Getting a visa is not hard, yet the hardest thing in the process so far. Because of some issues I had to go about things a bit differently, which shall remain unpublished in the public realm. But, let me share with you some things that I have learned in the last little bit.
First, if you don't live in a city that has a Chinese Embassy (aka, San Francisco or New York) or Chinese Consulate (aka Chicago), it is not very practical to fly out there and spend the money to get the visa on top of finding a place to stay, unless you have friends or family whose couch you can borrow. So, the moral of the story is to trust your visa to a friend or a company.
**Now, there is one issue with this. The Chinese Embassy website is clear that if you are called upon for an interview, you will need to show up in person. I have many, many friends that have traveled to China and never had this happen with their visa, but that is just a FYI.
Second, I recommend using a trusted and well-reviewed visa company to handle getting your visa. I used a fantastic company called Passport Visas Express. I did a lot of research on visa companies and this particular one had a plethora of great and solid reviews. Because you are sending your actual passport, it is nice to know that it will be well taken care of. There are many visa companies out there, but make sure to DO YOUR RESEARCH. Another good company that my friend uses is A. Briggs Passport & Visa, which also has great reviews and wonderful customer service.
Third, check your documents. There are several things that you have to send for your visa, whether it is the Z-visa (work) or L-visa (tourist). (Plus, there are a lot more types than just those.) In general you need to send the following for a Chinese visa:
1) Passport. It must have one year of validity left.
2) The visa application, which must be typed in ALL CAPS and then signed in ink. Any box that does not apply to you needs to have an N/A. (And I mean every box.)
3) A passport photo.
4) An invitation letter (work or tourist visa), plus a copy of travel tickets.
Passport Visas Express is very clear about what documents you need for each visa type and provides a checklist. They also provide a service (for an additional $50) that they will fill out the application for you (application mistakes cost more money and time) and send it to you to sign.
Now, the disadvantage to a visa company is that you pay a fee in addition to the consulate charge to process your visa. To be honest, it is completely worth it. It was way cheaper for me to pay the processing fee and the overnight return shipping than to go to Chicago and do it myself.
So, here is the breakdown of the process I went through:
1) I entered my zip code on Passport Visas Express to assure that my passport was going to the correct consulate. (The Chinese consulates/embassies have areas of the USA that they are in charge of.) Colorado is in the Chicago Consulate.
2) I filled out the Visa application and had a friend of mine who has done it before check it to make sure that I was doing it correctly.
3) I gathered the rest of the documents required on the checklist. (Invitation letter, flight information, etc.)
4) I ordered my visa online. (This is great! Usually you send a check, but it was so nice to order it online and pay for it by credit card. Loved it. Genius and easy to use.)
**I paid for 5 day processing and it was 5 business days exactly. It was perfect.
5) I sent my documents to the company in Chicago. I overnighted them through FedEx, which was worth every cent of the $34.
6) Wait. This is the hardest part because you want to know if things are going well and there is the latent fear that they are going to reject your application. The best thing about Passport Visas Express? They sent an email to say that my documents were received and in process! They provide a tracking service on their website that allows you to see what stage your application is in.
7) GET THE VISA! Mine came today and it is great.
So, all in all, the visa is not hard but time consuming and a bit pricey; however, it is worth it to make sure that it is all legal and you are ready to go. Passport Visas Express is a great company and I wholly recommend them to anyone who needs a visa.
First, if you don't live in a city that has a Chinese Embassy (aka, San Francisco or New York) or Chinese Consulate (aka Chicago), it is not very practical to fly out there and spend the money to get the visa on top of finding a place to stay, unless you have friends or family whose couch you can borrow. So, the moral of the story is to trust your visa to a friend or a company.
**Now, there is one issue with this. The Chinese Embassy website is clear that if you are called upon for an interview, you will need to show up in person. I have many, many friends that have traveled to China and never had this happen with their visa, but that is just a FYI.
Second, I recommend using a trusted and well-reviewed visa company to handle getting your visa. I used a fantastic company called Passport Visas Express. I did a lot of research on visa companies and this particular one had a plethora of great and solid reviews. Because you are sending your actual passport, it is nice to know that it will be well taken care of. There are many visa companies out there, but make sure to DO YOUR RESEARCH. Another good company that my friend uses is A. Briggs Passport & Visa, which also has great reviews and wonderful customer service.
Third, check your documents. There are several things that you have to send for your visa, whether it is the Z-visa (work) or L-visa (tourist). (Plus, there are a lot more types than just those.) In general you need to send the following for a Chinese visa:
1) Passport. It must have one year of validity left.
2) The visa application, which must be typed in ALL CAPS and then signed in ink. Any box that does not apply to you needs to have an N/A. (And I mean every box.)
3) A passport photo.
4) An invitation letter (work or tourist visa), plus a copy of travel tickets.
Passport Visas Express is very clear about what documents you need for each visa type and provides a checklist. They also provide a service (for an additional $50) that they will fill out the application for you (application mistakes cost more money and time) and send it to you to sign.
Now, the disadvantage to a visa company is that you pay a fee in addition to the consulate charge to process your visa. To be honest, it is completely worth it. It was way cheaper for me to pay the processing fee and the overnight return shipping than to go to Chicago and do it myself.
So, here is the breakdown of the process I went through:
1) I entered my zip code on Passport Visas Express to assure that my passport was going to the correct consulate. (The Chinese consulates/embassies have areas of the USA that they are in charge of.) Colorado is in the Chicago Consulate.
2) I filled out the Visa application and had a friend of mine who has done it before check it to make sure that I was doing it correctly.
3) I gathered the rest of the documents required on the checklist. (Invitation letter, flight information, etc.)
4) I ordered my visa online. (This is great! Usually you send a check, but it was so nice to order it online and pay for it by credit card. Loved it. Genius and easy to use.)
**I paid for 5 day processing and it was 5 business days exactly. It was perfect.
5) I sent my documents to the company in Chicago. I overnighted them through FedEx, which was worth every cent of the $34.
6) Wait. This is the hardest part because you want to know if things are going well and there is the latent fear that they are going to reject your application. The best thing about Passport Visas Express? They sent an email to say that my documents were received and in process! They provide a tracking service on their website that allows you to see what stage your application is in.
7) GET THE VISA! Mine came today and it is great.
So, all in all, the visa is not hard but time consuming and a bit pricey; however, it is worth it to make sure that it is all legal and you are ready to go. Passport Visas Express is a great company and I wholly recommend them to anyone who needs a visa.
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