From 23rd October, 2023 the London Chinese Visa Application Service Centre will cancel the visa appointment booking system. Visa applicants can directly visit the Visa Centre without appointment with the completed online application form and related supporting documents for visa processing.
Friendly Reminder: Due to a high volume of visa applications, we kindly advise applicants to arrange their application times reasonably,thus preventing unnecessary inconvenience.

1. Do I have to come to the visa centre for submission in person?

According to the requirement of Chinese Embassy and Consulate General, from May 8th ,2018,  you may need to come to the Visa Centre in person to submit your application and your fingerprints may be collected. If you want to apply through a travel agency or someone else, the agency/entrusted person will be responsible to confirm with you about the submission and fingerprint collection. If you are not in the UK when submitting, we cannot accept your application. Please submit to the visa centre located in the country of your current residency, or submit to us after you come back to UK.

The consular officers may also request an interview with some applicants and collect their ten fingerprints according to Chinese laws and regulations.

2. How far in advance should I submit my application?
 It is advisable that you apply for your visa approximately one month prior to your intended date of entry into China, but not earlier than three months. If you apply for a visa too early, the visa might expire before your arrival to mainland China. For instance; if you plan to enter China on July 1, the best time to submit your application would be around June 1 (counting working days only).
If you are a dual national or multi-national, you may be requested to provide all current valid passports in your possession. Additionally, you may be required to provide your previous passport(s) in support of your application.
Please ensure you contact us shortly before your intended date of travel for the most up-to-date information regarding your visa application. 

3.  What should I do after arriving at the Visa Centre?
 On the day of your visit to the Centre, please be punctual. Upon arrival, you will:

(1) Show your appointment information, your application form, passport and other documents;

(2) One on-site photo will be taken while your passport is being scanned, and a queue number for submitting will be issued to you;
(3) Submit your application at the counter after your number is called (The visa centre will capture your fingerprints right then; if you need to have an interview according to the requirements of Chinese Embassy, the visa centre will check with you about the interview time. You need to go to the Chinese Embassy during the assigned time for the interview). The Visa Centre staff will issue a payment-due slip to you if your application is accepted.

(4) Read the statement on the back of the payment-due slip, sign it and give it back to our cashier. After paying all the visa fee, service fee, postal service fee, etc, you will get a pick-up form anda payment receipt which are printed out by the cashier.

(5) Always carefully retain the pick-up form as it must be shown when collecting your passport.

4. Can I track the status of my application?
The Chinese Visa Application Service Centre provides a 24-hour online facility to track the status of your application. You can click "My Account" to enter track your application status page and bookmark it. Or you can easily find the tracking page from your account on the homepage of the Visa Centre’s web site.

5. Do I pay when submitting my application?
Yes, you must make the payment of visa fee and service fee right after your application is accepted. 
 If you request to have the passports returened by post while lodging the application at the counter, you  must make the payment of visa fee and service fee right after your application is accepted. Please also provide a prepaid, traceable envelop with asigned receiving address when submitting (extra charge will occur if the visa centre provides you with the envelope).
Meanwhile you should fill in the Payment Authorization Form  just in case the Visa Centre needs to charge or refund fees from/to your debit card. You don't need to come to the Visa Centre again for this reason.

6. Can I cancel my application after submitting it?
The application process involves sophisticated procedures so that the Visa Centre normally won’t accept to pull a single application out of the ongoing process. If you do insist to withdraw your application, all the fees including the visa fee and service fee will not be refunded.