Good news to all Filipino applicants applying for a Chinese Tourist visa! Few years ago, I was told by a friend that it's hard to get an approved visa because they have a very strict list of requirements for example:
1. You need to secure an updated NBI clearance for travel and
2. You need a minimum of Php 100k monthly average in your bank account
#1 is quite easy but a hassle thing to do but let's face it, item #2 is a major concern by many right? BUT the good thing is, the Chinese embassy simplified their requirements which makes it easier to apply for a tourist visa. Yeeey!!!
Here's how we got our visa:
1. Check if you need a visa- Filipino citizens and passport holder needs a visa but if you're a citizen of Singapore, Brunei, and Japan, you may enter China without a visa as long as the purpose of your visit is for tourism, family visit, and business for not more than 15 days.
If you're from the following countries, congrats! you're exempted from applying a visa but only for less than 72 hours (ex. in transit).
Austria, Belgium, Czech, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Italy, Lativa, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, the Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Russia, Britain, Ireland, Cyprus, Bulgaria, Romania, Ukraine, America, Canada, Brazil, Mexico, Argentina, Chile, Australia, New Zealand, the Republic of Korea, Japan, Singapore, Brunei, the Uinted Arab Emirates, Qatar
For the complete list of countries and exemptions, please click here.
2. Prepare your basic requirements
a) Passport -Bring your original passport valid for at least 6 months with at least 1 blank visa page. -One (1) photocopy of your passport's info and photo page AND emergency contact page. b) Visa Application Form -Complete and signed visa application form. DO NOT LEAVE ANY FIELD BLANK. In case the information being asked is not applicable to you, write N/A or NA. -Handwritten is okay as long as your writing is legible but it is best to computerize the form. Well, I used type writer in my application form since I encountered problems with my PDF software :) -NOTE: in filling up the visa category part, write the letter "L" if your purpose is just for leisure or travel visa. Check the table below in case you will apply for a different purpose. Visa categories and documents required (reference: from the official website of Chinese Embassy in the Philippines)
c) ID Photo -Paste or glue 1 pc. recent, front view and on white background Passport Photo. -Size: 48mm x 33mm or just ask the one taking your photo to print you a passport sized pic for Chinese visa requirement. Usually, they are knowledgable on what size per country anyway. 3. Prepare your ADDITIONAL REQUIREMENTS: A. For 1st time visa applicant, submit any of the following: -Bank Certificate (usually, 1 pager document reflecting your total money in your account) AND Bank Statement for the past 6 months (it's a historical transaction document and usually, you need to request this in advance since the bank can only print your bank statement for the past 3 months on the spot..if you need 6 months, the bank needs about 1 week to prepare this). Don't forget to ask for the receipt or O.R. for your bank statement as you need to submit this as well. -Certificate of Employment (COE) indicating your monthly gross salary and length of your employment. -If you have your own business, submit your business registration certificate -Professional ID or Student ID -BIR-stamped income tax return form (latest ITR). B. For those with previous Chinese visa: -Submit a photocopy of the visa, and if the visa is on your old passport, you should also submit the old passport. C. Other cases (e.g. for Non-Filipino nationals, certificate of name change, Chinese passport, Special travel tours, Seafarers, American passport holder PLEASE CLICK THIS LINK for further details. IMPORTANT NOTICE: Apologies to those who will ask questions about other visa cases because I can only answer inquiries about 1st timer applicants since I will only share my personal experiences here ;) 4. After organizing and completing your requirements, it's time for submission! :) Don't fret, it is very easy. Go to this address:
Chinese Embassy -Manila
Address: 2nd and 3rd floor, The World Center, 330 Sen. Gil J. Puyat Avenue, Makati City
Contact Number: (02) 8482395
Email: phchinaembassy@hotmail.com
Website: www.ph.china-embassy.org/eng/
Visa Hours: 9:00-11:00 am from Mon-Fri except on legal festivals and holiday
I suggest you go there early to avoid the long queue. We were there at around 8:00 am and good thing line is still short.
Go inside the building first to get a guest ID or pass. You need to leave 1 ID at the reception area then proceed to the embassy line located outside the building and at the left side corner.
At exactly 9:00 am, someone from the embassy will call the applicants and will direct everyone to go up to the office. Don't worry, it will not be a chaotic scenario since you strictly should stay in line going up.
When you reach the entrance of the embassy, the guards will check your documents and they will give you a queue number. By the time you show your requirements, you need to paste your IDs already! Don't do it on the spot like what we did haha.
Wait for your number to be called. The windows will open and announce the numbers usually by 5 per batch example 1 to 5 or 6 to 10. Stand up and line up in front of your assigned window.
Hand out each requirement to the staff. He/She will check every information and scan if you missed out some parts especially in your application form.
Then, once complete, the staff will give you a pick-up form indicating the date of claiming your passport (no guarantee if you will have an approved visa).
Payment will be transacted upon claiming the passport with the following fees:
Regular Processing- 4 working days
Express Services (3rd working day release)- Additional fee of Php 1,100 per visa
Rush Services (2nd working day release)- Additional fee of Php 1,700 per visa
NOTE: You can't apply for a double to multiple visa if it's your first time applying.
The application process is very smooth and easy! It only took us 5 minutes transaction time since we're #4. Total time spent in the embassy from falling in line to finish is about 1.5 hours not bad at all!
Disclaimer: This is an old post from my Blogspot account dated January 28, 2015.
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