Chinese Visa Application Service

I hope their phone service get better in the future. Maybe hire more people to work. Let customers wait on the line for an hour is not a good experience.

I would give this place no stars if that was an option. The previous reviews are really out dated because the service just keeps going down hill year after year. I visit China almost every year and never had a near positive experience at this place. To sum it up, the people who work here do not care at all about you and your precious time and will not give you consistent information on what exactly they need. You either come prepared to the teeth, or chances are you’re going to have to make multiple trips.
Originally you could fill forms out by hand, however, they decided to change that on Jan, 2014, except they did not put a notice up on their website. You show up with a hand filled form, you have to redo everything on the computers provided and pay to print the forms out. Finally after all that’s sorted, you’re looking at about a 2 – 4 hour wait to actually get called up to the counter.
Now my recent experience here was even more frustrating. Due to the large volume of people, they will no longer take walk ins, and you have to book an appointment online to drop your forms in. That’s seems reasonable however, there was no option to book an appointment if you needed urgent service. Appointments were filled two weeks into the next month and my ticket was way before that. I called in and they said if Im paying for the express or urgent service, I don’t need an appointment, and could just walk-​in so that’s what I did. I arrived at 9:30 am (30min after they open) and got a number, what they didn’t tell me was that they’d have to service every single person with an appointment first, and maybe if a spot opened, they would squeeze me in for the urgent service I paid extra for. Instead of telling me to just come at the end of the day, I ended up waiting there from 9:30 am — 4:30pm. In addition to the long wait for a rushed service, the person at front desk gave us complete different information than the person at the counter, and messed up the type of visa I requested. My forms were filled correctly, I wanted a visa with multiple entries and told them just that. They asked me to change a few things on my form and I did what they had asked and didn’t think twice about it. When I came back to pick up my passport, they gave me the wrong type of visa. Instead of multiple entries, it was a single entry… After investigating, the information they made me change affected the type of visa I wanted. I made it clear to them I wanted multiple entries and after their instructions, I ended up paying 200 bucks for the wrong type of visa.
It sucks that there’s no way around this wretched place if you need a visa to China but here’s a few tips after multiple horrible encounters:
1. Plan ahead! Book an appointment way before you need the actual visa. If it’s an emergency get there before the doors open, you have a way better chance to squeeze in and get everything done before anyone shows up for their appointments.
2. Read absolutely everything on the documents they require. They’re very picky about them and will give you shit for the tiniest details and won’t think twice about sending you back.
3. Confirm with them after submitting your forms on the type of visa you want to get. Three important things to double check with them: How long you plan on staying, how many entries, and the length of which the visa is effective.
Hope all that helps and may the odds be ever in your favour.

I don’t get why they constantly change the application form without updating the version they post online for general public. Although you get the chance to retype the form at one of their service computers, it’s still wasting everyone’s time having to redo it once you are there.
In general, the lineup is a lot shorter. This place is more spacious and comfortable.
Please be more diligent in updating the consulate website with the address change for visa application and having the correct form for download.

Compared to the old way of having to go to the Consulate and waiting in line for hours, standing room only no less, the Chinese Visa Application Centre offers a more efficient and comfortable experience.
As soon as you enter the suite, the person at the «reception desk» gives you a number based on whether you’d made an appointment online in advance or not, and briefly reviews your documents. Then you sit in the waiting area until your number is called up. Just allow yourself enough time for the trip, sit back and relax.
The counter person who handled my application was friendly and efficient, no complaint.
Compared to my experiences of getting visas for other countries, this is fairly painless.

What can I say? They get it done.
My advice? Prepare all your documents in advance (they need to know where EXACTLY you are going, where EXACTLY you are staying, and how you are getting there.)
Make an appointment. Tell them you made an appointment. (When I went there they didn’t ask and put me in the non-​appointment line up which took much longer.)
Give yourself enough time. You’re handing over your passport for a week. Don’t push your luck with your timelines.
Then, get your passport back, and head over to China!