How to get a visa to China in the UK?
/Travelling to China is exciting, it is exotic, mysterious, and much more. Book the flights, book the hotels, jump on the flight and the journey starts! Wait! Don't rush. You might forget something. What is it? THE VISA. It is important to get a visa before jumping on a plane to China. Otherwise, you might get into big troubles.
But does people always need a visa to China? Generally speaking, if you are not a Chinese passport holder, it is highly possible that you need a visa. But there are cases that you don't need a visa.
VISA EXEMPTION PROGRAM
1) According to the agreements on mutual visa exemption listed here, by hold appropriate passports, you can enter China without a visa. For UK citizens, if you are holding a diplomatic passport, accompanying a Minister or above for the purpose of an official visit, or holding EU laissez-passer, then you don't need a visa. But diplomatic visas are rare, so it doesn't apply to the most of us.
2) If you are the holders of ordinary passports of the countries having diplomatic relations with China and visiting Hong Kong or Macao, then you participate in group tours to Pearl River Delta Area, lasting no more than six days, by the travel services legally registered in Hong Kong or Macao, then you do not need to apply for a visa. This is a very specific case, and many people won't be qualified for this.
3) Citizens of 51 countries are able to apply for 72 hours transit visas at the ports of entry in Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou and Chengdu. Most of the European countries and the United Kingdom are in the list of countries. It is a very helpful visa exemption rule that applies to the majority of us. If you are travelling to Japan, Korea, Thailand or other countries, you can stop by those portal cities in China for a couple of days, see the tremendous attractions, experience the different lives and try delicious food, etc.
4) If you are the citizens of 21 countries, most of the western European countries are on the list, and you are on group tours to Hainan province which are organised by approved agencies for no more than two weeks, they are exempted from applying for a visa. Many people don't know Hainan province, but it is a lovely tourism island located in South China sea. A perfect place for vacation. Here is the promotion video of Hainan province. It is definitely worth visiting.
5) If you are holding APEC business travel card, you can enter China without a visa. It is not many common, but some businessmen and businesswomen can benefit from this.
In summary, for the majority of us, if we want to save the hassle of applying for a visa, then 72 hours transit visa would be the best option. Above is a brief on the China Visa Exemption program, for more detailed and up-to-date information, please check the Chinese embassy website in the UK.
TOURIST AND BUSINESS VISA
There are many types of visa for going to China, dividing into two large categories: immigration and non-immigration. For the full list of types of visa, you can find it on the official Chinese embassy website, which is here. However, the majority of us only want to visit China for tourism and business, which falls into the non-immigration category. So we will only have a brief introduction on how to apply for tourist and business visa to China. For immigration visa, please pursue formal legal advice from official channels.
Tourist visa is labelled as 'L' type whereas 'M' type is for business visits. The application process is actually quite straightforward. You are required to have following basic documents for applying for both types of visa. The basic documents include
1) Passport with at least six months of remaining validity and blank visa pages. A photocopy of the information page of the passport.
2) Completed Visa Application Form and Photo. The application form can be downloaded from here, or you can fill the form online at here. The photo requirements can be found here.
3) Proof of legal stay or residence status. For UK citizen, your passport is enough. For a non-UK citizen, you need to provide your visa or resident permit. It is also recommended to provide any documents that can prove your status of stay, such as employment letter, student status letter, etc. Photocopies of those documents should be provided as well.
Besides the basic documents mentioned above, there are other required documents for two types of visa. For tourist visa, type 'L', you also need to prepare
1) The itinerary, such as flight ticket booking, hotel reservation, etc
2) OR/AND an invitation letter from a relevant entity or individual in China.
If you can provide an invitation letter, then it should have following information:
a) Information about yourself, such as name, DOB, gender, address, etc
b) Information about the trip, i.e. itinerary
c) Information about the inviter, such as name, contact number, address, stamp or signature, etc
For business visa, type 'M', you need to provide
1) The proof of intended commercial activities, such as meeting invite, trade show attendance document, etc
2) An invitation letter
The invitation letter should have
a) The information about yourself, such as name, DOB, employer, etc
b) Information about the visit, such as purpose of the visit, itinerary, relationship with the inviter, etc
c) Information about the inviter, such as name, contract number, address, stamp or signature, etc
Once you have required documents ready, then you can choose the way of application either by post or by visiting the visa centre.
If you wish to visit the visa centre, it is compulsory to book an appointment first. The online booking system is at here. When you go to the visa centre, obtain a queue number first, submit your application at the counter, then receive a pick-up form with expected collection date. You will make the payment when you collect your passport and visa. If you choose to apply by post, then you are required to fill in a Payment Authorization Form and posted along with your application. You will be charged when your passport is ready to be returned to you.
The above paragraph is a brief introduction on the steps of applying for tourist and business visa to China. For more up to date and detailed information, please visit the official website
You can find a step by step guidance on the website which should have sufficient information for DIY visa application. However, if you are still puzzled by the application process, we are happy to help. Just send us an email or submit your questions on our website, our visa application service will save you from the hassles.
CLAIMS: The information above is based on our interpretation of the materials from the official China embassy website published at the time of writing. The requirements and rules of Chinese visa application might change from time to time. It is recommended always go to the official website to obtain the latest information on Chinese visa. We DO NOT take any legal responsibilities for the information provided on this page.