FlyerTalker6823123456

Apologies if the info is buried in another thread, I could do with a definitive answer from those with more experience than me!

Applying for a L Tourist Visa for entry to China as 2x British citizens. I have had a 2-entry visa in the past. The website could be clearer, a couple of questions:

• Re: fingerprinting, do we both need to attend, or can I lodge both applications as I have done in the past?
• What entry/duration visas are we likely to get, I can't see much in the way of options on the website or application form
• I'm likely to visit again a handful of times over the next few years, can I apply for a 5/10 year visa, and what's the chances of being accepted?
• What's the current cost?

The docs I believe I'll need to bring are:

• Original passport
• Photocopy of passport
• Visa application form typed and signed
• Passport photo
• Terms and conditions doc signed
• Photocopy of previous visas (although in current passport)
• Copy of round-trip air ticket
• Copy of hotel reservation

Am I missing anything?

Thanks in advance.

jiejie

Standard issue L tourist visas for British citizens applying in the UK are now good for 2 years, multiple entries, 90 days per stay. The visa goes live immediately, so the old requirement that you use the visa within 90 days, is now gone. You will need to apply through an agent and pay their service fees on top of the regular visa fee; tourist visa applicants can no longer directly approach the Embassy in London nor the other Consulates in the UK.. The official one for the UK is here: https://www.visaforchina.org/ but I understand there are some other agents that can also access the Embassy/Consulates. Most people apply to the closest office to their home, but AFAIK there is no restriction requiring you to do so. From anecdotal evidence, Manchester seems to have been the most persnickety about documentation and the only one that wants to do fingerprints...at least that's how it was awhile back. Go the website I linked to, and your questions about fees and what to provide in your application package, will be answered.

5-10 year tourist visas are not available to UK citizens, unless the British and Chinese governments agree on a new visa treaty at some point in the future.

MSPeconomist

When you list copy of plane ticket, I'd bring two pieces for this, just in case someone wants to be fussy:

Ticket receipt showing the ticket number

Copy of itinerary, showing the specific flights on which you are holding confirmed reservations.

FlyerTalker6823123456

Thanks for the info. I got my previous two visas from the UK Visa Service Centre etc and already have an appointment so am familiar with the process, but some things have changed in the last 3 years.

I can't find the total cost (visa + fee) on the website. Do you have a link? As I said the website could definitely be clearer!

jiejie

On the home page for the UK offices, click on "Visa Knowledge". Direct link: http://bio.visaforchina.org/LON2_EN/...e/263879.shtml then at the end of the section, you'll see the link for the schedule of fees (pdf file). UK citizens, regular service, pay a total of £151 per person. If it's been more than 2-3 years since you've had a Chinese visa, this is a big jump in price, to go along with the better quality visa. There is no more option to get a single-entry visa for cheaper, another by-product of the visa treaty currently in effect.

I agree the website is unnecessarily convoluted, making you hunt for things in non-intuitive ways.

11277m

Given that you can apply by post, it seems that fingerprints cannot be a requirement. Perhaps prints might be taken on entry to China?

FlyerTalker6823123456

As of May 8th 2018, the Chinese Visa Application Service Centre in London will capture some applicants’ fingerprints on behalf of the Chinese Embassy in accordance with Chinese laws and regulations.


Applicants, who are aged between 14 to 70 inclusive applying for:
• Chinese resident visa (D)
• work visa (Z)
• long-term study for over 180 days (X1)
• visiting family members or family reunion for more than 180 days (S1 or Q1)
• resident journalist visa (J1)
• 5-10 years multiple-entry visa

are required to submit the application in person at the Visa Application Centre.

FlyerTalker6823123456

For the record, swift response by email from the Chinese Visa Application Service Center in London:

jiejie

That's the way it is most everywhere. There were some scattered locations around the world that trialed getting fingerprints for L visa applicants, but I think the Chinese quickly found that the volume and workload was just too much, and unnecessary for short-term visitors.

The list of visas you mention above which require fingerprinting, are all types which are for those taking up residence, and which require the initial visa to be changed to a Residence Permit once in China. Also, some or most of those visa types require application to be made at the Embassy/Consulate directly, not through an agent.

moondog

If I had attempted to do mine at the consulate directly, I would have made numerous mistakes, and ended up in a higher tax bracket. My agent was insanely expensive, but I'm starting to conclude that this was money well spent.

jiejie

With all the new documentation/authentication requirements for the Z, that's probably true in the USA. The set up is a bit different in the UK, with about 95% of applications going through the one "official" agent visaforchina.org and most of those for tourist and business visas; I have no idea how competent they are for UK applicants with complex applications destined for Resident Permits and certainly am not in a position to endorse or disendorse them for that purpose. In the USA, at least you have the ability to choose around between quite a number of agents, and there are definitely some that are better than others.

moondog

I actually did the entire drill in Shanghai using an M visa that I'm not convinced was ever converted to Z during the process.

tauphi

Yes a Z visa is *not* required for a work residence permit. Residence permits are issued by the local PSB so it is up to them to set the rules. The whole Z visa (and other similar ones such as S1/Q1 etc.) setup is created by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs who are obviously not at all connected to the local PSB which sits under a different ministry. FWIW I had a Q2 visa converted into a residence permit in Shanghai a few years ago.

So when in doubt, consult with the local PSB where you wish to register for the actual requirements.

jiejie

Let's not mislead people here by presenting atypical situations as "normal". While technically you are correct in who's responsible for Permits, you guys were both already in China on some form of visa and also had longstanding "ties" of some sort even if not necessarily directly with the Chinese constabulary. The vast majority of people reading this, who are outside China and wishing to work in China, these days will need to obtain and enter on a Z visa from the outset. This thread is really getting off track from the original OP's question.

moondog

Apologies for the tangent; I'll try to close it out in this post with as few words as possible. Basically, if you are already in China on certain types of visas, it is possible to convert them to residence permits, but the process is lengthy and expensive. @tauphi the facility that issues both the work permit and the residence permit is in Pudong (I had to go there in person two times). My local PSB was only relevant during step 3 of the 20 step process.

End of tangent.