How to get a Chinese Visa in Manila, Philippines
A couple of weeks ago, we had a really fun vacation in Shanghai & Hangzhou. But before all the the fun, first came the tedious tasks of researching our travel, preparing our itinerary, booking our hotels and of course getting a tourist visa.
I visited the Chinese Embassy's website to check for the basic requirements.
Since this is the first time I was travelling to China, there were a lot of them. Collecting the documents was the difficult part so I've made a checklist as well as a step by step guide below to make it easier for you.
STEP 1: COMPLETE YOUR REQUIREMENTS
Chinese Visa Requirements for First Time Travelers
Requirements that need to be requested
- Passport
- Valid for another 6 months
- Must have at least 1 blank visa page
- Photocopy of passport photo/info page
- Photocopy of emergency contact page
- Financial Statements (took me 2-3 days to request)
- Bank Certificate
- Bank Account History - 6 months or Passbook + photocopy
- Payment receipt for Bank Certificate & Bank Account History
- Requirements to request from your employer (2 days - 1 week to request)
- Certificate of Employment w/ details on salary and length of employment
- BIR Stamped Income Tax Return
Requirements that you can easily obtain
- Chinese Visa Application Form
- Preferably typewritten (use Foxit PDF Reader/Editor)
- Fill up all the data that applies to you
- For those not applicable, write N/A
- Photo - white background, no head covering, 48mm x 33mm
- IMPORTANT! Glue to the Application form as they will not accept stapled, clipped, detached photos.
- Travel Itinerary
- Copy of round trip plane tickets
- Copy of hotel booking
I submitted bank certificates for 2 banks just to be sure. One of my banks could only provide me with 3 months worth of Bank Account History so I opted to include my passbook and a photocopy of all the pages of my passbook that contained transactions for the last 6 months.
Chinese Visa Requirements for those with Previous Chinese Visa
Requirements that need to be requested
- Passport
- Valid for another 6 months
- Must have at least 1 blank visa page
- Photocopy of passport photo/info page
- Photocopy of emergency contact page
- Photocopy of Previous Chinese Visa
- If Visa is on your old passport, submit your old passport
- Chinese Visa Application Form
- Preferably typewritten (use Foxit PDF Reader/Editor)
- Fill up all the data that applies to you
- For those not applicable, write N/A
- Photo - white background, no head covering, 48mm x 33mm
- IMPORTANT! Glue to the Application form as they will not accept stapled, clipped, detached photos.
STEP 2: APPLICATION FOR THE CHINESE VISA
Location
The Chinese Embassy is located at the 2nd floor, World Center, 330, Sen Gil Puyat Avenue (Buendia). They accept visa applications from 9am - 11am only.
Who should submit
According to the website you can have an immediate family member, household staff, co-worker, or a travel agency submit on your behalf. Make sure your household staff has an authorization letter and a photocopy of your ID.
This was something we had difficulty with. The visa officer refused to accept our application because it was brought by a friend's household staff. They explained that the authorization letter should have a company letterhead. When my friend's staff explained that they had no letterhead because he was a household staff, they only accepted 1 application and said that we need a different household staff to process the other visa applications (though I can't find this rule/provision in their website). My two other companions just came back to process their visa themselves. So if you have the time, I recommend that you bring it there yourself.
Submission of Documents
Upon arrival, get a number. I suggest going there early (or go there on Wednesdays, not as many people).
Make sure to check the handwritten number signs that the visa officers post on the window because if you miss your number, you'd have to get a new one.
After they review your documents, they'll give you a slip/claim form with a date to pick up your Visa. The website says processing usually takes 4 working days, but we got ours in just 3 days.
STEP 3: PICK UP AND PAYMENT
Bring your claim form, get a number, wait for your number to be called/to flash on the screen at the cashier.
I suggest you sit near the counter so you don't have to make a mad dash once your number is called.
From the Chinese Embassy Website, here are the Visa Fees
Number of Entries
|
Single
|
Double
|
6 months multiple
|
12 months Multiple
|
Philippine Passport
|
1400
|
2100
|
2800
|
4200
|
Pay the corresponding amount at the cashier. They'll give you a white slip. You line up again at the claiming counter and get your visa! Make sure to check the information in your visa.
The visa application process is quite fast, what will take time is the consolidation of your documents but beyond that, you're well on your way to a happy vacation in China. :)
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