10-Year China Visa for UK Citizens

Starting on March 25, 2019, UK citizens can enjoy the benefit of the 10-year China visa with multiple entries, if they plan to visit China for the purposes of tourism, commercial or business activities, and short-term family visits. This will allow them to travel back and forth between UK and China without the hassle of applying for visa time after time. Meanwhile, the 5-year multiple-entry China visa is now also available for UK citizens.
  

Visa Type	Max. Stay Duration after Each Entry
Tourist (L)	60 days
Business (M)	60 days
Private Visit (S2)	120 days
Family Reunion (Q2)	90 days

 

The 10-year Tourist (L), Business (M), or Private Visit (S2) visa is available for all UK citizens provided that they have been granted a 5-year China visa before.

Therefore, for many applicants, actually the first step is to get a 5-year China visa by meeting either of the following requirements:
1. The applicant has been granted two or more 2-year China visas by the Chinese Embassy or Consulate in UK.
2. The applicant has been granted one China visa with the validity of two or more years, and has visited China for at least three times each year in the past two years.

However, British spouses and children of Chinese citizens, and spouses and children of British Chinese, with the invitation from their Chinese family members can directly apply for a 10-year Q2 visa once they meet the above requirements.
 

1. A valid passport with the remaining validity of at least six months. It means your passport may expire during the validity of your 10-year China visa. In such a case, you can travel with both passports to enter China, saving the trouble of applying for a new visa.
2. A printed application form which has been completed online on the website of the CVASC center.
3. Documents justifying for your reasons for the travel, for instance, round-trip tickets and hotel booking for tourism purpose, an invitation letter from your business partner in China for commercial purpose…
 

1. Navigate to the website of the Chinese Visa Application Service Center (CVASC). On the homepage, select the CVASC in London, Manchester, Edinburgh or Belfast according to their service areas.
2. Complete the Chinese Visa Application Form on the website of the respective CVASC office. Then print it out and sign on it.
3. Collect other documents such as your passport, round-trip tickets, hotel bookings…
4. Submit your application to the CVASC on the appointed date and pay the visa fee.
6. Collect your visa on the date shown on your pick-up slip.
 

Visa Type	Regular Service	Express Service	Postal Return
10-year	257 pounds	288 pounds	309 pounds
5-year	194 pounds	225 pounds	246 pounds

Note: The fee includes the service fee charged by the CVASC office.