Waiting patiently: People queueing up for their Chinese visas at the Hampshire Place office in Jalan Mayang Sari, Kuala Lumpur. — KAMARUL ARIFFIN/The Star
Make appointment a month earlier, visit centre promptly, says embassy
KUALA LUMPUR: With China fully accepting tourists and the year-end holidays approaching, its visa application service centre here is bustling with activity.
A check yesterday showed a line of applicants stretching outside the centre.
The good thing is most applicants said the process was smooth and they got their visas without having to wait for long.
A 42-year-old businessman, who wished to be known as Teh, said he and his friend woke up at 5.30am to reach the centre from Johor, saying they needed the visa for a business trip to Guangzhou.
“It took me over four hours to get the visa on my first trip so I was prepared for an equally long wait. But luckily, getting the visa took me less than an hour.”
An accountant, who wished to be known as Chong, said he had come to apply for a visa to visit his wife’s family in Guilin. He said the application process was faster than when China reopened its borders in March.
“I used to have to wait two to three weeks before I could go to collect my visa but now it only takes several days at most to get it,” he said.
Chong, 49, said many of his friends are planning to travel to China in October during the long school break.
Salesman Jho Lo, 43, said he and his family waited for two hours to collect the visa.
“The queue was long but the actual collection process was smooth as we had all the documents ready in advance,” he said.
Shelly Chan, 28, said it took her just two hours to collect her visa and she did not have much trouble.
Offshore engineer Kamal Abdul Rahman, 40, said he came to the centre to apply for his visa but it was turned down as he had earlier set his appointment date on Oct 5.
“It’s unfortunate but I understand that this is to ensure efficiency,” he said, adding that he would reschedule his trip with friends to later this year.
Responding to an inquiry from The Star, the Chinese Embassy said the average number of appointments for visa application daily had increased four-fold over the past eight months, from 400 appointments to the current 1,600 daily.
It said roughly 130,000 visa applications had been processed as of the end of August, with 30% being multiple entry visas.
To cope with the surge in demand, the embassy said its visa service centre had extended its service hours, increased manpower and number of counters, and kept open during lunch hour.
“We plan to also dynamically increase the number of appointment slots for individual applicants, ensure all eligible applications from travel agencies are processed, and exempt eligible applicants from needing fingerprint collection.
“We will also continue to expand our workforce and explore ways to further enhance our efficiency to alleviate congestion at the counters to ensure Malaysian citizens are provided with professional, standardised and welcoming visa services,” said the embassy.
It also advised Malaysians to make a visa appointment at least a month in advance and to visit the centre only on the day and time of their appointment.
Enquiries can be emailed to klvc2023@gmail.com.
Meanwhile, vice consul-general of China in Penang Ding Qiao said the consulate-general there processed a certain number of visa applications daily.
She said the consulate helped facilitate the application of those on business trips and other work commitments in China.
She advised Malaysians to check the holiday destinations in China if visa-free travel is allowed.
“There are certain cities in China where visa-free travel, ranging from 72 hours to 144 hours, is available by joining authorised tourist groups.
“Guilin in Guangxi province is one of them,” she said during a visit yesterday to The Star Pitt St building in Jalan Masjid Kapitan Keling in conjunction with Mid-Autumn Festival.
