Getting Chinese Visa - Houston, TX Consulate

[BlackJack2]

We got our Chinese Visas last week. It was extremely easy at the Houston, TX Chinese Consulate. We went on a Monday morning and were in line about 20 – 30 minutes to put the paperwork in. We returned the following Monday and it took about 5 minutes to pick up our passports, with visa inside.

 

Here are some tips for getting your Chinese Visa from the Houston, TX Chinese Consulate.

~ They only accept walk-ins, no appointments, from 9:30 AM to 11:30 AM and from 1:30 PM to 3 PM, M – F.

~ The consulate does not have a parking lot. There is plenty of parking on the side streets. Do not park in the Starbucks parking lot – there are signs that you will be towed.

~ There is about a four-day turn around. We dropped our application off on Monday and returned the following Monday to pick up our passports with the visa inside. There is no express service.

~ You will need to bring: passport, copy of passport, visa application (typed in all CAPS), copy of driver's license, copy of cruise reservation, copy of airline reservation, and passport photo.

~ Do not staple anything!

~ There was no box for "10 year" visa. We checked "other" box for length of time for visa and type in "10 year visa”.

~ For hotel information - if you are in transit, then type in the name of your ship.

~ You must fill out every space on the visa form, so if it is not applicable to you, type in NA.

~ Your cell phones have to be turned off when inside the consulate, so bring “paper” books to read while in line.

~ You may pay by Visa credit card - $140 per visa.

 

Hope this information helps!

[easyboy]

Thanks for the heads up. For our previous land tour in China, our TA probably failed to indicate an extended validity period. We got a single entry visa for the same price you paid on your 10 year visa, plus TA service fee. Am just consoling myself that we don't have any planned China tour in the future.

 

 

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Edited December 3, 2016 by easyboy