Surprise surprise, being the 2nd largest Chinese population outside China, Malaysians still require visa to travel to China. Our recent trip to China was to be a self-researched tour so we had to get the visas ourselves. While it was not entirely automated, it is not that hard if you know the procedure so not to make several trips like me. I have put together my experiences here so you don’t have to repeat my mistakes.
Location
China Visa Application Service Centre
157 Hampshire Place Office
Jalan Mayang Sari
Kuala Lumpur 50450
Level 5: Submission
Level 6: Collection
(Make sure you queue at the right level)
Checklist
List of supporting documents for the submission:
- Photo (x2)
2x Coloured photo with white background, 33x48cm, recent 6 months, bare forehead. If you are having the photo taken at photo shops, mention “China Visa”, not “Passport photo”. - Passport
Original and 2x photocopies (of the observation page) - Birth Certificate
Original and 1x photocopy.
ONLY IF you are traveling with your family, and your child/children are below the age of 18. If you application does not include the parent/guardian, you will need to supply their documents as supporting document - Itineraries
As daunting as it may sound, we listed the daily accommodation, printed the proof of reservation; and it was sufficient - Online Form
Visit China Visa Application Centre to fill up the online form. IT IS NOT AN ONLINE SUBMISSION, just a form to fill up, you still have to print out and submit at the Visa Application Centre - Fee
RM100 for a single entry visa
RM120 for double entries
There are multiple entries visa but last we tried, they only allow 1 or 2 entries for holiday visas. Check the price schedule HERE
Pay when you collect your passport, cash or credit cards are accepted. - Duration
Collect on the 4th working day after submission. You can pay more for shorter processing time, refer the to pricing schedule above
The Queue
The line starts to form as early as 7:30am, while the door opens at 9:00am. In my 3 visits to the centre, I arrived between 8:00 – 8:30am and I was about 10-20 in the queue.
Each person gets a call number from the front desk based on their purpose. For every 2nd or 3rd person to be asking questions, or try to negotiate for something they are short of; you can imagine the delay if you 50th in line.
There are about 30-40 counters, the turnaround time is decent once you get through the front desk bottleneck.
Beat the crowd and camp
Typically if you are the first 20 in line, you should be out by 10:00am and reach work before noon.
If you are submitting for a group of travellers, it will be a good time to organise them individually to ease the submission at the counter.
Hope this helps you and good luck!
