Visa

Visit the visa for China website. Clicking “step by step guidance” will give you the most useful information, and the FAQs are also pretty good.

Important points:

• You will probably receive a type F visa (exchanges, visits, study tours). You don’t actually specify the type on the application form, you just state why you are going there and they decide which type to give you
• Your passport must have at least 6 months of validity from when we are travelling
• You must fill in the form on a computer - printing and filling in by hand is not accepted
• You must submit your application (and fingerprints) in person in London, Manchester, Edinburgh or Belfast. Your application can be returned by post.
• Edinburgh and Belfast have quicker turnaround because they are less busy
• Read all of the step-by-step guidance carefully and take note of the requirements for under 18s

You will need an invitation letter which will be scanned and sent from China. Whilst waiting for the invitation letters to be written, the rest of the application form can be completed, and you can make sure you have all the required documents.

Turnaround times for visas are typically less than a week, as long as they are happy with all your documents.

For information on what you should put in the visa form for this year’s trip, see 2019 visa information.

You should get the following things from me by email, which need to be included in the application:

• Flight booking confirmation
• Invitation letter
• Scan of organiser’s ID card