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CHINA - EMPLOYMENT VISA
The application processThis page deals with the application process in the UK for a Chinese employment visa. Please read carefully through the entire page as additional documents may be required from you depending on your circumstances.
IMPORTANT NEW NOTICE
According to the working arrangement, the Chinese Embassy in the UK will extend the exemption of fingerprints collection for eligible applicants applying for single or double entry business, tourist, family visit, transit, or crew visas until 31 December 2024.
In order to further promote personnel exchanges between China and foreign countries, China has decided to expand the scope of visa-free countries and implement a pilot visa-free policy for ordinary passport holders from six countries: Switzerland, Ireland, Hungary, Austria, Belgium, and Luxembourg. From March 14 to November 30, 2024, ordinary passport holders from the above countries can enter China without a visa if they come to China for business, tourism, visiting relatives and friends, and transit for no more than 15 days. People from the above-mentioned countries who do not meet the conditions for visa exemption still need to apply for a visa before entering China.
Media Related Applicants
All applicants that work for a media company are required to provide an employer letter stating the job position and the purpose of applicants trip to China, The letter must be on company letter headed paper. Also a self declaration to confirm the same (their job title and must mention that the trip is purely for tourism) is required.
Exemption from express service
Former middle east nationals, such as Pakistan, Libya, Turkey etc. who apply for a China visa, need to provide either their original passport or ID card of the country of their origin or a statement explaining they do not hold this any longer. You will also need to provide this, when applying for the normal service. If you are uncertain if your country of origin will affect your application please contact us for assistance.
How To Make An Application
1. Download the visa form
Download the visa application form from this web page. The form can be downloaded by clicking here. You can then save it to your computer.
Download Application2. Fill out form by hand
Print out and begin filling in the form with a black pen. If you have any questions regarding the form, please call us for advice free of charge. We are more than happy to help you.
3. Send it to us
Send the application and your passport to us along with any additional documents mentioned on the form. It is best to post it using a secure service such as Royal Mail Special Delivery or another courier company.
What To Include In An Application
VISA24 -
1. A completed Chinese Visa Application Form
If you are unable to download our application call us and we will send you one by mail. The application may be filled out by hand. Please ensure the signature is identical to the one on your passport.
2. One recent, quality, passport sized photograph
The photo should be (45mm x 35mm) taken against a white background (the background must be white!). If you cannot get a photo yourself then we can print one for you from a digital copy.
3. Your valid original passport(s)
It must be valid for at least the next 6 months when you apply for the visa, with at least two blank pages remaining. The passport should be in acceptable condition. If not there is a chance your application would be rejected.
4. Proof of stay in China
Please include photocopies of both your passport and any previous Chinese visa you have had. If you have never been granted a Chinese visa before then you do not need to include anything else.
5. Any additional documents
You may need to send some additional documentation under certain circumstances. Please go to the questions to help find out if you need to include anything else. After that you are ready to submit your application.
CHINA BUSINESS INVITATION
Copy of invitation from China
IMPORTANT : The person signing the letter must add their full name and position in the company. Name and signature must match the one they have in their passport, (A common mistake is if the inviter writes their English names when they send the letters to EU The embassy no longer accepts this. The name must be exactly like on their passports.)
