This month China has started issuing visas valid for multiple entry over 10 years to US passport holders for tourism and short-term business visits.
Your passport must be valid for at least a year, and you can continue to use your 10 year visa even when your passport expires and you get a new one. (You carry the old passport with you to prove the visa.)
This makes things a whole lot easier, since the Chinese visa can be expensive and it can be a pain to get, so not having to get one each time you visit is a real boon for travelers.
With the new 10 year China Visas, Allied Passport & Visa is offering View from the Wing readers 50% off service fees for a Chinese visa requested by the end of the year.
When I’ve done visas for China I’ve done them myself, I always found living in DC to be good at least for easy access to the embassies and consulates of many countries. But having someone else do it is easier, of course, and for much of the country – new 10 year validity notwithstanding – it’s still inconvenient to process these yourself.
Now, you’ll still pay China Embassy fees of $140 – $160, and you’ll pay the fee to have Allied FedEx your materials back to you ($22 – $45 depending on the priority you request). But you’ll get 50% off of their service fees.
- Standard processing (10+ business days), normally $45, with this offer $22.50
- Expedited processing (4-9 business days), normally $100, with this offer $50
- Emergency processing (0-3 business days), normally $200, with this offer $100
To qualify for this offer just indicate “ViewFromTheWing” referred you on your Allied Order Form.
For avoidance of doubt, I do not get anything at all for the referral. When i highlighted an offer from Allied in the past, readers had universally positive things to say about the experience. So when China started offering 10 year visas, I decided to reach out to them to see if they’d offer a special discount. They were willing to, so I figured I’d pass the savings opportunity along to readers.
For those of you that make use of it, I’m thrilled, please feel free to share your stories in the comments.
And I’d love to hear from anyone that has used a visa processing service in the past, why did you and how did it go? Or do you prefer to do it yourself, and if so why?
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Based on personal experience, particularly for those in California who might prefer not to mail their passport (or go to the expense of sending it via FedEx), I would strongly recommend Peninsula Visa, with offices in both Los Angeles and the Bay Area: http://www.peninsulavisa.com/
Just go to any Chinese travel agent in the Bay Area, it’s $20 service fee. LOL.
I clicked the link thinking I could get a 10 year Chinese visa for $80.
50% saving on the service fee doesn’t seem so exciting.
Thank you, Gary, for the offer. My wife and I are leaving for Asia at the end of January, and will likely use either Allied Visa (your offer) or Express Visa (30% off for Amex Platinum holders), depending on the fees.
We procured our Brazilian visa early this year ourselves. We live near the Consulate, and getting only one visa is fairly easy. We also procured our Australian e-visa online last year.
This next trip is different, as we will need 2 Cambodian entries, 3 Vietnamese entries and 4 Chinese entries. Looks to us like a professional will be able to do it much quicker.
We’ve used visa processors in the past when traveling on business, as the issues can get complex. Fortunately, our company had a contract with the processor and paid the fees.
The U.S. and China have mutually agreed to increase business and tourist visa validity to 10 years and student and exchange visa validity to 5 years on November 10 at the 2014 APEC summit in Beijing.
See: http://www.chinaconsulatechicago.org/eng/zytz/t1210754.htm
Appears that the actual fees are not affected:
For American citizens, fee for individual is US$140 (regardless of the number of entries), and US$120 per person for Group Visa application.
Now service fees for those mentioned above are above this fee to the Chinese Consulate.
I used Allied for my Chinese visa on the last offer you posted, and the process was fast and trouble-free. I definitely recommend them.
I just used Allied for 10-year Chinese visa and it was processed seamlessly. I am very happy for their service and for your discount.
Even though this promotion is over you can still apply with Allied Passport & Visa for your Chinese ten year visa! Our website can be found at http://alliedpassport.com/visas/china.php