Can I appy for China visa in Japan?
 

Hi, I wonder if anyone could help me out here?

I shall be visiting Japan in the next few days. I am also planning on popping over to China for a week but have left it too late to apply for a visa before leaving.

Is it possible for a British passport holder to apply for a visa for entry into China from Japan?

Any replies greatly appreciated.

Yes you can but it takes time to process. When I did it a couple of years ago (in 2005) I had to leave my passport with them for a week and then go and collect it with the visa inside when they let me know it was ready.

I don't know if it's any faster now but I think you should contact the embassy itself to check whether this is possible.

So it's not possible to get a tourist visa directly at the airport in China, like Japan?

Not for China. The process is more complicated - more red tape unfortunately.

You should be able to get a visa from the Chinese embassy or consulate in Tokyo. You'll need a passport photo (you can get one at one of the photo booths near most train stations for 700 yen), round trip plane tickets, and funds to cover your stay in China.

Ah. Pardon my ignorance .)

Henbaka-san,

You are not ignorant - not my intention at all! I was surprised myself when I was told I had to leave my passport with the embassy for them to process. I have never had to do that before.

As far as I know this is still the practice in Tokyo. So yes, you need to take a passport photo as normal, but you will still have to wait for the embassy to process your request... unless things have changed. If you find out they have then please let us all know as I think many members would find this useful.

Good luck Henbaka-san :)

Nono, don't think I'm offended or anything, note the smiley! .)

Also note that I don't need a China visa, as I'm not the OP. I just asked because I was curious (never know when such knowledge might be useful...)

Rock on tokyoite!

you can also do it in Osaka if you happen to stay there. normally it takes 5 working days to process everything, but if you're in a hurry you can pay extra and get it sooner with some kind of express service.

You should have planned your China trip long ago and obtained a visa before coming to Japan. If you leave your passport at the Chinese embassy and are then asked for it by the Japanese police (it happens all the time) you are going to be in trouble. The law states that non citizens must have a passport or residency card on their persons at all times. Failure to do so will end up with your being detained.