TDS have offices in Washington DC, New York, Houston and in San Francisco. I have used their forms for trickier applications (Russia!) and their services on occasion over the years. Very reliable.

See their "China visa information shortcuts" page here.

geez these visa's are cheap.. i just got a one entry, 30 day validity tourist visa and it cost $100.

Can anyone make sense of this Chinglish? http://sydney.chineseconsulate.org/e...qz/t630471.htm

Will I be able to apply directly to the consulate or is it only possible using this agent?

you can only use the chinese visa application service centre - http://www.visaforchina.com.au/

i used them in melbourne last week - 4 day turn around or 2 days for double the money.

This is a curious arrangement to say the least. While the optimist in me believes the consulate down there is doing this to reduce costs, the cynic in me has an alternate theory that shall remain unsaid in this public forum.

So its official... Australia has the most expensive prices for Chinese visas.

http://www.visaforchina.com.au/webrm...rbj/262540.pdf

From $98.50 to $323.50 AUD.

May be best for Australians to take a detour on their way to China and spend the money on a vacation while they get their visa in another country.

I may do the $323.50 option :( Unless I eat my own advice and take a vacation somewhere use a rush service elsewhere.

Japan has the same day service for an extra 4000jpy? http://www.china-embassy.or.jp/chn/l...js/t884883.htm

I've seen this in other countries. In Indonesia, many countries use similar arrangements. I've used the Chinese and Australian ones there. The fees there range from $18-$30 for standard service, on top of the normal embassy fee.

Not so curious. In Canada they switched to the service center just before the new year and all visas are now processed by the center and not at the Chinese embassy/consulates.

If you ask me it's a step up as you avoid the ridiculous lines as you can book your appointment whit in a one hour time slot. They also have increased business hours and are generally very efficient and fast.

A lot of other countries have similar arrangements; India comes to mind. Canada also operates several Visa centers in China for Canadian Visas.

Also a cynic, I also subscribe to an alternate theory of why these "China Visa Service Centers" seem to be popping up all over the place in the last couple of years as sole-option replacements for direct in-person application.

Increased business hours? The one in Sydney is only open till 3pm. The CG is till 5pm with a lunch break.

just to clarify, that visa for china accept both mail in and face-to-face applications. yeah it mightn't be the cheapest but in the big scheme of things, nothing from australia is....

Sorry I was referring to Chinese CG in Toronto. They were only open 9:30-11:30 - 1:30-3:00 for Visas if memory serves me right!

The new center is open till 4 PM with no break.

Why do they need the passport?
Just mail the sticker.

You don't have to drive your car to dmv for them to apply the registration sticker and plate to your car.

For that matter..they could sell Chinese visas from vending machines at the airport. Save the postage fee.

And they will charge even more for it... for some reason I can see it happening...

Some of the embassies will push for it exclusively due to lower cost/convince...