Documents required for a visa application made by a Pole living in the UK

[PeteKnowles]

Hi.

 

My wife and I are going to visit a British friend who works in China. We both live in the UK - I'm British but my wife is Polish. The visa application website says that my wife (who will be applying for her Chinese visa in the UK) "must provide the original and photocopy of your valid certificates of residence, employment or student status, or other valid certificates of legal stay provided by the relevant authorities of the country where the Visa Centre is located."

 

What does she actually need? She's lived in the UK for about 10 years and we've been married for nearly 5 years, but as an EU citizen she's never needed any proof of legal status before. Would a letter from her current employer do?

 

Thanks. 

 

Pete

[zhouhaochen]

In almost all countries, Chinese embassies only accept applications for visas from citizens of that country. In most EU countries there is an exception for this for EU citizens if they are a permanent resident in the country they are applying for. So she would need to prove she is a permanent resident in England. Being legal is not enough, she has to be a permanent resident or a British citizen to apply in the UK. Alternatively she has to return to Poland to apply.

[David@5Star]

Pete,

 

I work for 5starchinatravel.com.

 

There are currently no extra requirements for Polish passport holders.  As an EU national you do not require any documents to be in the UK, therefore your passport is enough proof that you can legally be in the UK.

 

However the embassy will not process your application using the express service and the cost of the single and double entry visas are more than UK passport holders.

 

Hope that helps.

 

Regards David

www.5starchinatravel.com