(If the Embassy is in doubt regarding the name or the signature, they will return the passport without visa and will request a passport copy of the person that signed the invitation letter. To avoid any delays you may ask them to provide the passport copy of the main page and the signature page)
PHOTOCOPIES OF PASSPORT & VISA
When sending us your application, please ensure to include photocopies of the two following items :
Additional Documents You May Need To Include
CHINA - STUDENT VISA - PRICES [ 5 working days service ]
Other Passports Single Entry Business Visa, Valid for 3 Months
- Consular fee: £xx
- Handling fee: £xx + VAT
Double Entry Business Visa, Valid for 6 Months
- Consular fee: £xx
- Handling fee: £xx + VAT
Multiple Entry Business Visa, Valid for 6 Months
- Consular fee: £xx
- Handling fee: £xx + VAT
Multiple Entry Business Visa, Valid for 12 Months
- Consular fee: £xx
- Handling fee: £xx + VAT
CHINA - STUDENT VISA - PRICES [ 3 working days service ]
Other Passports Single Entry Business Visa, Valid for 3 Months
- Consular fee: £xx
- Handling fee: £xx + VAT
Double Entry Business Visa, Valid for 6 Months
- Consular fee: £xx
- Handling fee: £xx + VAT
Multiple Entry Business Visa, Valid for 6 Months
- Consular fee: £xx
- Handling fee: £xx + VAT
Multiple Entry Business Visa, Valid for 12 Months
- Consular fee: £xx
- Handling fee: £xx + VAT
NOTE : If it is important for you that the application begins processing at the embassy the day we receive it then we need to recieve the application between 9.00am and 9.30am on a working day. If we receive the application outside of this window then the application can not be submitted until the next working day.
PHOTOGRAPHS
You will need one photograph
Please supply one photograph with your application. It does not need to be affixed to the application, but just left loose in the envelope along with the rest of documentation. if you don't have a recent photo can simply take a clear photo with a smart phone and email it to us and we will process it for a £5 fee. You will get a set of 8 photos in total
The requirements are as follows:
Dimensions
Your photograph needs to be exactly 45x35mm.This is the standard passport photograph size and can be obtaining from the majority of the photo booths in the country.
Recent
The photo needs to have taken with the last 3 months. If you use the same photograph that is in your passport then your application would not be accepted.
The photo-print should be clear and with a continuous tone and printed on proper photographic paper.
YOUR PASSPORT
Is it acceptable?
The embassy has strict guidelines regarding what they consider to be an acceptable passport. If they deem it unacceptable the application will be aborted and you may lose your application fee.
It should also meet the following conditions:
Valid from/to 6 months
The passport should be valid for at least another 6 months. If it is due to expire before then, you will need to get a new passport. Additionally, if the passport was issued less than 6 months ago, you will need to include your previous passport with the application.
Free pages
The passport needs to have two completely free pages facing each other in order for the visa to be stamped in. If you do not have two pages side by side, then you will need to get a new passport.
Country : UK passport
You must hold a valid UK passport in order to apply under the standard conditions. If you hold another type of passport, please see the additional documentation section on this page to find out what else you need to include.
PAYMENT METHODS -
There are three different ways you can pay for your visa application as listed below. Please note that we submit your application as soon as we receive it so whichever payment method you choose it will not have an impact on the application process. There may be a delay in emailing the invoice to you but this doesn't impact on the delivery time.
POSTING THE APPLICATION
Where to post it?
When you have gathered all of the required documents together you can send the application to us by any method you wish. We recommend using Royal Mails special delivery services or if you prefer another courier service that’s fine too. If you live close by, you can consider bringing it in to our offices in person. Regardless of the method, if we receive the application before 9.20am on a week day, we can begin processing that day. You should send the full visa application package to :
Visa 24 36 Old Jewry, 6th Floor,Becket House, London EC2R 8DD
GETTING YOUR VISA BACK
There are three different ways to receive your passport and visa when the process is complete. You can select the option on the order form that you download and print out from this web page. The options are:
FAQ
- Cash : You can pay by cash upon submission or collection of your passport. You can also send us the cash payment with your application, we would then recommend sending this via recorded mail.
- Cheque: You can include a cheque or postal order with the application making it payable to VISA 24.
- Bank Transfer: You or your company can pay by bank transfer by choosing “Bank Transfer” on the payment options on our order form. You will then receive an email from us with our bank details and an itemised invoice.
- If we receive your application by 9.45 then it will be submitted the same day.
- This would then be the first processing day in the process.
