Some of you know that before all these Covid-19 happenings around the world, my friend & I had a weekend winter trip to Shanghai, China. We booked our tickets last September 2019 for ₱2,335.63 & 3,050 GetGo points each. Pretty cheap, right? China was never on our list but we gave it a shot considering the affordable tickets & the schedule fell in one of the February EDSA longer weekend. My friend & I applied for & got our own tourist visas. I applied in the Chinese Embassy by myself while she opted for the tourist agency option.
Do you want to know my secret in booking those cheap tickets? I wrote about being a champ in booking low-fare tickets. It comes in 2 posts – this is the first post & here’s the second post. Enjoy!
Then Covid-19 pandemic happened. Our Shanghai trip got cancelled. I don’t know how the current situation will the visa application process. I don’t know how many of you will opt not to visit China in the future. I don’t know how this will change budget travel or travelling in general. To be honest, I was unsure if I should still share my do-it-yourself visa application experience because of what happened but here I am doing it anyway. I still want to show you how I did it before specially for those who still plan to do it in the future. It will take years for travelling to go back to the pre-pandemic demand but it will slowly go back to it anyway.
Let’s take a break from all the Going Solo in Europe posts, flight reports, P’s lists & hostel of the day features & go back to one of the OG sections of this website – Tuesday Tips. Allow me to share with you below how I got my Chinese Tourist Visa with lesser than the usual show money.
In case you missed it, I also wrote about how to get your tourist visas for Japan, The Netherlands (DIY Schengen Visa) & Australia. Check out those posts under the Visa Application category.
1 – Download Tourist Visa Application Form & Get Requirements List
The first step is to go to the website of the Chinese Embassy in the Philippines to download the visa application form & get the list of requirements needed for the visa application.
2 – Book Plane Tickets & Accommodations
The Embassy of China in the Philippines requires tourist visa applicants to submit confirmed ticket reservations & proof of accommodation. My friend & I booked our tickets before visa application so we didn’t have a problem with this. We also booked a hostel before we applied for the visa.
In case you don’t have a confirmed ticket, you may ‘rent’ a confirmed reservations with your name & details from various travel agencies & online platforms. You may also book accommodation on your own but choose those with free cancellations.
3 – Prepare Visa Documents & Requirements
The next step is to prepare all the required documents for the visa. Here are the needed documents for first time tourist visa applicants:
Accomplished Application Form – Applications forms should be filled completely in capital English letters & signed. Make sure to put N/A for those parts not applicable to the applicant.
Passport – Passport must be valid for more than 6 months & has at least 1 or 2 blank pages.
Photocopy of Passport’s Information Page / First Page
Photo – These colored photos should be taken within the last 6 months, has white background & are 48 mm x 33 mm in size.
BIR-stamped Income Tax Return
Bank Certificate & Bank Statement – Please provide 6 months history for the bank statement & include the bank receipt for payment of these documents.
Certificate of Employment (if employed) – It must detail the length of employment & salary.
Photocopy of Company ID / Student ID / Professional ID
Photocopy of Business Registration Certificate (if self-employed / business owner)
Confirmed Ticket Reservations – as detailed in item number 2
Proof of Accommodation – as detailed in item number 2
Detailed Day-to-Day Itinerary – This is not required but worth-adding to add strength to your application.
4 – Visa Application Day
The Embassy of China in the Republic of the Philippines does not need appointments for those who want to apply for tourist visas. In fact, they don’t even need the applicant’s personal appearance. If you are not available, you can ask your relative, colleague or friend apply the visa for you.
The embassy’s consular section office is at 2nd & 3rd floor, The World Center, 330 Sen. Gil Puyat Ave in Makati City. You can arrive any time before 8:00 am, get your entry pass from the guard & line up outside the Gil Puyat Ave entrance. The consular section starts to accept applicants as early as 8:00 am.
When you reach the doors of the consular section, the guards will check your bags. Food & drinks are not allowed inside the visa application center. The staff will then check your application form & documents & give you a number. You can head in, find a seat & wait until your number is called.
