Russians massively gathered in China: intermediaries will speed up obtaining visas

After China resumed issuing visas for foreign citizens on March 15, the Russians decided to receive them en masse, as if they had been waiting for this for three long years. As a result, those dreaming of the Great Wall of China faced a shortage of “free windows” for submitting documents at visa centers. “MK” found out what is happening these days with the receipt of visas by Russians to China.

Recall that for three years, China did not receive guests and did not let its citizens out due to the coronavirus pandemic. Since March 15, China has resumed issuing all types of visas to foreigners at its consular offices around the world.

However, as MK found out, a considerable period of time will pass between this decision of the Chinese authorities and the date when an ordinary Russian tourist ends up in China. A visa for an independent tourist – a classic, a tourist one – is another quest to get: a couple of months you need to languish in anticipation just to submit documents.

The representative of the Russian-speaking tour operator in China, Zhou Linxia, ​​told MK that “they made invitations to their tourists, but none of them received a visa yet.”

– As far as I know, there are many Russian tourists applying for visas, but they will have to wait until next month. Documents are accepted in Irkutsk, but not in St. Petersburg and Moscow, you can only make an appointment.

– If I have collected the entire package of documents for an independent trip, when can I submit them to the visa center? I ask an expert.

“Since there are many applicants, there are free slots (windows) for submitting documents, for example, in Moscow only from May 20, in St. Petersburg – earlier, from April 20,” explained Natalya Osipova, director of the Alliance of Travel Agencies association. – Unfortunately, when visa-free trips for groups of tourists will be opened, that is, through tour operators, is still unknown. An agreement on them has already been adopted, but for purely technical reasons they have not yet been renewed.

“The demand is high, and the number of slots is limited,” adds Dmitry Gorin, Vice President of the Russian Union of Travel Industry. – The excitement is understandable, because visas were not issued for three years. Demanded as business trips, and for study, and for tourism purposes. But visa-free travel is fundamentally important for Russian tourists – after all, 80% of tourists, both Russian and Chinese, traveled before the pandemic on visa-free group trips. We are waiting for the resumption of this mechanism, which will allow the tour operators that are on the list to organize such trips. An ordinary classical visa, for example, costs a lot of money for the Chinese ($200), so it is also more profitable for them to travel to Russia on a visa-free basis as part of groups. And the second difficulty is the limited number of air flights so far, since visas have just begun to be issued, and the airlines have not yet supplied a sufficient number of flights. Our compatriots are most interested in the Chinese resort of Hainan, for visiting which visas are not required, but, unfortunately, there are no flight programs for it yet. But we are waiting for them.

“MK” tried to find out the dates of issuance and the cost of visas in the “visa support center of the Chinese Embassy in Russia”, which helps speed up the process for money, and this is what they answered:

– Now the places for submission to the Consulate in Moscow are going to the end of May. The cost is 52,000 rubles, including the consular fee (provided that you have your own invitation). If there is no invitation, then 69,000 rubles, including the fee. We bring the documents to the Consulate ourselves and pay the fees. You send us documents by courier (courier services are paid separately). In St. Petersburg, places go to the end of April.

– The prices are somehow unrealistic, it’s you who got to an intermediary who issues visas for you, – an expert from the tourism industry comments. – A regular visa to China costs from 4,000 to 9,000 rubles, this is without any additional services.

We have found more intermediaries willing to expedite the process. The firm guarantees “recording and submission of your documents in Moscow for the next dates”, specifying that “there are windows for March!”. The service costs 30,000 rubles, including the visa fee.

“I want to go with my girlfriend in mid-May to Shanghai and Beijing, I have long dreamed of going there and seeing a different culture,” says Yuri from Moscow. – Judging by the information, it is still very difficult to get a visa without intermediaries.

– Ready to pay intermediaries? – I ask Yuri.

– To be honest, I still don’t understand what the price range is, I just started doing it today. But if anything, I’m ready to give 60,000 rubles. for the two of us…