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CHINA - TOURIST VISA
The application processThe Chinese tourist visa is required for most passport holders wishing to travel to China for tourism, holidays and sightseeing. Regardless of the length of your trip, it is likely you will require a visa. Fortunately, all the information you need is here and we can help you to obtain your visa. Please read carefully through the entire page as additional documents may be required from you depending on your circumstances.Applicants who are aged between 14 to 70 inclusive applying for Chinese visas are required to give fingerprints and photo take at the Visa Application Centres
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.
1. 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.
2. EU Passport Holders
All EU passport holders applying for a Chinese visa are now required to provide bank statements & a formal employment letter. or if you have a UK resident card will need to sent the original card and none of the above will be required.
3. 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 below 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. Copies of flight tickets
(or booking confirmation) showing entry and exit from China. If you are applying for a double entry visa then all flights must be accounted for. More information can be found by clicking the link below.
5. Proof of stay in China
You must show proof of where you will be staying in China, either with hotel bookings or if you are staying with friends or family, an invitation letter.
6. Any additional documents
You may need to send some additional documentation under certain circumstances (such as non UK passport holders). Click below to go to the questions to help find out if you need to include anything else. After that you are ready to apply.
FLIGHT TICKETS
You need to provide your flight bookings
Copies of flight tickets (or booking confirmation) showing entry and exit from China. Your flight tickets would need to show your flight all the way from the UK to China, including any connections if applicable.
If you are applying for a double entry visa then all flights must be accounted for, if travelling by public transport you must provide a letter addressed to the Chinese Embassy explaining how you travel from Hong Kong/Taiwan etc. back to mainland China.
PROOF OF STAY
UK supporting letter
There are two ways to prove your stay in China :
1. Copy of hotel bookings
Copies of hotel booking for the entire stay in China. If you are applying for a double entry visa then all bookings must be accounted for. If you are staying with friends or family they must issue you with a signed invitation letter which must include your
- full name
- gender
- DOB
- passport number
- purpose of visit
- intended entry and exit date
relationship with the inviter and source of financial support for your trip to China.
The letter must include the inviter's
- Inviter's name
- Address
- ID number
- Contact telephone number
- Signature of the inviter
- Copy of their ID
( or ) If they are staying on a visa a copy of the visa as well.
2. Invitation from China
If you have been invited to China by a friend/relative and you are staying at their place then a (Hotel booking is not required) but you will need to provide an invitation letter from the inviter, this must be a formal, signed letter and must state the following :
- The visitor’s name
- Date of birth
- Gender
- Visitor's passport no
- Purpose of visit
- Place of visit
- Relationship between the applicant and the inviter
- Financial support during stay in China
Information of the inviter ( For personal inviter )
(including Chinese citizen, residence from Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan holding legal residence in mainland China, and foreign citizen holding legal residence in mainland China) :
- Name
- Contact Number
- Address and Signature
You must provide a copy of Id of the inviter if he/she is a Chinese national or a copy of the main page of the passport if is non Chinese national also a copy of his valid visa/residence status.
Additional Documents You May Need To Include
- All self employed applicants must write their job title and business nature at section 1.5 where it says "Other (please specify) on the application form. (Media related applicants may get their visas restricted to single or double entry).
- All applicants that work for a media company must provide a letter from the employer to state the applicants job title, must confirm the purpose of the trip, letter must be on company letter headed paper. Also a self declaration is required from the applicant explaining the same.
- All EU passport holders applying for a Chinese visa are now required to provide bank statements & a formal employment letter. or if you have a UK resident card will need to sent the original card and none of the above will be required. For most of EU passport holders there is no express service or multiple entry visa available, only single or double entry visa. For EU members, who study or work in the UK without relevant visa or permit, they have to provide a Letter of Employment or Study saying they are working or studying in UK. Contact details of the employer/school is required. If unemployed, they have to provide a Letter of Employment or study from their spouse, who has been working or studying here. Contact details of the employer/school is required. A Copy is ok.
- All non EU passport holders are required to provide a copy of their UK visa or if they hold a resident card must sent in the original card and a copy. There is no express service for most of non EU passport holders and no multiple entry visa available.
- French passport holders are required to provide ORIGINAL business invitation letter. Either from the Chinese Foreign Ministry or from the Duly Authorised Unit (bearing its seal) or from a trading partner or a company in China (providing also the envelope that the letter was sent to applicant) They must provide a written itinerary day by day of their planned trip in China and their flight and hotel bookings.
- Applications for those who are under 18 years old should be signed by both parents or their guardians on the form Section 5. Also they are advised to provide birth certificate (original and copy), original Chinese passports or travel documents (original and copy if applicable), passports of both parents (original and copy of information page and signature page) or relevant legal documents for the guardians (original and copy) plus passport of the guardians (original and copy of information page and signature page).
- If you are applying for a Chinese visa for the first time, you should provide the last Chinese passport held and a photocopy of it’s data page. If you have obtained Chinese visas before and apply for a Chinese visa with a renewed foreign passport that does not contain any Chinese visa, you should provide original previous passport(s) and present the photocopy of the previous passport's data page and the photo page if it is separate, as well as the previous Chinese visa page. If your name on the current passport differs from that on the previous one, you must provide the official document of name change.
- Make sure you chose express service, and we receive it before 10:00 on a working day.
- Please tick on Others (please specify) on section 2.2 on the form and write 24 months please
CHINA - TOURIST VISA - PRICES
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 10:00am 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.
PHOTOGRAPH
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
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 that the visa can 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 :
China Visa 24 25 Cabot SquareLondon E14 4QA
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 / Postal Order : You can include a cheque or postal order with the application making it payable to VISA24.
- 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 dependant on your choice of visa. please refer to our visa list for more details on our selection of visa types and validity periods.
- You will need to send your valid original passport, the Chinese visa will be applied in your passport, so please make sure you have free double page on your passport before you apply.
- We recommend sending your passport and application with a recorded delivery option.
- For urgent service, you must get your passport to us before 9:00am. We cannot submit your application to the embassy after 10:00 am.
- You can use Royal Mail 9 am special delivery, or any courier of your choice, or you can drop off your application in person.
- 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.
- 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 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 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.
- The Chinese visa is valid from the day it is granted. Once in country you are either granted 30,60 or 90 days stay depending on how long your hotel bookings/private invitation state.
- If you need us to submit the application to the embassy the same day we recieve it then the receipt deadline is 9.15am. If we receive the application after this cut off time then unfortunately we cannot submit until the next working day.
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 top 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.