbcnews.com/id/3875747/ns/us_news-security/t/us-begins-fingerprinting-most-visitors/ http://www.nbcnews.com/id/3875747/ns/us_news-security/t/us-b... https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/us-visas/other-visa-categories/safety.html https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/us-visas/other-vi... https://epic.org/privacy/us-visit/ https://epic.org/privacy/us-visit/
    - mysterypie 7y ago
      > The US has been doing that for about 15 years Except for US citizens and Canadians. Interestingly, Canada is the only country exempt from the US fingerprinting requirement, at least for tourism or business entry.
      - ajdlinux 7y ago
        I would assume because they consider Canadians generally lower risk, have good relations with Canadian authorities, and really don't want to slow down the line at border crossings.
  - rescbr 7y ago
    > even in transit There isn't the concept of international transit in the US. You have to "fully" enter the country as there aren't separate international terminals with passport checking and whatnot. There's a short stay transit visa if you are just using the US as a connection point, though.
- deleted 7y ago
  [deleted]
- mahalol 7y ago
  Was in Shanghai yesterday, at Pudong. Got all 10 fingerprints and face scan.
- lvturner 7y ago
  Been over 40 times this year, get my finger prints checked every time I go through the Shenzhen border.
barbasosi 7y ago
Last time I went there (July 2019, Shanghai), I had to submit myself to a fingerprint scan. As I recalled I have done the fingerprint scan previously. But this time, for some reason, the machine did not work or had an error, and the immigration officer saw it. She fiddled with my hand and checked the machine, was confused, then allowed me to passport check anyway. I don't think you can refuse a fingerprint check. But if one can somehow make their fingerprints unreadable, through one way or another, you probably could bypass it. One of my coworker is notoriously hard to fingerprint scan. Her fingerprints are allegedly busted up due to all the hand washing she'd done in her previous line of work. So maybe it can be bypassed somehow.
ggcdn 7y ago
I had to do a fingerprint scan and photo for the visa application, then another fingerprint and face scan when passing through the airport security. Is there a problem with the fingerprinting requirement? I imagine the face scan can be used in much more dystopian ways, as your face is probably* being tracked by the ubiquitous security cameras in every public place you go. * If not now, then soon.
odiroot 7y ago
I flew to Beijing in 2017 and no fingerprints were taken. Then in 2018 I took a train from HK to Shenzhen and they indeed took all 10.
neuronic 7y ago
Same as US then. Every time you travel to the US - boom all 10 fingers scanned. It's nothing the Chinese are exceptional at.
- PaulRobinson 7y ago
  Don't forget you are now expected to hand over twitter, Facebook and other social media handles before travelling to the US as well, and that's as a UK/EU passport holder...
  - obituary_latte 7y ago
    Seriously? Do they just ask for it or is there a section on a customs form or something? What if you just leave it blank and/or don’t use social media? Absurd if true.
    - skrebbel 7y ago
      There's a section on it in the online visa application form. They make clear that if you omit items (eg you share you facebook page but not your twitter) and they find out then that may be grounds to deny your visa application. The entire form starts with copy that goes something like "by filling out this form you waive any right to privacy". It's extremely aggressive. The US hates foreigners. (source: my first and only trip to the US some 3 years ago)
      - obituary_latte 7y ago
        No we don’t. We just have dumb politicians. Sorry about that.
        skrebbel 7y ago
        I meant US the country, as in the government etc. Not the Americans, you're great :-)
    - bakuninsbart 7y ago

mlacks 7y ago

I’ve been to China three time in the past three years; I’ve never had to be fingerprinted.

