British nationals need a visa to visit China. Visas are unavailable on arrival and so students (and travelling teachers/leaders) must obtain their visas in advance.
The visa process for China changed recently, all travelling students (and teachers/leaders) entering china on a ‘Type L’ (Tourism) visa will be required to visit one of the Chinese visa centres in the UK to provide biometric data (fingerprints). This will be arranged through your school.
The visa required is a single entry tourist visa (type L). It’s valid for 3 months, therefore do not attempt to arrange a visa until you are within 3 months of the return flight date.
To start the process, please visit: The Chinese Embassy visa website
Read on to find out more about the process.
Once you’ve selected the United Kingdom, there are 3 options to choose: London, Manchester and Edinburgh. Please do not use the Manchester option, this centre is unable to process applications of this nature.
Required:
Fees and duration:
Edinburgh Centre
2nd Floor, Exchange Tower, 19 Canning Street, City of Edinburgh, EH3 8EG, UK. 0131 2292519.
Office Hours: Monday-Friday. Application Submission: 9am - 3pm. Payment and Passport Collection: 9 am - 4 pm.
London Centre
12 Old Jewry, London, EC2R 8DU, UK. 020 7776 7888.
Office Hours: Monday-Friday. Application Submission: 9am - 3pm (express submission 9am – 12pm)Payment and Passport Collection: 9 am - 4 pm.
Further information
Detailed information, as well as the required forms can be found on the Visa for Chinese Embassy visa website: http://www.visaforchina.org/