Urgent help needed on obtaining an L Visa from the UK - especially the photo!

[thenimblethief]

In July, my wife and I are going to visit our son who is at Xiamen University. We have all the documents completed here in the UK but we are worried about the photo. The UK Chinese Visa Centre say that the photo must be 48mm by 22mm. The photo booths in the UK only print normal UK size photos. Some booths are now printing visa sized photos but only for USA and India; these are too big. The criteria for these chinese visa photos is amazingly tight. Has anyone had to get a visa photo from the UK lately? Whats did you do? Use a booth, a specialist photographic shop, or suddenly become do it yourself photo experts.

Time is getting tight. They advise you not to apply too early but then give you only about a month to get it done. HELP!

[guest1234]

hi

I have always used a passport photo from a booth and never had a problem, I leave the white surround so I can staple it to the form. I have done this for the last 10 years without a problem.

get it now if you need it for July.

regards

phil

[thenimblethief]

Hi bagua. Apparently it changed early 2013 to cater for the new isometric passports. Now the visa photos are smaller and of a different dimension. The current UK passport size is 45mm by 35mm. The chinese visa photo is now 48mm by 33mm (from january 2013). I suppose we should be looking for someone that has applied for a chinese visa this year? I can see my wife and I having to take a costly trip to the visa centre in London and get them done there. It appears they have a booth that will print them off the right size there. More money! It's bad enough we are being charged £90.00 each for a visa which is itself only about £30; the rest is an administration charge. A bit of 'tit for tat' on behalf of the Chinese Government in response to the UK's charges in HK and China.

[guest1234]

Hi

I have a two year multi entry from early this year using a passport photo. I think the photo machine is the same company as tesco uses so I can see no difference in the photo's. I will pop in on Fri for you if I can, if not I can pop in next week if that leaves you enough time.

regards

Phil

[anonymoose]

suddenly become do it yourself photo experts

Yes.

[liuzhou]

A bit of 'tit for tat' on behalf of the Chinese Government in response to the UK's charges in HK and China.

Visa prices are reciprocal. Always have been. Nothing to do with China's relationship with the UK. It is the same with every other country.

[roddy]

I'd be surprised if they reject an application because of your passport photo being a few mm out - have you actually heard of this happening to a real person?

[abcdefg]

Glad to hear that Mom and Dad are going to visit Joshua. He has a fan club here who have followed his various adventures.

I'm sure you will soon get the visa issue sorted and I hope you have a great time in China.

[thenimblethief]

We are going the second week of July and we have been warned that it's very hot at this time. I'm looking forward to visiting some of the ex pat bars there! However, as of this time we will probably avoid their buses! We have found a studio that will arrange photos of the specification the Visa Application Agency in London now ask for. They will charge us £12.99 each so, in the grand scheme of things, that won't be breaking our bank. Thanks for all your suggestions.

[anonymoose]

So you're going through all the hassle to get to China and you're looking forward to visiting expat bars???

[liuzhou]

I spend my life in China avoiding ex-pat bars. My Chinese friends ask me why I don't hang out with other foreigners. I tell them that if I wanted to hang out with foreigners, I'd go home. There are a lot more there.

I agree. Coming to China looking forward to ex-pat bars is just bizarre. Stay home. The pubs are a hundred times better and the clientèle not all insane!

[realmayo]

If I was in a Chinese city for the first time in my life and wanted a beer or two on a stinking hot evening I wouldn't go into some 'authentic' Chinese nightclub.

[liuzhou]

If I was in a Chinese city for the first time in my life and wanted a beer or two on a stinking hot evening I wouldn't go into some 'authentic' Chinese nightclub.

Neither would I. I wouldn't go into an expat bar either. There are other choices.

[thenimblethief]

I probably should have avoided saying that I wished to visit the ex pat bars. There's just one in Xiamen I'd like to visit for a pint. It's The Londoner, where Josh's girlfriend worked part time for a while. It's a 'Rugby' bar Apparently Xiamen has it's own rugby team. I will be dragging my wife around all the local scenic spots, the temples, markets, and whatever Josh says is interesting. I love seafood and I believe Xiamen is famous for it so I expect to be putting a little weight on whilst I am there.

[roddy]

So, has anyone else noticed that Joshua's parents went to visit him in July, and here we are well into the first week of August, and we haven't heard how the trip went? Not even a single holiday photo...

I feel like we're missing out on an important chapter of the Great Joshua Adventure we've all been following so avidly.

[realmayo]

Maybe they ran into liuzhou in an expat bar?

[thenimblethief]

Please accept my apologies my absence but my wife has been a unwell since we returned from Xiamen. She has been off work for a couple of weeks after contracting some nasty strep infection. It didn't effect our enjoyment of our trip as the symptoms didn't kick in until we were waiting for our connecting flight home in HK. She is back to work Monday and I will now have time to tell you how we got on. I'll post photos too. Probably early this week; including Josh in his graduation.

[roddy]

That's a shame, but glad it didn't affect your trip. Our best wishes to the Mrs, and we look forward to the photos.