Frequently Asked Questions

Are There Any Hidden Costs?

i2visa is committed to transparency and as such, there are absolutely no hidden costs or processing fees. Our total costs for each Chinese visa and a breakdown of their component parts (consular fee, visa centre fee and handling fee) can be found at ‘Our Fees.’

We work hard to ensure our handling fees are very competitive. For this reason, our service charge is non-negotiable. However if you find a cheaper option like-for-like service we will match it with our ‘Fee Match Guarantee’ - terms and conditions apply. Special consideration for handling fees may be taken for corporate accounts, partners or in extraneous circumstances.

Can Non-British Citizens Apply For Chinese Visas In The UK?

As long as you are physically present in the UK, you can apply for a Chinese visa here. i2visa can help all the EU/EEA/CH and most non-EU/EEA/CH citizens to get a Chinese visa in Edinburgh.

Do I Need A Chinese Visa To Visit Hong Kong Or Macau?

If you are a British or Irish national, you will not need a Chinese visa to travel to Hong Kong or Macau. However if you plan to travel to Shenzhen or Zhuhai during your stay in Hong Kong or Macau, even for one day, you will probably need a Chinese visa.

Do I Need A Special Permit To Visit Tibet Autonomous Region (TAR) or XiZang Autonomous Region?

If you plan to travel to Tibet Autonomous Region (TAR) (aka XiZang Autonomous Region), you will probably get a permit before applying for your Chinese visa.

Do I Need An Appointment For My Chinese Visa Application?

As a recognised Chinese visa agency recognised by Chinese Visa Application Service Centre (CVASC), i2Visa submits Chinese visa applications from Monday - Friday excluding some bank holidays. An appointment is required, thus we are always here to eye these slots on your behalf.

Do I Need To Submit My Original Passport For My Chinese Visa Application?

Yes, you need to submit your original passport for your individual Chinese visa application as the Chinese visa will be affixed to your original passport.

If you are applying for a Chinese Group Visa you don’t need to submit your original passport. Photocopies of individual passports for all applicants are accepted.

How Can i2visa Offer A 48 Hours Urgent Service?

i2Visa’s 48-Hour-Urgent-Service has been spread out three working days which means that we can collect the passport and visa on Wednesday if submitted on Monday.

How Do I Get a Chinese visa or Chinese Authentication Stamps With i2visa for Work Visa (Z)?

There are two ways to get it with i2visa:

Option 1

Make an appointment to meet in-person at our Edinburgh or Glasgow office. Especially regarding the visa application, any applicants whose age between 14 and 69 are required for fingerprints and escorted to do the biometric collection when visiting our office.

Option 2:

Complete the Chinese visa application online and mail all of your Chinese visa documents to i2visa by Royal Mail Special Delivery or using a reliable courier service, especially for applicants whose age are less than 14 years old or more than 70 year old.

i2visa specialists will then carry out pre-checks to ensure that your application has the highest chances of success before submitting it to the Chinese Visa Application Service Centre (CVASC) on your behalf. This eliminates any requirements for you to visit or communicate with the CVASC. For more about our process, please visit ‘About Us.’

How Long Will It Take My Documents To Reach Our Office?

If you are using Royal Mail Special Delivery Next Day Guaranteed Service in the UK, your documents should be eligible for next day delivery - even from the Channel Isles. If you are posting from oversea it could take 2 to 5 working days by using courier service like DHL, UPS or Fedex etc.

How Long Will Be My Chinese Visa Valid?

Every Chinese tourist and business visa for British nationals will be valid at least two years long. However, Chinese work visa (Z) is issued with single entry, allowing you into the country once within the period of three months.

What Are i2visa’s Delivery Options?

When you send your documents to i2visa, they will be returned swiftly and securely to you by using a method of your choice.

• FREE - include a pre-paid, addressed envelope when you send us your documents.
• FREE - collect your documents in person from one of our offices, or send an authorised person to do it for you.
• £20 - DHL courier service (UK only) on weekdays
• Prices below - Royal Mail Special Delivery
  
  
• Royal Mail Special Delivery/Next Day Guaranteed Service by 1pm for extra £10
• Royal Mail Special Delivery/Next Day Guaranteed Service by 9am for extra £25
• Royal Mail Special Delivery Saturday Guaranteed Service by 1pm for extra £15
• Royal Mail Special Delivery Saturday Guaranteed Service by 9am for extra £30

What Do The i2visa's Fees Include?

The i2visa Chinese visa fee comprises three parts:

1. The Consular Fee charged by the Chinese General Consulate of Edinburgh
2. The Visa Centre Fee charged by the Chinese Visa Application Service Centre (CVASC)
3. The i2visa's Handling Fee (which will vary depending on how fast you want us to be done)

For more about our fees, please visit ‘Fees.’

