Pinoy Roadtrip: My Experience Applying for a Tourist Visa at the Chinese Embassy in Manila

October 4, 2023

MY EXPERIENCE APPLYING FOR A TOURIST VISA AT THE CHINESE EMBASSY IN MANILA

ON GETTING AN APPOINTMENT

You can book an appointment HERE. From my experience, the earliest available appointment slot for submitting your application for a Chinese visa at the Chinese embassy in the Philippines is ONE WEEK from the time you open a request for booking. Other people experienced a longer wait time for availability of slots. That's why most travel agencies recommend that you submit to them all documents at least 3 weeks from the intended travel date to give them time to get an appointment. So plan your trips accordingly with this in mind.

Appointment calendar

There are 2 time slots:

9:00 AM, 10:00 AM

Other things to note:

1. You can't request for an appointment without submitting a completed application online. Only then can you use your application ID to open a request for booking.

2. The feedback on the timetable for approval is 4 working days. This means that if you submit your application form at the Chinese embassy on a Tuesday, you can already pick it up on a Friday. But take note on holidays in China thay

3. The Chinese embassy in the Philippines is still not collecting fingerprints from applicants of a tourist visa. This means you can have a representative submit your application and pick up your passport afterwards.

ON SUBMITTING THE APPLICATION AT THE EMBASSY

I arrived at 9:40 AM for my 10:00 am appointment at the 2nd floor of the World Centre in Makati, where the Chinese Embassy is located. Immediately upon entering the embassy, I got a number from the lady manning the reception at the right side of the entrance. I was no. 114. I was told to wait for my number to be called by watching out for the numbers displayed on 3 counters in front, dedicated to receiving the documents. Each counter received documents 5 people at a time. You line up when you see your number displayed on the window. When I arrived, numbers 21-25, 41-45, 46-50 was displayed. Apparently, one counter receiving the documents ask a lot of questions so the line moved slower than usual on that counter.

There are about 8 rows of seats with 20 seats per row in the waiting area. And they are all full, with some people still standing. It took me 2 hours of waiting until it was my turn. Receiving my documents took only two minutes. The person receiving got my current passport and 2 old passports, 1 photo, all the documents attached like flight booking, hotel confirmation, itinerary, certificate of employment, bank certificate, bank statements and stapled them together. Then I was issued a pink slip stating when I can pick up the passports.

WHERE TO PARK : There's a small parking lot across the World Centre building. If it's full, another option is to park at SM Jazz mall at Nicanor Garcia and then walk to the building.