Visas and Passports

Chinese Visa Application Procedure for Philippine Passport Holders

Chinese Tourist Visa Application
My 4th Chinese Tourist Visa applied in Makati
Applying for Chinese visas in the Philippines has been easy for the majority of the applicants, be it Filipinos or foreigners residing or working in the country.

As a Philippine passport holder, we are required to obtain a visa to visit mainland China except for Hainan, Hong Kong and Macau where we can visit visa-free for a few days. Foreigners working in the Philippines can also obtain a visa in the country by simply providing a work permit and an alien card as additional documents from the list below.

Here’s the Chinese Tourist Visa requirements for OFW

Visit of Filipinos to China increased significantly, the same thing with Chinese flocking to the Philippines, thanks to warming relations of both countries by Presidents Xi Jinping and Rodrigo Duterte. In general, it is easy to get a Chinese visa, you just need to do it right at first.

Filipino Tourists need to provide the following:

  • Passport
  • Previous Chinese Visas
  • Passport Photos
  • Visa Application Form
  • Flight Bookings
  • Hotel Bookings
  • Itinerary
  • Show Money

Passport

Make sure your passport is valid 7 months before its expiration date, assuming you will spend time around China within 30 days. Damaged, an unreadable passport is strictly not allowed. Any passport cover will be removed in the receiving counter.

Passport Photos

I’ve seen a lot of applicants bringing all necessary documents, patiently waiting and ended up officer not accepting their documents. Main issues I can hear are the inaccurate photo specs. It must be in the white background and clear face image. I submitted the wrong size but they never mind. But please note, photos must be in 48mm x 33mm in size.

Previous China Visas

This is required for passport holders who have been to China before. You will need to submit the photocopy of each visa (one visa on one piece of paper). You will also need to provide your previous passport/s if those old visas are in your old passport. Photocopies alone will not be accepted. The officers will not receive your documents if you failed to bring your old passport that has Chinese visas on it.

First time applicant for Chinese Visa
My first visa application was pretty smooth amid tensions between Beijing and Manila during the Aquino government.

If you lost your old passport, you will have to apply as First Application or First Time visitor to China.

Correct details to put in the application form

Fill in the details correctly. Do not forget to put N/A in all fields that are not applicable. you can also write your itinerary in your application for so you won’t need an extra paper for an itinerary.

Flight Bookings

Confirmed flight bookings are required. You will need to purchase your flights before you can apply for a visa. Flights arrivals/departures to and from China (including Hong Kong, Hainan and Macau) can be anywhere in the world. Reservation, unpaid flight arrangements can lead to visa denial or be considered as falsification of documents.

Hotel Bookings

You can do confirmed, paid, pay at hotel type of accommodation reservations. Make sure that applicant’s name is in the guest list of the printed document. If you travel in two, make sure your names are in there otherwise you can always reserve again so your name will show up in your hotel booking document.

Itinerary

You do not have to put your activities on your itinerary. All they need to know is where will you stay while in China. Meaning, you only have to put the date duration, hotel name, address and contact number based on your hotel bookings that you are going to submit.

Proof that you can sustain your travel to China

Normally, an ITR, COE and Bank Certificate for an employee will suffice. Business people only need to submit a Business Permit and Bank Certificate.

I am sure there are other legal documents that can be submitted as an alternative. But what I am sure is, failure to submit complete documents will lead to submission rejection.

Bank Certificate (if this is your first time to visit China)

You will need to provide proof of income, and the best document to submit is a bank certificate. You can ask your bank manager to give you a certificate for visa purposes.

Certificate of Employment if you have a job

Aside from the bank certificate, you will also need to provide Certificate of Employment if you are employed. COE must have income, work duration and position details on it. An ITR comes along with the COE.

Business Documents if you do business

A business permit is a required document telling that business is under your name or you co-owned the business. They won’t accept DTI. It is unsure if a mayor’s permit will do.

Submit documents by yourself

You do not need to sign up online to book your appointment. You can directly apply to the Chinese consulate in Makati. Do not forget to bring an extra valid ID with you as you will be needing one at the building reception.

Consular hours start at 9 am in the morning until 11 am only, from Monday to Friday except for Philippine and Chinese holidays. Applicants will start arriving as early as 7 am. When you arrive, make sure to get your documents asses by the staff at the entrance so you can get your queue number right away.

Ask help from an agency

A travel agency can help you submit your application on your behalf. They can also help you out if you do not have all the documents available. However, the cost will be added from PHP 1,500 to PHP 3,000 excluding the visa fees. Additional charges by the tour agents will depend on your case.

Authorized someone

Some of us just can’t go to the consular office to submit, they are the OFWs, working employees or folks busy somewhere else. Good thing the embassy allows us to authorize first degree relatives to submit our dossiers. Simply by providing an original authorization letter and one valid ID of the person being authorized.

Claim your visa as fast as 1 business day

You can get your visa the next day. Normal processing days could take 4 days but expedite application is available subject to fees.

 

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Mark Adelan

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