China launches 5 and 10-year visit visas for Brits

[mungouk]

"As of 25th March 2019, the Chinese Embassy and Consulates in the U.K. will accept applications for 5-year or 10-year multiple entry visas from British citizens who are going to visit China for the purposes of commercial/trade activities (M visa), tourism (L visa), short-term family visits (Q2 Visa), short-term personal affairs (S2 Visa), if they meet one of the following requirements" [...see article for more...]

 

http://www.chinese-embassy.org.uk/eng/visa/qzxz/t1646039.htm

 

 

[Dawei3]

The US & China started this  ~4 years ago and it's excellent.  I got a 10 yr one.  The only thing that I faced is that I filled up the pages in my last passport and had to get a new one.  So now when I go to China, I have to carry my old passport because it has the visa and my new one, because it is the only valid passport.  (there is no problem with this, it's an acceptable practice).    

 

Hence, if you get a 10 yr visa and later get a new passport, remember that you need to keep your old passport.  

[happy_hyaena]

Sounds like there are a lot of pre-requisites? How does applying for a 10 year visa as an American work? Looks like it's not possible to just go and say "I want a 10 year visa".

[889]

So far as I know, Americans, Canadians and a few eligible others get the long-term visas without those sort of prerequisites.

 

But the citizens of those countries get long-term visas on the basis of reciprocal agreements. There's no mention of a reciprocal agreement between China and the UK, so China seems to have done this unilaterally, and I suspect that explains those prerequisites.

 

[DavyJonesLocker]

On 3/23/2019 at 1:02 AM, Dawei3 said:

The US & China started this  ~4 years ago and it's excellent.  I got a 10 yr one.  The only thing that I faced is that I filled up the pages in my last passport and had to get a new one.  So now when I go to China, I have to carry my old passport because it has the visa and my new one, because it is the only valid passport.  (there is no problem with this, it's an acceptable practice).    

 

whats the length of stay per time?

 

Can you just keep popping over the border to HK for a night to restart on a new entry date? 

[Jim]

25 minutes ago, 889 said:

There's no mention of a reciprocal agreement between China and the UK, so China seems to have done this unilaterally, and I suspect that explains those prerequisites.

Recently applied for a visa for my wife to visit the UK and there are some longer-term options for Chinese citizens now I believe, pretty sure there was a five-year visitor visa available at least.

[889]

If the UK is offering longer-term visas to Chinese, then I'd make a strong bet that there are restrictions on issuing those visas to Chinese applicants similar to the restrictions China has imposed on UK applicants. Reciprocity usually is the rule.

[Dawei3]

8 hours ago, DavyJonesLocker said:

whats the length of stay per time?

I checked my visa:  it's a 60-day stay.  I've not tried leaving & coming back to renew the 60 days because I don't stay that long.

 

Also, when I applied (in 2015), I didn't have to do anything special to get the 10 yr visa.  I actually had to type the 10 year request into the form because there was no box to check to request 10 years. 

 

I got a business visa, but I've also used it for personal travel.  It travel so much easier.  Rather than the yearly hassle of getting a new visa, I have until 2025.  

  

I think 889 is correct:  the key is reciprocity.  That is, as soon as the US starting granting 10 year visas to Chinese, the US granted the same to China.  

 

 

[889]

In fact, if you recall, it was rather a big deal at the time, with Obama and Xi announcing the visa agreement on Obama's visit to Beijing.

[mackie1402]

There are a lot of Americans working in China on these 10-year tourist visas, and just leaving the country every 60 days. They seem to make a holiday out of it every 2 months, and these days it's pretty cheap to fly somewhere to leave the country and return again the next day. Sooner or later the government will clamp down on it and as soon as they see 'This person's been in China for 3 years and leaves the country every 2 months for 3 days' the game is up. 

 

Did America only get 10 year tourist/business visas, or do they also have 10 year family visas? 

[roddy]

12 hours ago, 889 said:

Obama and Xi announcing the visa agreement on Obama's visit to Beijing.

Yeah, I remember Americans coming back delighted with surprise 10 year visas 

[StChris]

17 hours ago, Dawei3 said:

I checked my visa:  it's a 60-day stay.  I've not tried leaving & coming back to renew the 60 days because I don't stay that long.

 

In that case, the new 10 year visa may actually be worse than the old 2 year one for many people, as the 2 year one allowed up to 3 months per stay.