My Chinese Visa Process!
In a few days I will be going to Shanghai, China! I am very excited to visit Shanghai and to experience the culture! I am not so stoked about the visa process although I know it is a travel requirement due to Mainland China not having a visa-free transit exemption nor does it have a visa on arrival program or an online E-visa option.
PONDERING-
For me, the thought of applying for a Chinese visa initially seemed time consuming. My mind stared to wonder about the process. I had so many questions like What do I need? What if I don't have everything? How long will it take?
I have obtained several visas in the past upon arrival however a visa that needed to be obtained prior to departure would become a learning tool. After researching the process and gathering quotes to process my visa from various agencies I decided to facilitate the visa process myself. The timing of the universe aligned with a planned vacation I had to Houston which happened to have Chinese Consulate. Aside from timing, my travel concierge service is all inclusive and I am a very hands on owner. I welcomed the challenge of learning and applying for the Chinese Visa especially since I had more than one to process.
Click below to plan your next trip.
RESEARCH-
There are 5 Chinese Consulates in the United States. Each state in the United States is assigned a consulate according to the state you reside in.
I applied for a 10 year multiple entry “L” tourist visa. (I’ll explain why I selected this 10 year visa further down)
In order to get the 10 year tourist visa, without staying with a friend or family member who resides in China I needed the following:
1) My passport with 12 months of validity and 2 blank pages for the visa
2) The visa application form “Form V.2013”
3) A color passport photo (2x2)
4) A color drivers license photo
5) A copy of my roundtrip air itinerary
6) Proof of my hotel reservation
7) My job information page
If I opted to stay with a friend or family member in China I would need the listed documentation above along with:
1) A signed invitation letter stating their address and place of work.
2) A copy of the inviters passport and a copy of their Chinese residence sticker.
The hotel booking wouldn’t be needed.
WARNING!
It is important that the visa application is filled out entirely. The application MUST be TYPED in ALL CAPITAL ENGLISH LETTERS.
The following two pieces of information are not stated on the website:
All of the questions must be answered and not left blank. If you don’t not have an answer or the question does not apply to you, you have to type “N/A” in the blank spaces or your application WILL BE REJECTED.
If you are sharing a room with someone ALL parties names must be present on the hotel reservation. If not the individual who’s name is not listed on the hotel and is applying for a visa WILL NOT be processed.
APPLICATION DAY-
The Chinese consulate in Houston is open from from 9:00-11:30AM and 1:30-3:00PM M-F.
I arrived at The Chinese Consulate at 9:00AM on Monday morning straight off the plane from the airport and there were already thirty people ahead of me!! Although this was an alarming number of people and I feared that I would be in line all day, the line moved pretty quick. There were several people who didn’t have all the required documentation and the others were there to pickup their visas.
After spending thirty minutes in line I finally reached the counter. I presented ALL of documentation that was needed according to the official website. The agent began circling corrections that needed to be made to my application, which were the blank spaces that needed to be filled in as “N/A”.
I became slightly irritated because the application does not instruct the applicant to type “N/A” on the form if the question doesn’t apply to them. In addition to correcting the application, I also had to correct my guests application by adding them to my hotel booking and reprint the booking with their name appearing on the booking confirmation page. It ISN’T stated on the official site that all parties occupying the room must be listed on the booking when applying for the visa either.
After editing and reprinting my application and the revised hotel booking for $1 a page 😡 from a coffee shop across the street, I returned to the line and handed over my paperwork. Two minutes later the agent handed me a receipt to pick up the visas in three days.
As easy as the process is for a second I said to myself “I see why Chinese Visa concierges charge so much to process other folks visas.” The process can be tedious and time consuming.
PICK UP DAY-
Three days later I went to pick up the visas and passports which came to the grand total $280 = 2 visas x $140
I received the 10 year multiple entry visa. I opted for this visa because the cost of all of the entrances are the same so I decided to get the longest visa possible so I don’t have to go through the process again for myself and I save money. With this visa I can stay 60 days at a time with multiple entries. As a result this option gives me more freedom in the future when booking flights to Asia because sometimes the rates are better when flying into Beijing or Shanghai opposed to Hong Kong. I am 100% sure that I will be making my way back to China again in the future aside from my upcoming trip.
CONCLUSION-
I have concluded that obtaining a passport is like getting a drivers license. Getting a Chinese visa is equivalent to obtaining a CDL!
All total, I spent about 2 hours trekking to/from the Chinese consulate and waiting in lines. Depending on your location and how much you value your time, it might just be worth it to use a visa service. My concierge service provides Chinese Visa services .(click below)
If you do choose to process your Chinese Visa yourself, here are a few takeaways:
Arrive early!
Don’t forget to fill the application out without leaving anything blank. If the question does not apply to you type “N/A” in that area.
Make sure to have all of your documentation ready, including your proof of purchased airline tickets and hotel reservations.Have extra copies of everything.
Apply for the 10 year multiple entry even if you don’t plan to go back to China because it costs the same ($140).
Hold on to your receipt and remember to bring it back with you to pick up the visa. I normally take a picture of my receipts as a backup. If you can’t pick up your visa it’s ok. Anyone with your receipt can pick up your visa.
Have the proper payment ready. You pay on the day you pick up your visa via cashiers check, money order, Visa or Master Card only.
I can’t wait to share my experience in China with you guys! Mygrate with me! ✈️