What If The Applicant Is Under 18 Years Of Age?

If the applicant is under 18 years of age then a parent, guardian or teacher will need to complete Section 9 of the online Chinese visa application form with details of the child, before signing and dating it at the bottom. If an applicant is 6 years of age or under, their full birth certificate must be submitted along with the other required documents.

What Is i2Visa’s Cancellation And Refund Policy?

Part refunds may be available if you choose to cancel your Chinese visa application with i2visa at the very beginning of the process.

If cancellation of your Chinese visa application is received by i2Visa prior to your Chinese visa application being submitted to the Chinese Visa Application Service Centre (CVASC), you will be eligible for a part refund 30%.

If cancellation of your Chinese visa application is received by i2Visa after your Chinese visa application has been submitted to the CVASC, you will NOT be eligible for a full or part refund.

At this point both the consular and visa centre fees will have already been taken by the Chinese General Consulate of Edinburgh and CVASC respectively.

If cancellation of your Chinese visa application is received by i2Visa after your Chinese visa has been affixed to your passport, you will not be eligible for any refund. For more information, please visit our ‘Cancellation And Refund Policy.’

If your Chinese visa application is rejected, due to Chinese visa policy enforced by the Chinese General Consulate of Edinburgh, you will NOT be eligible for the full or part refund.

If i2visa has received and lost your passport in the process of applying for your Chinese visa, you can claim up to £200 in compensation. For more information please see our terms and conditions.

What Is i2Visa’s Fee Match Guarantee?

At i2visa we work hard to ensure our handling fees are very competitive. Our fees vary depending on how fast the process will be.

Whilst our handling fees are non-negotiable, we will match the difference between our fees and those of a cheaper competitor. To be eligible for the i2visa Fee Match Guarantee, competitors must:

• Be UK-based.
• Submit visa applications on their customers’ behalf at the Chinese Embassy in London, General Chinese Consulate in Manchester or General Chinese Consulate in Edinburgh or Belfast.
• Price their services upon the same like-for-like visa application - based on the same number of entries, same service type (turnaround speed) and same applicant nationality.

To claim i2visa’s Fee Match Guarantee you must submit the competitor’s price to i2visa within 15 days of receiving your passport and visa from i2Visa.

What Payment Methods Does i2Visa Accept?

i2Visa accepts payments made by cash, cheque, postal order, BACS bank transfer, debit/credit card via PayPal.

Payments made by cash, cheque, postal order or BACS bank transfer do not incur any additional charges.

For customers within the UK or oversea, payments made by debit/credit card via PayPal or Amex do not incur any additional charge.

Once you have submitted your visa application you will receive an email with a PayPal payment link to make it by debit/credit card. All major cards are accepted. Please check your email folders in case your email provider has incorrectly marked the link as a spam.

What Kind Of Services Does i2visa Offer?

• Expert information on Chinese visas via the i2visa website
• Online and postal visa application form submission
• Extended business hours for Chinese visa application submission and enquiries
• Documents legalisation and authentication service for China, Vietnam or Thailand etc
• UK passport application service
• Collection service for Chinese passport or Hong Kong ID etc
• In-house concierge service and collection of documents
• Passport-size photo developing service

What Should I Know About i2visa?

i2visa UK Ltd is a company registered in Scotland. Registered number: SC464380. Registered office: i2Visa, Forth House, 28 Rutland Square, Edinburgh, EH1 2BW. VAT Number: GB274 6553 76

The i2visa's team comprises Mandarin and English-speaking British and Chinese nationals with specialist experience of the Chinese visa system. Our experts liaise directly with Chinese Visa Application Service Centre (CVASC) to ensure your application has the greatest chances of success.

One of the leading visa agencies in the UK, i2visa is committed to maintaining excellent customer service, exceptional value for money, an innovative culture and clear accountability. We achieve this through our fundamental spirit of hard work and appreciation of multiculturality.

For more about i2visa, please visit ‘About Us.’ For further legal information about the company please visit Companies House.

When Should I Submit My Chinese Visa Application?

i2visa recommends applying for your Chinese visa at least 1 month before your intended date of travel to China. If you have plans to travel to another country before reaching China, you'd better be able to apply for your Chinese visa at least 3 months in advance.

Who Issues Chinese Visas In The UK?

The Chinese visa authorities in the UK are: the Consulate General of China in Edinburgh or Manchester or Chinese Embassy in London; The official place for submission: at the Chinese Visa Application Service Centre (CVASC) in Edinburgh, Manchester or London. Thus Chinese visa decisions are made by the Chinese General Consulate of Edinburgh, but all Chinese visa agencies and individual applicants must apply for Chinese visas directly through CVASC.

For this reason, a Chinese visa fee will always include a consular fee charged by the Chinese General Consulate of Edinburgh and a visa centre fee charged by the CVASC.

