Tourist Visa Application for China

                 Beijing has been an integral part of China’s history for  centuries. It is renowned for its historical palaces, temples, parks and its walls. I'm sure a lot of people who love to travel have Beijing on their list of must-visits but a lot of them keep on putting their plans off whenever they learn about the visa requirement. It's quite a hassle when you have to gather all those documents.Some of them have to be requested first  . One of the documents that I had to request was the bank certificate.It wasn't clear though how much they require to be in the applicant's account but I had read somewhere that one just needs to prove that he has enough money to fund his trip. Aside from the bank certificate I had to do something about my SSS ID. My first name is misspelled on my ID.I have a very long name,unfortunately SSS’ system could only accommodate 15 characters in the first line intended for the first name and another 15 characters in the second line for the last name so the last letter of my first name was dropped. That's according to SSS because I went there to complain.It’s just one of the things I had to take care of.
             For applicants I suggest that you check the requirements for the citizens of your country and submit them ahead of time so you'll have a chance to fix things just in case.
             On the day of the application I was already lining up outside of  the Consular Office of the Peoples Republic of China in the Philippines at 6:30 AM. It is located at 2nd & 3rd Floor, The World Center, 330 Sen. Gil J. Puyat Avenue, Makati City ( across Mapua Institute Of Technology). Some of those who also lined up early were representatives from travel agencies and some were sent by their bosses. The Consular office doesn't require personal appearance to apply for a visa and to claim a visa .At 8 AM we were told to go up to the 2nd floor. Upon entering the hall we were asked if we're applying for visa or claiming a visa then we were given our numbers and form for those who were applicants. I was number 25. Transactions didn't start until 9 AM so I filled out the form and waited. When it was my turn I just handed out all the requirements to the officer ( or whatever you call them). I was assigned to the lady at window 3 ( I had heard some stories about a certain lady at a certain window but I'm not sure which window. A lot of applicants try to avoid her as much as they could). The person who assisted me didn't ask me a single question. I noticed that she just went through my papers hastily except when it came to my passport, NBI clearance and bank certificate.She compared all the information on my NBI clearance with the ones on my passport. I'd heard that if you're given a pink form it's a good sign and that it's most likely to get approved. I noticed though that the lady was writing something on a small white piece of paper. Oh NO! I panicked. It turned out that the white paper was their copy of the claim stub and underneath it was the coveted "pink form". Yehey! I just opted for the 3-working-day-processing. I was done at 9:40 AM.

How to get to Consular Office of the Peoples Republic of China :
If you are coming from EDSA you can either take the MRT and alight at the Buendia station and take the jeep ( You can find the jeepneys in front of the SM hypermarket ) or you can take the bus.

Requirements for Tourist Visa Application ( for Philippine Passport Holders) :
1. Applicant's passport with blank pages and at least 6 months validity left before expiration.
2. A truly and completely filled Visa Application Form (Form V2011A) affixed with one passport-size or 2x2 colored photo, with white background, full-face front view, and no hat. Photo must be glued on the application form. Stapled pictures will not be accepted. Scanned photos will also not be accepted. U.S. passport holders must submit two application forms with two photos.
3. A copy of the round-trip plane ticket
4. Hotel reservation / invitation letter with a copy of the inviter's valid Chinese residence visa and passport information page of inviter's or Chinese national identity card.
5. Previously used China visa in old or new passport (Only visa stickers will be accepted. Those with stamped visas must submit additional documents for first time China visa applicants. Please refer to the list below.)
6. For first time applicants to China (Philippine passport holders, 18 years old and above), they are required to provide the following:
a) original NBI clearance valid for travel abroad
b) original bank certificate with receipt or original passbook, updated within the month that you are applying or....
- If a company will sponsor the trip, provide the company's bank certificate, sponsorship letter from the company and the company's business registration.
- If an individual will sponsor the trip, provide his bank certificate, sponsorship and invitation letter, copy of sponsor's valid residence visa and passport information page or Chinese national ID.
c) for employed persons, also provide an employment certificate, company ID, SSS ID and contributions, TIN ID and latest ITR
d) for students, provide school ID
e) for businessmen, provide business registration of company, TIN ID and latest ITR
f) Personal appearance is required for those who are 16-21 years old.
7. The emergency contact information page in the applicant's passport should be filled out and photocopied.
8. Other documents required by the visa officers if necessary.

I suggest though that you check again the requirements from the Consular Office of the Peoples Republic of China in the Philippines around the time that you are applying for a visa because they might update it from time to time.