Visa Issuance from China Starting Next Month... Ambassador Jang Ha-sung Reaches Agreement with Chinese Side (Comprehensive)

South Korean Chinese Embassy Visa Issuance Center to Accept Online Applications from the 1st
Flights Scarce in the Sky... Difficult to Enter China Even with a Visa

[Asia Economy Beijing=Special Correspondent Jo Young-shin] The visa services of the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs, which had been virtually suspended since last March due to the novel coronavirus infection (COVID-19), will resume starting next month. Priority will be given to Chinese international students, local employees in China holding Z visas, and holders of residence permits (long-term stay visas in China).

However, it is expected that entering China will still be difficult as securing airline tickets is said to be as hard as "catching stars in the sky."

Jang Ha-sung, the South Korean Ambassador to China, announced on the 27th that an agreement was reached with the Chinese government regarding visa issuance for three groups: international students, employees, and Korean residents with valid residence permits at the time of visa application.

The start of visa issuance is expected to be in early August.

In this regard, the Visa Issuance Center of the Chinese Embassy in Korea is currently building a system to accept online visa applications until the 30th. Considering the expected large number of applicants, it appears that online visa applications will be accepted. Online visa applications are reported to begin on the 1st of next month.

The embassy explained that there have been no confirmed COVID-19 cases imported from Korea to China, and the situation in China is similar, so it was agreed with the Chinese side to issue visas to Korean residents, employees, and international students who have not been able to return to China. Korean residents or small and medium-sized business owners whose residence permits have expired must reapply for visas at the Chinese Embassy in Korea and then re-obtain their residence permits.

The embassy added, "There may be various cases during the visa issuance process," and that detailed adjustments are necessary on an individual and case-by-case basis.

The problem lies with flights. Although visa issuance has resumed, flights remain severely limited. After receiving a visa, one must enter China within three months. It is known that some routes have no available tickets even after mid-September.

The embassy explained, "Increasing flights requires consultation not only with the Chinese government but also with local governments," and stated that efforts are being made to increase the number of flights.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.