A few comments I can offer.

- you could escape the visa fee with a one day return trip to Korea/Japan/HK/Macau in the middle of your 11 day trip, thereby qualifying for entry under TWOV. However this would curtail your ability to move around in China to the greater Shanghai area, which includes Hangzhou and Suzhou.

- it would not matter if you got a longer duration visa than the term if your current passport, as far as China is concerned the issued visa remains valid in the old passport, you just need to carry both old and new passport and ensure you don't change any personal data.

- if you do not have any history of visits to China, then it's my understanding that applying as a British citizen you would be unlikely to get a multi year visa straight off the bat unless you had a convincing reason. I suspect multiple visits for tourism would be unconvincing. And for Brits you generally have to stepup from single/multiple entry then progressing up through the multiple year visas, 2yr, 5yr and then 10yr.

- note that the single and multiple entry visa application process in the UK currently has the bonus that you do not need to provide fingerprints in person at the visa application centre as part of the application process, whereas there is no dispensation for fingerprint collection for multi year visas.

Thankyou for your speedy reply, which is most useful and raises a few further questions for the second trip in a years time.

OK - so that's an interesting suggestion to fly LHR to Shanghai for 5 days - then leave for a (prebooked day or 2 to Korea or Hong Kong and return for a second visa free transit visit to Shanghai with my valid BA flight home. Will that be allowed or are there any restrictions in place? Not being able to leave Shanghai wouldn't be too much of a miss, though is a shame. There definitely isn't a "non return transit" clause in place to stop you just leaving every 5 days? Its a great suggestion if its all ok to do so! I assume it would need to be a flight? (Train to Hong Kong not valid?)

If I cant get a multiple entry first off - then the above becomes more appealing. Paying the fee once is bad enough! Just be 100% sure I'm seeing this correct. The £130 fee is for a single entry visit and valid for 2 years?

I did think I'd read the visa does transfer to a new passport - so thanks for confirming. Seems weird not to be able to apply for a multiple entry - when you know you are returning within 12 months!

I'm not bothered about the fingerprint thing - I'd prefer to pay the reduced Visa fee than the agency charge!

I'm actually away on a short break cruise in 2 weeks so need to have my passport back for that. (12 to 16 October) Do I need to hand in my passport or is it a "photo copy" that I need to give? Its really not that obvious (at least not to me!)

Its funny as I booked this flight 2 weeks ago and messaged a well travelled friend from Oz if he'd been to Shanghai. His reply "no, but I'm going in November!" He is in Beijing at first and arrives on the 13th (so midway). His tour arrives in Shanghai 2 days after I leave! So near but so far! It is one reason I had thought about a bullet to Beijing - but he hand his 2 sons are part of a tour, so suspect I'd not catch up anyway! Shame.

I wonder if there is any left luggage of a couple of days to faciliate a carry on only flight to take advantage of your good suggestion!

Just spotted something else on another site, which hopefully helps me for my trip next year.

https://www.china-briefing.com/news/...hird%20country.

if I’m reading this correctly, arriving in Hong Kong it gives us 30 days (from 59 countries Iincluding the UK) to enter mainline China.

its difficult to digest using a phone and I’m certainly not familiar with with provinces mentioned. There’s probably a gotcha in there somewhere!

From what was posted above, I’d certainly be happy to go 144 hour transit visa x two and take a 2 night trip to Seoul to get round a full Visa.If I’m honest, I actually quite fancy that. S Korea certainly appeals and that’s actually an acceptable compromise for remaining inside Shanghai. (Does Disneyland qualify for being inside Shanghai?)

You can apply for any visa you please, but there's a good chance that the first visa you're granted will be fairly restrictive. A letter of support from a well connected party could be beneficial (i.e some types of invitations move mountains).

There's a dedicated thread here on visa free transit (in which we discuss that topic).

The visa free entry for 15 days for citizens of France is still valid, right ? I assume it does not requires a pre-registration or ESTA of some form ? I also assume that what matters is citizenship and not residency ?

Yes, citizens of France and most other EU countries visa free for 15 days thru end of 2025.

I’ve still not made a full decision on whether to go the dual TWOV route or stump up for a visa. If it’s certain I’d effectively have to pay the fee twice (because I’d not be granted a multi visit tourist visa, then my decision is easy. (TWOV and transit to Seoul on first trip and Visa for next visit in September next year.)

I hear what you’ve said about no guarantees on what you will be granted, however on another site the visa question cropped up with people making a first time application given a visa valid for 2 years and up to 90 days. They were unable to tell if that meant you had up to 90 days within a 2 year time frame with multiple entries, or if it meant one visit only for up to 3 months.

They did say however and it does sound promising “I’ve looked at the visa and it says duration of each stay can’t be more than 90 days after entry… so that implies multiple entries.”

I can’t see anywhere that clarifies what the 2 year option currently being supplied means. There were 2 separate people given this Visa. Not sure if the online form process gives any hints here… I still need to sort a white background image to enable me past the first section! I’m thinking of just going up to the visa centre and asking. (The phone numbers listed only get answered with voice messaging.)

