What is the visa centre and why does it exist?
China, like many countries, has outsourced visa application intake to an official service centre. The embassy still makes the visa decisions, but the centre handles receiving applications, checking documents, collecting biometrics and taking payments.
For the applicant this means dealing with the centre and its procedures, not the embassy.
What happens at the visit?
At submission your documents are checked and most applicants give biometric fingerprints, which is why the visit is personal. Exemptions exist based on age and previous visas, among other things.
If the form has an error or an attachment is missing, the application doesn't proceed and you'll need a new visit. This is by far the most common reason a visa gets delayed.
How to keep the visit short
The best insurance for a smooth visit is a correctly completed online form and complete attachments. We fill in the form with your details, check the attachments, tell you straight away whether the fingerprint requirement applies to you, and brief you step by step.
We can also take your visa photo at our office (from €10), so that too is guaranteed to meet the requirements.
We handle the Chinese visa application for you
We complete the form, check the attachments and tell you immediately whether the fingerprint requirement applies to you.
See the China visa service