Chinese Visa Application Notes (Filipino Passport Holder, Manila)
Just thought I'd put this here because I couldn't find similar posts before i applied for my Chinese Visa.
Flight: June 8, 2026
Fourth time to apply. last time was 14 years ago (2012)
Applying for Single Entry
Docs submitted online are: passport pages, previous Chinese Visas, itinerary, hotel booking, flights
Docs submitted in person: passport, application form, one pc. chinese visa sized photo, photocopy of passport information page, photocopy of all previous chinese visas, hotel booking, flights, itinerary. they declined to receive my bank cert which i DID NOT submit online (because it wasnt required for repeat applicants) but brought with me nonetheless.
May 13 - Fully submitted online application
May 19 - "Online Review Completed" status (Received email at 9 AM)
May 20 - Visited China Visa Center in Makati
7:45 am - arrived Dela Rosa Parking 1 (easy to park)
7:55 am - arrived at the guard station (6th floor) of the visa center. Issued "initial" queue number, 94. went out for coffee and to withdraw money.
8:45 am - arrived back at guard station (6th floor) where security checks were already being done by initial queue number, so i found my place in line (again, 94, yes there are 93 people in front of me more or less)
8:55 am - entered the visa center where there is a queue in the same order for initial document inspection
9:14 am - arrived at initial document inspection. Issued a formal queue number, I-018. The queue stub indicates how many people in front of you that have NOT been served yet, and there were 7 people in front of me unserved at this point (last served was I-011). i guess there is a different queue depending on whether youre agency or individual etc. idk.
IMPORTANT: I asked the lady if there is a way to pay VIP meaning i jump the queue (not to be confused with the rush fee where you get your passport back faster), the lady said you pay 1800++ (I dont remember the exact amount) to skip the SUBMISSION QUEUE but this does not entitle you to skip the CASHIER QUEUE. I opted not to skip the submission queue.
9:23 am - my queue number is called at window 14, my documents were processed in 2 minutes.
IMPORTANT: I was offered to SKIP CASHIER QUEUE for 1800++ (again i don't remember the exact amount). I asked how many were in front of me in the cashier queue, she said 27 people (definitely more than 27 applications, some people were holding 20 passports because some of these people are agency people) and she said it may take 1.5-2.5 hours. I paid the skip cashier queue. she took me straight to the cashier and I paid the visa fee and the skip the cashier queue fee.
IMPORTANT: I asked the document submission officer what time the most ideal time is to submit, she said "after lunch, even at 3pm" is the best time because the hall is literally "empty" because most agency applications arrive in the morning.
IMPORTANT: I asked the cashier what the best time to pickup the passport is, she said 3pm, and you don't need a letter of authority if you're asking someone else to pick it up as long as they have the claim stub.
9:26 am - i left the visa office.
Pickup is scheduled on May 25 as indicated on the claim stub. i'll update you guys.
Honest opinion, if youre just gonna skip the line anyway, just have a travel agency do it for you. I did the application myself because i thought they needed to get my fingerprints. They never did.