One thing you may know the answer to.

If I apply with confirmed booking s for flight and hotel plans, am I allowed to change them? I can easily provide an 11 day confirmed hotel booking - (as it can be cancelled FOC up until the day before) but ultimately my reason for doing this, would involve a bullet train to Beijing and 3 nights there. I can’t provide a train ticket confirmation just yet as it’s too early to book it seems. I’m not obviously trying to claim to be in one place and then another and would happily show the full details once I’m able to book. Am I allowed to change plans from what I’ve said I will be doing? This is a bit of a catch 22 for me for so many reasons on whether to get a visa or TWOV and travel plans I need to get booked. I suspect change of plans is common, but I don’t want to get into bother if this may be seen as deceipt.

Edit

Further to this and something picked up on another Visa processing agency "Please note that most visas for UK passport holders are now issued multiple entry with 2 years validity. If you are eligible for a 5 year validity visa (you must have used two 2 year visas to be eligible)," So would seem its the norm to be 2 years and is multi entry.

I searched for "China visa UK" and got this picture.

https://cimg6.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...5a96e22201.png

To decode this (looks like the same format globally):

• Category L = Tourism
• Entries M 多 / Duration of each stay = Enter as many times as you want for 90 days each time.
• Issue date / Enter before = Valid for 2 years
• Issued at 曼彻斯特 = Manchester

Here is a different visa https://www.chinadiscovery.com/asset...entry-visa.jpg

• This is also tourism, but you can only enter once for 14 days total

Yes you can change all plans after visa is issued.

It's been several years since I've been there, but you can always change your mind or the situation could change (eg, you book a hotel, that hotel for some reason overbooked so has to walk you to a sister-branch in a nearby neighbourhood). That said, when you go to a hotel in China, most hotels will make a copy of your passport and register you with the local police so you're still tracked.

That's not a problem to be tracked. There's as many cameras in London probably! lol All I was checking for was if its ok if I make changes to plans I'd given or if I needed to inform if I had.


Thanks for the reply gudugan...... I think (and hope) things have moved on since the single entry image and I feel a little more confident now than I had that I can get a multi entry Visa, which will change again my plans for the trip next month. I just didnt want to pay twice in 10 months for a visa costing £130 each time each person.

For clarification the single entry image is completely unrelated and was issued in Manila (马尼拉). Just showing what it looks like.

My understanding is that there is a mixture of centralised policy of visa issuance which comes from the China Foreign Ministry and is handed down to each country's Embassy for implementing and operationalizing on a local/regional level. So les37b needs to focus on what the China UK Embassy and it's consulates and visa processing centres are instructed to do. Examples on the interwebs of what other embassies might or might not do have little consequence on what the UK embassy policy does. Note that the relationship between HM Government and the motherland are not as positive as some other countries that are being littered with visa free travel for their citizens. So therefore under the basis of reciprocal arrangements you would be wise to assume that on the basis that you are British citizen you almost certainly have to step through a single entry visa and use it without causing a faux pas before you can assume you can get a multiple entry visa, unless you have some senior/important sponsor for your application. This has been the practice of the Chinese UK Embassy for quite some while and I am not aware that anything has changed.

They probably mean 2 year multiple entry, <=90 days/stay (that's pretty standard terminology). Regardless of what they mean, the fact that such agencies exist and make promises like that underscores my point that it is possible to get better visas that what's offered at the window. Of course, you should do your own DD on them (and others you might be considering), though.

ETA: mistakenly typed greater than or equal to 90 days initially. The days per stay numbers are ceilings (not floors).

Whist that was an independent third party agency link, the "official" third party agency are still sending out the processed visas seemingly with 2 year multi just like they suggested.

In the meantime, I've put the TWOV on hold and have filled out the application form online, submitted and got all the documents together and going there in the morning. On the website, Id already posted the 2 year price it shows, which was £130 including (I think) The £66 service charge.) I rang the number on the site hoping Id get to speak and went through all the options. One option was for pricing. They quoted the visa charge as being £85 (Not the £64 stated on the embassy website.) Just wished I could take it direct to the embassy!

OK, job done. Arrived at the Agency in London at 09.10 and left at 10.20. There were approx 50 in front of me in the queue - I was ticket 63!. All in all, hats off, it was efficient and speedy. Not convinced it was £66 pounds worth, but that's another story.

At the entrance, I did ask the question about what would be issued and after I confirmed this would be my first visit, they stated it would be a 2 year multi entry, up to 90 days each visit. So far so good. Once called up, the checking agent was asked and she said the same thing. My receipt makes no reference and I completely agree and understand any decision will be done by the embassy. But from their perspective, that is what is currently issued to UK passport holders. Passport is ready for collection on Tuesday 8 October, so will update once I have my passport back. Fingers crossed its 2 year multi and and all done on time as my passport will be needed for a cruise departing on the 12th October!

Price they quoted was £130 - and that's exactly what they took once I had to go to the payment kiosk after a second quick queue. If you look at the cost sheet - it does actually say on there £130 is for a two year visa. (Though no mention of stay time or being multi.)