Hi, thought it might be useful to explain how to get a visa for China, because it didn't seem straightforward (although to be fair I am a 'green' traveller so others might find it a walk in the park) Me and my husband were successful in obtaining chinese visas for a 3 month max tourist visa via the post from the Chinese Embassy.
I accessed the Chinese Embassy website here: http://www.chinese-embassy.org.uk/eng/ and ignored all the other websites offering to obtain your visa for you - this could be easier (though they didn't look it) but you're likely to pay an extra £30-£40 extra for their troubles. I accessed the CVASC (Chinese Visa Application Service Centre) website from here (although I kept receiving an Http error at first and emailed the embassy, they replied the same day and asked me to try again, which did the trick) There is a schedule of fees on the website and for me and my husband the fee for each of us for visiting china once over a period of up to 3 months was £64.50 each.
As we live in Cornwall, we had no choice but to opt for the postal service and send off our original passports which we were obviously uneasy to do, but we followed the instructions carefully (which for us didn't seem to be all that straightforward) and got our passports back safely within a few days, together with the visas printed in the passports themselves.
I printed the visa application forms from online and filled them in providing a brief, rough itinerary of our trip (it asks you which locations in China you will be visiting) One point that tripped me up on the forms was the dates you insert are in American style i.e. the month first, then the day so be careful here. Also, get someone to check your form before sending as you may have filled something in, incorrectly. You also need to provide 1 passport photo and affix this to the form.
If you opt for the postal service, there is no need to book an appointment online so we skipped this bit of the process.
You then print out the payment authorisation form with your bank details (they provide you with a receipt for the amount taken when they return your visa and passport)
Take your passport, application form with affixed photo, and payment authorisation form to the post office and request two plastic special delivery envelopes - one smaller than the other. You'll need the smaller envelope with your address on it and POSTAGE ADDED TO IT by the post office included in your application envelope to ensure your passport and visa are returned to you safely. The larger envelope you put on the CVASC address and appropriate postage and place all of the documents and pre-paid envelope within. You should receive your visa with your passport within a few days.
Hope this helps!
Reply to this Hello Louise, thanks for posting this. Going directly to the embassy is better than using third parties - as if a problem arises you have a vested interest in sorting things out quickly, plus you hear exactly what the issue is. It is a bit more work, but worth the effort.
Thankfully, Chinese visas seem easier to obtain now than during the Olympic period. They seem to have dropped the hotel confirmation requirement (written confirmation for every night of your stay) and they also now allow multi-entry visas (this was suspended for a time).
Reply to this I got my visa through a travel agent and it was hassle free and I paid the same price as I would through the agency.
Reply to this I am going down to KL to get one, hopefully can get a multiple entry for 6 months. Would like to spend 2-6 months there in the Great China.
Reply to this Hello Louise 😊
I moved this to the Travel News and Discussion Forum.
Mel
Reply to this 