spats1990 7y ago
Anecdata but I got fingerprinted just passing through Shanghai airport in transit at the end of 2018. I haven't visited the US or transited through a US airport but again anecdotally I've heard this happens there too (even in transit).
- Tijdreiziger 7y ago
  I'm not sure about transit but when I (EU citizen) have been to the US they took all ten of my fingerprints, and this has also been the experience of my friends. (Incidentally, my own government doesn't even have any of my fingerprints...)
  - mschuster91 7y ago
    I wouldn't be so certain that your government does not have your fingerprint... if it's European you can bet that at least your secret services have it as part of "we spy on your citizens, you on ours" agreement.
    - neuronic 7y ago
      Of course they do - at least in Germany. Your biometrics are part of your personal ID and passport. It is only thumb and index finger though plus facial scan / photo.
      - mschuster91 7y ago
        The prints are only stored on the passport/ID card and not indexed by the government (although there are plans to change this)
    - anilakar 7y ago
      Incidentally, when EU countries introduced biometric passports in mid 2000s, USA was one of the first countries to actually require the fingerprints and not accept older but otherwise valid documents.
  - lvh 7y ago
    Your handle suggests you're Dutch: every Dutch passport issued in the last decade (and hence, I think almost every current valid Dutch passport?) has your fingerprints. In fact, the Netherlands is the only EU country so far (I think) that's storing them all together centrally, not just in the passport. https://web.archive.org/web/20100108102201/http://www.nrc.nl/international/Features/article2363938.ece https://web.archive.org/web/20100108102201/http://www.nrc.nl...
    - Tijdreiziger 7y ago
      That article is from 2009. I believe a few years later fingerprinting was scrapped again due to public backlash. Now they're implementing it again due to EU regulations.
- adventured 7y ago
  The US has been doing that for about 15 years, based on laws (such as US-VISIT) passed after 9/11. Jan 2004: http://www.nbcnews.com/id/3875747/ns/us_news-security/t/us-begins-fingerprinting-most-visitors/ http://www.nbcnews.com/id/3875747/ns/us_news-security/t/us-b... https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/us-visas/other-visa-categories/safety.html https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/us-visas/other-vi... https://epic.org/privacy/us-visit/ https://epic.org/privacy/us-visit/
  - mysterypie 7y ago
    > The US has been doing that for about 15 years Except for US citizens and Canadians. Interestingly, Canada is the only country exempt from the US fingerprinting requirement, at least for tourism or business entry.
    - ajdlinux 7y ago
      I would assume because they consider Canadians generally lower risk, have good relations with Canadian authorities, and really don't want to slow down the line at border crossings.
- rescbr 7y ago
  > even in transit There isn't the concept of international transit in the US. You have to "fully" enter the country as there aren't separate international terminals with passport checking and whatnot. There's a short stay transit visa if you are just using the US as a connection point, though.
deleted 7y ago
[deleted]
mahalol 7y ago
Was in Shanghai yesterday, at Pudong. Got all 10 fingerprints and face scan.
lvturner 7y ago
Been over 40 times this year, get my finger prints checked every time I go through the Shenzhen border.

barbasosi 7y ago

Last time I went there (July 2019, Shanghai), I had to submit myself to a fingerprint scan. As I recalled I have done the fingerprint scan previously. But this time, for some reason, the machine did not work or had an error, and the immigration officer saw it. She fiddled with my hand and checked the machine, was confused, then allowed me to passport check anyway. I don't think you can refuse a fingerprint check. But if one can somehow make their fingerprints unreadable, through one way or another, you probably could bypass it. One of my coworker is notoriously hard to fingerprint scan. Her fingerprints are allegedly busted up due to all the hand washing she'd done in her previous line of work. So maybe it can be bypassed somehow.

ggcdn 7y ago

I had to do a fingerprint scan and photo for the visa application, then another fingerprint and face scan when passing through the airport security. Is there a problem with the fingerprinting requirement? I imagine the face scan can be used in much more dystopian ways, as your face is probably* being tracked by the ubiquitous security cameras in every public place you go. * If not now, then soon.

odiroot 7y ago

I flew to Beijing in 2017 and no fingerprints were taken. Then in 2018 I took a train from HK to Shenzhen and they indeed took all 10.

neuronic 7y ago

Same as US then. Every time you travel to the US - boom all 10 fingers scanned. It's nothing the Chinese are exceptional at.

PaulRobinson 7y ago
Don't forget you are now expected to hand over twitter, Facebook and other social media handles before travelling to the US as well, and that's as a UK/EU passport holder...
- obituary_latte 7y ago
  Seriously? Do they just ask for it or is there a section on a customs form or something? What if you just leave it blank and/or don’t use social media? Absurd if true.
  - skrebbel 7y ago
    There's a section on it in the online visa application form. They make clear that if you omit items (eg you share you facebook page but not your twitter) and they find out then that may be grounds to deny your visa application. The entire form starts with copy that goes something like "by filling out this form you waive any right to privacy". It's extremely aggressive. The US hates foreigners. (source: my first and only trip to the US some 3 years ago)
    - obituary_latte 7y ago
      No we don’t. We just have dumb politicians. Sorry about that.
      - skrebbel 7y ago
        I meant US the country, as in the government etc. Not the Americans, you're great :-)
  - bakuninsbart 7y ago