Recognised Chinese visa agencies should have an official account with the CVASC and submit its clients’ applications on behalf of their customers.

Why Choose i2visa?

1. Recognition. i2visa is recognised by the Chinese Visa Application Service Centre (CVASC) as an official drop-off point for visa applications in the UK. As a recognised visa agency we can submit a Chinese visa application on your behalf. We can help applicants to resolve any visa issues quickly and assist them if things don’t go according to plan.

2. Prime Location. Our central Edinburgh office is conveniently located within walking distance of the Chinese Visa Application Service Centre (CVASC) in Edinburgh, offering us:

• Unlimited access to the CVASC for enquiries
• Extended documentation submission cut-off time
• Extended CVASC application cut-off time for urgent service

3. Fees. As a flexible business, we offer the most competitive handling fees to our clients.

4. Ability. With extensive experience of the Chinese visa system, including close connections with the Chinese Visa Application Service Centre (CVASC) in Edinburgh, the i2visa team is perfectly positioned to turnaround your Chinese visa application quickly, solve any related issues and keep you up-to-date with any changes in Chinese visa policy.

5. Flexibility. Our agile team ensures that enquiries, problems and challenges are responded to and dealt with quickly. With simple processes and procedures, decisions are made quickly and efficiently with regards to any issues.

6. Relationships.  (i) With customers: Our customers are more than just clients, they are our friends. Since launching our business, we have built and maintained very good relationships with almost all our customers, from individuals to corporate clients.

                                 (ii) With suppliers: Though we are not legally affiliated with any visa authorities or government bodies, we work closely with the Chinese Visa Application Service Centre (CVASC). This means that our team builds and maintains strong relationships with them, helping us to keep our visa policies up to date.

7. Speed. i2visa offers its customers a 48 hours turnaround Chinese visa service in genuinely urgent circumstances; UK Passport Application Service: 2 working days as premium service; China Authentication service: 5 working days

8. Care. As passport, visa and document professionals, we take every application very seriously and appreciate its importance. The customer is at the heart of everything we do at i2visa. From our image and reputation, to your passport security, data protection and feedback - we strive to ensure that your i2visa's experience is the best it can be.

9. Protection. At i2visa we take data protection very seriously. We protect customers’ personal information in order to maintain their privacy. i2visa never sells customer information to any third party. After being processed by i2visa, copies of customer documentation are destroyed or returned securely to the relevant customer. All customer information is strictly protected.

10. No Subscription Required. Subscription based services and mailing lists are widely used by businesses today. At i2visa, we value your time and space. As such, we will only ever contact you if we have something important to say - for instance, to communicate an important change in Chinese visa policy. If you have any Chinese visa related enquiries, we will respond to them as quickly as possible.

11. Variety.  Our commitment to provide clients with the best possible experience means that we have a wide variety of services. These range from our 28 Hour Emergency Service to our 5 Day Standard Service. Our personal service means that we offer pick-up, drop-off and concierge services, as well as tailor-made ‘meet-and-greets’ designed to suit your schedule. i2Visa also accepts a variety of payment methods. For more information please view, ‘Our Fees.’

Why Is i2visa’s Handling Fee So Competitive?

i2visa prides itself on its competitive pricing and value for money. Conveniently located in central Edinburgh, just a short walk from the Chinese Visa Application Service Centre (CVASC), i2visa enjoys cost efficiencies that cannot be rivalled by London-based agencies. Our high quality service affords us a great reputation, which means that we can reduce our advertising costs and pass on the savings to you.

Why Should I Apply For A Chinese Visa or document attestation In Edinburgh?

From an expert’s perspective, Edinburgh visa centre offers a competitive advantage when it comes to your Chinese visa or authentication application. It is very easy access to the centre from airport or train station.

It is highly unlikely that Chinese visa or authentication applications processed in Edinburgh will be damaged, delayed or lost, as they are not crammed in with hundreds of other applications processed in Manchester or London. Our professional opinion is that Edinburgh is genuinely your best point of entry to China.

Why Should I Use A Chinese Visa or Authentication Agency?

There are a number of reasons why you should use a Chinese visa or authentication agency to submit your Chinese visa or authentication application, particularly if you live far from the Chinese Consulate. Take the hassle out of your Chinese visa or authentication application with our expert support, tailored to your needs.

• Save the time and cost of two journeys for drop-off and pick-up
• Avoid traffic, parking, appointments and queues for the visa centre
• Have any visa issues resolved for you by the visa agency
• Enjoy quick response support, 7 days/week, by email, phone and live chat
• Get your visa application pre-checked to avoid delays or rejection
• Receive your Chinese visa in 48 hours with our urgent service or China authentication in 5 working days with  premium service