Apply for your Chinese visa with expert support

• Visa Application Center costs.
• Consular tariffs.
• Delivery, collection and management of your application at the consulate by our staff.
• Expert support.
• Peace of mind!

Optional extras:

• Central London courier delivery the day your visa is ready.
• Royal Mail Special Delivery of your passport and Chinese visa back to you (UK only).
• £2,500 of consequential loss postal insurance (UK mainland only).

A Chinese visa is an official document that allows visitors to enter the People's Republic of China for a specified time period. China visas include your name, passport details, purpose of visit as well as the entry and exit dates.

Example of a China Visa

Chinese tourist visas are usually issued to travellers visiting China as tourists and may be issued for a single, double or multiple entries, allowing for a 30- or 90-day-stay upon each entry. For UK passport holders a tourist visa is valid for 2 years and allows multiple visits for a 90-day-stay each entry. Please be aware, that you cannot apply for this visa more than 90 days before the first entry.

For all other nationals, the visa will be issued either for a single visit or double visits with a validity “window” that starts from the date the Consulate grant you the visa, and you should enter China before this validity “window” expires. For single-entry visas, the validity “window” is 90 days and for double-entry visas, it is between 90 and 180 days. The exact validity “window” of a double-entry visa depends on whether you have been issued a Chinese visa before or not. Only if the original of such a visa is available, are you eligible to receive a visa with a validity window of 180 days. If you have never been issued a Chinese visa before or the original visa is not available, the window length will be shortened to 90 days. Please note that the final decision is always made at the Consulate’s discretion.

Chinese business visas are usually issued to travellers visiting China on official or private business and may be issued for a single, double or multiple entries, allowing for a 30- or 90-day-stay upon each entry.

For UK passport holders, a business visa is valid for 2 years and allows multiple visits for a 90-day-stay each upon entry. Please be aware, that you cannot apply for this visa more than 90 days before the first entry. For all other nationals, the visa can be issued either for a single, double or multiple visits within a validity window starting the day that the application is made to the Consulate, and you should enter China before the expiration of this window. For single-entry visas, the window is 90 days, for a double-entry it may be between 90 and 180 days and for a multiple entry visa it may be between six and twelve months.

Chinese transit visas are used by travellers who are going to transit through China en route to a third country (or region). These visas are granted based on an onward air, train or ship ticket confirming the date and seat number to the destination country (or region). You must also have a valid visa (if required) to the destination country (or region) or be a resident there.

This visa allows for either one (single entry) or two (double entry) transits usually of up to 7 days if travelling by train or 10 days if travelling by air. It is issued with a 90-day validity “window” that starts from the date the Consulate grants you the visa and you should enter China before this validity “window” expires.

A China transit visa is not required if you are in transit for a period not exceeding 24 hours as determined by scheduled flight arrival and departure times, provided you have documentary evidence of your onward flight arrangements. Multiple stops are allowed so long as they fall within the 24-hour period. If you want to leave the airport, you can apply for a special stopover permit. In addition to the 24-hour visa-free transit applicable to all travellers regardless of the nationality and the airport you are transiting through, China also grants a 72-hour visa-free transit for the nationals of 51 countries travelling by air via Beijing, Chengdu, Chongqing, Dalian, Guangzhou, Guilin, Kunming, Shanghai, Shenyang and Xi’an. Click here for more information. If you require a transit visa, please contact our visa team who will guide you through the visa application process.

All applicants between the ages of 14 and 70 must now give their fingerprints when applying for a China visa in the UK.

Please go to this page to see how the process works and where you need to go to give your fingerprints and follow our Facebook and Twitter here for more updates as we receive them.

Reading and understanding your Chinese visa can be difficult; therefore we have designed a short guide on how to understand the different sections on your Chinese visa.

Yes, of course. We have an office in central London that can assist with your Chinese visa application if needed. If you intend to deliver an application in person or collect your passport and visa we are open for collection and deliveries during the following times:

Please note: that biometric fingerprinting at the Chinese Visa Application Centre in London will be required to complete your application. This must be booked in advance and can only be done once we have checked your application form and documents, therefore it cannot happen on the  day you leave your passport and documents with us. If you are planning to bring your passport and documents to us, please be aware that this may mean visiting London twice.

Visa applications received by our office after 2.00pm on weekdays, or at any time on Saturdays or non-working days, will not start to be processed until the following working day.

The processing time will vary dependent upon the type of visa you order. Please see the relevant visa pages for more information.

If you are completing your Chinese visa application online with us we will tell you all you need to know, however, if you have any questions about the process or would like to know more, please see our dedicated Chinese visa FAQs page for more information.