- If you are sending your package with Royal Mail, you must use the 9am delivery option for the application to go in the same day.
- This is dependent on your choice of visa. Single Entry Chinese visas are valid for entry within 3 months from the date the visa issued.
- Double Entry Visas allow you to enter twice within 6 months whilst Multiple Entry Visas are valid for either 6 months or 12 -24 months starting from the date it was issued.
- Single Entry Visa means that you are allowed to enter the country once and Multiple Entry Visa means you can enter the country multiple times from the date your visa starts until the date your visa expires.
- You will need to send us a valid passport.
- The Chinese visa will be applied to your passport, so please make sure you have 2 free pages on your passport before you apply.
- You are advised to send your application by a secure method such as Special Delivery or courier.
- For urgent service, you must get your passport to us before 9:00 am using Royal Mail 9:00 am Special Delivery, courier of your choice, or you can drop off your application in person.
- We are unable to submit your application to the Embassy after 10:00 am.
- You will find the delivery options on the order form.
- You can either collect it from our offices or have a courier/friend pick it up.
- This is a total of the processing time and the delivery time combined.
- If you use normal turnaround you should expect your passport back within a week and a half.
- If you travel in less than 14 days, please use the Express Service.
- Yes, it is all inclusive, there are no extra costs except those ones stated on our website and order form.
- Our Prices include the Embassy Fee, Service Fee and VAT.
- However you will need to pay for the delivery option of your choice.
- If you want your passport returned to you sent by post, please see our order form for more options.
- Send us an email at info@visa24.co.uk. Include your postal address or fax number in your request and we will send you the form.
- Alternatively call us free of charge on 08000845037 Mon-Fri 9am – 5.30pm.
- If you should cancel your application after it has been submitted, it can take up to 3-4 days for the embassy to release it.
- Please note that Visa24 will not charge a service fee for a cancelled application, however fees charged by the Embassy will still apply.
- If you have problems with the online visa application form you can download and fill the PDF visa application form provided.
- The Chinese visa is valid from the day it is granted.
- If one or both of your parents are Chinese nationals, then you can obtain the long term visa.
- This will require supplying a copy of your birth certificate and a copy of the Chinese passport of your parent.
- This is the only way to obtain a long term visa if you have a parent who is an Chinese national.
NOTE
Visa24 is not affiliated with the government of China. If you want to apply for a visa directly with the Chinese Embassy, you can make an appointment to go in person.
Click here for the Chinese Embassy website in the United Kingdom.
COMPLEMENTARY INFORMATION
S ince we receive many questions about getting a Chinese visa, we have put together this informal guide about Chinese tourist visa or Chinese travel visa. Traditionally, you have had to visit the Chinese Embassy in London to start the application process for your Chinese visitor visa. This meant making an appointment first, visiting the embassy at least two times, filling out the china visa form, and spending several hours traveling and waiting in line, resulting in lost income due to missing 2 days from work.
A s air travel prices came down, the popularity of this great country has grown and demand for a tourist visa to china has increased a lot but there was still only one place to get the Chinese visa UK wide. This has further increased the waiting time and has put the pressure on officials to come up with an alternative solution. A different method for getting a visa for China was implemented.They have allowed visa agencies like Visa 24 to file visa applications instead of the person who is traveling.
N ow all you need to do is to download and fill out an application for your tourist visa for China, send in the form along with your passport, photograph, and any additional documents – you can find the exact document required higher on this page – pay a small service fee on top of the embassy fee and you are all set. Instead of having just one place to get China visa UK wide, you can now save all the time used to be lost on travel and also save your lost revenue from work.
S Stop reading all the confusing information online about how to get a Chinese visa and let us do the work for you. We will review all the paperwork before submitting and ensure that your application process will be smooth and you won’t lose precious time due to missing paperwork. Once your China tourist visa is ready, we will send it to you or notify you that it is ready to be picked up, depending on which method you have chosen for getting your passport back.