If you are applying for a Chinese Tourist visa, the documents required in support of your application changed on 16th January 2012 (all China business visas are unaffected by the change)

SINGLE ENTRY CHINA TOURIST VISA

From that date onwards, you will need to send us:

1. Application forms
2. Passport photo
3. Passport
4. Copy of flight reservation / ticket (this can be an email confirmation)
5. Confirmation of hotel reservation OR an invitation letter from friends or family if you are staying with them.

Applications for Single Entry Chinese Tourist Visas made prior to 16th January are still OK on the old process i.e. documents 1 to 3 above only. So get your application to Chinese Visa Direct to apply for your Single Entry China Tourist Visa ASAP.

DOUBLE ENTRY CHINA TOURIST VISA

The additional documentation required for a Double Entry Chinese Tourist Visa varies according to circumstances. Please call our main office number on 0207 436 9156 during office hours for guidance.

Applications for Double Entry Chinese Tourist Visas made prior to 16th January are still OK on the old process i.e. documents 1 to 3 above only. So get your application to Chinese Visa Direct to apply for your Double Entry China Tourist Visa ASAP to avoid the extra requirements.

Chinese Business Visas are unaffected and the only documents needed are documents 1 to 3 above and the invitation letter from the inviting business. There is no requirement to send us flight details or confirmation of hotels etc.

Also, don’t forget that Chinese New Year is fast approaching so get your application in to Chinese Visa Direct before then to ensure prompt return of your visa.

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I am often asked whether or not we can provide cheap flights? We used to, but do not anymore. However, my advice is that if you are looking for flights to Beijing or Shanghai, the best fares are invariably accessed from the airline directly. This did not used to be the case but is now.

On the day that I went there (New Year’s eve, no less), the lake had mostly frozen over and park of it turned into a massive ice rink. Strangely enough, I did not take many pictures of my trip, save for the two oddments below. One is a public health notice in a public toilet warning of the dangers of smoking whilst partaking in certain activities, and the other is of the Polar Bear swim in the icy lake – when questioned, the guy in the picture said that the water was relatively warm!

Anyway, highly recommended for those going to Beijing. Before you go, don’t forget to get your China Visa from Chinese Visa Direct (excuse the shameless plugs, but if I don’t who will!)

Now bear in mind that I am no economist and what follows could all be wrong, but don’t be fooled by the low per capita GDP figures for China. Remember that this is as an average across the population and encompasses the vast areas of land where the population depends upon agriculture. The fact that per capita GDP is a poor indicator  is probably economics 101 (as our American friends would say) but one that is easily forgotten when thinking about lands as vast and populous as China.

I would bet (not much though, as I live in London!) that if you took GDP per capita figures across the metropolitan areas of China alone and excluded the agricultural areas from the calculation, you would get a figure which would surpass a similar calculation here in the UK. And this is going to get worse. If I think about all of the rags to riches stories I have heard about ordinary Chiese people making it big in their own country, it is because they have made their money in industrialising those agricultural areas. In other words, they have become rich in the process of making China richer. Given that there are an awful lot of areas which have potential to be industrialised, it follows that China has much capacity for growth, constrained only by the availability of natural resources (which, I would argue, should extend to food, water, air etc)

Anyway, before I get egnrossed in economic arguments about whether the cost of development in China reflects the true cost taking into account all peripheral economic factors, the message is that if we want to get out of our current economic rut, we need to be part of that process – be part of industrialising China. In the process, we should be able to reduce the impact on the environment by exporting tec

I think this post is giong to stray somewhat from the topic of China visas, and the great service that you can expect from Chinese Visa Direct (thought I would get that plug in early!). However, something occurred to me last night – the vast number of Audi A6s on the roads in Beijing – the capital city in a so called developing country which either still (or was until recently) a recipient of UK aid. How is this reconciled?

Now bear in mind that I am no economist and what follows could all be wrong, but don’t be fooled by the low per capita GDP figures for China. Remember that this is as an average across the population and encompasses the vast areas of land where the population depends upon agriculture. The fact that per capita GDP is a poor indicator  is probably economics 101 (as our American friends would say) but one that is easily forgotten when thinking about lands as vast and populous as China.

I would bet (not much though, as I live in London!) that if you took GDP per capita figures across the metropolitan areas of China alone and excluded the agricultural areas from the calculation, you would get a figure which would surpass a similar calculation here in the UK. And this is going to get worse. If I think about all of the rags to riches stories I have heard about ordinary Chiese people making it big in their own country, it is because they have made their money in industrialising those agricultural areas. In other words, they have become rich in the process of making China richer. Given that there are an awful lot of areas which have potential to be industrialised, it follows that China has much capacity for growth, constrained only by the availability of natural resources (which, I would argue, should extend to food, water, air etc)

Anyway, before I get egnrossed in economic arguments about whether the cost of development in China reflects the true cost taking into account all peripheral economic factors, the message is that if we want to get out of our current economic rut, we need to be part of that process – be part of industrialising China. In the process, we should be able to reduce the impact on the environment by exporting technologies to China which we did not have when we went through our period of industrialisation. In order to do this, you need to get out there -which is my tenuous link to say that none of this can happen without a Chinese Visa! That’s right folks - Chinese Visa Direct makes the process of getting a visa for China easy – especially China business visas and Chinese multi entry visas for 6 months, 12 months or 2 years (I would add that these are getting mroe difficult to obtain so do speak to us about them should you wish to apply for them). Didn’t think you were going to get away completely from the marketing spiel, did you? Click here to return to the Chinese Visa Direct main site.

The practice differs in each particular province, but usually, the items required are:

1. Statutory declaration

2. Certificate of non impediment

3. Decree absolute (not the decree nisi) or death certificate of previous spouse if previously married

Some or all of the above may be required – Chinese Visa Direct would always recommend that you talk all of the above items – just imagine going to China to get married and getting turned away because you didn’t bring the right papers!

We can help you draft the first item for a low price (click here to go to our statutory declaration payment page). This should save you some lawyer fees!

You should also attend your local registry office to obtain the certificate of non impediment – this takes around 3 weeks.

However, these documents are not, in their current state, recognisable by the Chinese government. You need to get your documents legalised in order for them to be recognised in China – this is merely an official stamp which states that the document is genuine. Again, we can help with document legalisation (full instructions are provided with our statutory declaration but if you can’t wait, click here).

One common misconception is that the documents need to be translated here in the UK before legalisation. DO NOT DO THIS. We have had several clients do this and it is an expensive mistake. Either the documents will be accepted as is or you will need to appoint a local government approved translator in China to translate your legalised documents.

Of course, don’t forget your Chinese Visa which you will need in order to enter China! Chinese Visa Direct can obviously help with this!

Once done, you can look forward to the big day!