Chinese Visa Application Service Centre

It wasn’t until I hit «pay» on my flights to Shanghai that I thought about visas. I travel a lot but for some reason I’d completely forgotten than most people need a pre-​paid visa to enter China.
With only a month before my travel date, with Christmas and New Year smack bang in the middle I feared I may have left my run too late. Oh dear.
Turns out it was a super easy experience and I could have secured my visa with only a few days notice if need be. The Chinese Visa Application Service Centre is super efficient and the staff very helpful. If you’re organised before you go then you can be in and out, passport lodged, within 10 minutes. A few days later you can pick up your passport and pay for your brand new visa!
Here’s what you need to know before you try and apply:
— Visit
and read the FAQ thoroughly
— Complete the forms online and print out
— Get a set of new passport photos if you don’t have any from the last 6 months.
— Print out your flight confirmation (I didn’t but the staff let me email it to them from my phone and they kindly printed it out for me)
— Have your hotel bookings printed out (you’ll need to account for each day you’re in China)
— Photocopy your passport before you go or use the photocopy at the centre
— Make an appointment online for your visa appointment to make the process faster.

Great service — the guy at the front counter is really lovely. You will need change for the photocopier if you haven’t brought a photocopy of the front page of your passport (the one with the photo) and a copy of your most recent Chinese visa if you have been to China before.