The staff in the visa application documents section call batches by 5. Once your batch is called, proceed to the assigned section & submit your documents. Once verified complete, the staff will give you a claim stub with the date of release of your passport. You may go home after that.
Regular visa processing time is 4 working days. If you apply on a Wednesday, you will get back your passport on Monday.
5 – Claim Your Passport & Pay Visa Free
Go back to the embassy consular office on your passport’s scheduled release date. Just like when you applied for your visa, go to the guards & claim your building pass. Queue up outside & wait for turn in the consular office doors. This time, the staff will give you a number & wait for your number to be called. Once called, you will now go to the payment section & pay for the visa fee. Single entry visa fee costs ₱1,4000, double entry visa costs ₱2,100, 6-months multiple entry visa costs ₱2,800 while multiple entry visa over 6 months costs ₱4,200.
After paying for your visa, you can now proceed to the passport claim section where the staff will give your passport back with your tourist visa. Don’t forget to check your visa & make sure all details are correct.
And voilà – you already have your Chinese tourist visa. The embassy usually issues single entry visas for first time applicants. These visas are valid for 3 months from the date of issue & allow for a 14-day stay upon arrival in China.
Important Things To Know
Applying for a Chinese tourist visa is just like applying for other visas. The requirements are pretty the same. However, there are other important things to know when applying for a Chinese tourist visa.
Embassy Consular Section Business Hours – The office is officially open weekdays (excluding holidays) from 9:00 am to 11:00 am only for visa application & passport claims. People arriving after 11:00 am will not be accepted & will be asked to go back the next day. From my experience, they start accepting applications & releasing passports as early as 8:00 am.
Appointments & Personal Appearances Are Not Required – The Chinese embassy does not need appointments for visa applications. In fact, anyone can apply for your visa. You can ask your relative, friend or even an agency to apply for you.
Complete Your Application Documents – Make sure your documents & requirements are complete. The staff do not accept incomplete applications. Those with incomplete documents are advised to go back the following day & queue again. There’s no special lane or fast lane for those returning with now complete documents.
Itinerary That Makes Sense – Create day-to-day itineraries that make sense. The dates must be consistent with the ticket & accommodation reservations. If going to a different city, include domestic tickets in your application.
Show Money – The Chinese Embassy does not specify how much money should one have in his or her account at the time of application. Most, if not all, travel agencies require at least ₱100,000 average daily balance from the visa applicant. That is the safe amount. I applied for my visa with not even ¾ of that amount & I got approved. Just make sure to have enough money in your account that will be enough for your itinerary. I personally believe that one’s travel history is as important as one’s money. If you have a good travel history then you’ll be fine.
Be Early – The consular office opens at 8:00 am – 9:00 am but people queue outside as early as 6:00 am. If you are to submit your documents, you can arrive at least before 8:00 am and finish a little past 9:00 am. Claiming passports is a different story. If you are to claim your passports, be there as early as you can. I arrived before 7:00 am & finished at 9:45 am. Claiming takes longer than the applicant itself, at least during my time.
Limited Services for First Time Applicants – First time tourist visa applicants can only apply for a single-entry tourist visa. The embassy will not accept applications for double or multiple entry visa. Also, first time applicants cannot avail of the rush & express visa services.
I was so happy when I got my single-entry tourist visa. I never thought I’ll get it. As mentioned above, China was never my list but the cheap ticket made me give it shot. I was also looking forward to meeting a Shanghai-based friend whom I met in Siem Reap, Cambodia years ago. It was all good until Covid-19 happened. We decided not to push through with our trip. Our visas have lapsed but all good. Health & safety first over anything.
Do you have any questions about the tourist visa application process above? Feel free to post them in the comments section below. You may also send them to me via email to contact@thewkndtravel.com. If you have questions related to other types of visa, you may contact the embassy at +632-8848-23-95 or via e-mail to phchinaembassy@hotmail.com.
Thank you for joining me in today’s Tuesday Tip. Please don’t forget to follow me on my social media pages – Facebook & Instagram. Have a nice day & please stay safe.
PS. Photos were taken using my HTC U11.
