China preparations: Visa

Today I picked up my passport with my China visa which means the only thing stopping me from going to China now is that fact that I still haven't booked my flight, should probably do that soon! 

There are two ways you can apply for a China visa: by post or by going to one of the centres in London or Manchester. Last year when applying for my visa for Nanjing, I didn't really have the time to go to either of the centres whilst busy in Southampton with coursework/exams so did it by post. I'm not entirely sure why but I hated the idea of my passport being sent off in the post. I was constantly checking Track & Trace to find out its whereabouts which meant that I knew that it should have arrived back for me in Southampton and Monte reception. It was a Wednesday so I went along in the afternoon to pick it up. However, when I asked if it had arrived I was surprised to here that there was nothing there for me even though according to Royal Mail it had arrived at about 10am that morning. Fortunately, I glanced down at the list of parcels and signed-for envelopes (which mine was) and saw my reference number which I knew so well from typing it in to track it on the website. Next to the number was the name "T Postpant". I almost didn't get my passport with my visa inside because someone had written my name down wrong! I know my handwriting's bad but it can't be that bad? The Xiamen visa application was done by courier which was much less worry. 

I decided that this time, seeing as I live on the outskirts of Manchester, the best option would be to go to the centre in person and I'm glad that I did! When I got back from Madrid last week, I went on the visaforchina.org website and booked myself an appointment for the Friday afternoon as that was the earliest they had available and I wanted to get it sorted. I then filled in the form online without too much difficultly having made two other visa applications fairly recently before printing it along with the declaration and signing them both. I had to sign then photocopy my admission notice and visa form from Xiamen to take with me as well. The only thing missing was a photo and after searching my room for a while, knowing I had some passport photos somewhere, I gave up, packed a glue stick in my handbag (but forgot scissors)  and planned to get some taken in Manchester before my appointment. Thankfully Manchester Piccadilly train station has a couple of photo booths (which I'd never really noticed before but then again, I'd never had to use them) so I paid £5 to get 5 photos done there - I swear it used to be cheaper? The hilarious results of this are displayed below, why do I look so orange? I usually look white as a ghost in these things! Safe to say that passport/ID photos are never attractive. 

So serious.

I then realised I'd forgotten to bring any scissors with me but had the bright idea to go into Boots and ask if I could borrow some scissors where they give out the prescriptions. I don't think anyone's gone into Boots to do that before! With one of my new passport photos cut out, I left the station to walk to 75 Mosley street where the centre's based. I had to press a button and speak to someone to let me in before going up to the first floor. A lady at a desk asked my name and gave me a queue number. I went and sat down to wait for my number to be called. I chatted to a couple of the other people waiting about where they were going etc. There was a girl there going to China for the first time who was asking me lots of questions: What do you fill in for local ID card number? (n/a - we don't have ID cards in the UK unlike the Spanish who seem to use theirs all the time!) Do you need to get any jabs done for going to China? (No, don't bother. She was only going for 3 weeks and I've never had any done. Thinking I may get some done before my YA though). There was a photo booth there all along so I needn't have worried about finding one. I only had to wait about 10 minutes to be called up to a desk. I handed over the various documents, the guy checked them and handed me back the originals for the admission notice and visa form, gave me a slip with the collection date on it (today) and that was that. Nice and easy!

I went back today and it was even easier. I arrived at about 2pm and had to wait about a minute before I was called over. I paid the £66 by card and the lady handed over my passport complete with my third Chinese visa, a receipt and a slip that the holder of the visa needed to obtain a residence permit for aliens within 30 days of arrival. I love being called an alien! They call foreigners aliens on the arrival and departure slips you have to fill in when you enter and leave China as well. The visa itself is an X visa (student visa) valid until 13th November for me to enter the country. For duration of each stay it says 000 days which is a bit odd, it's probably because I need to change it to a residence permit asap when I arrive. This is also the first of my three visas to say 曼彻斯特 (Manchester) for the place of issue rather than 伦敦(London) which is less exciting. Looking forward to being an alien for a year!