China has opened a visa center in Kampala for ordinary passport holders, aiming to reduce congestion at the main embassy.
The center, launched by Chinese Ambassador to Uganda H.E. Zhang Lhizong, streamlines travel for Ugandan nationals travelling to China for business and other activities.
“Starting from January 31 (Wednesday), 2024, the embassy will entrust the Chinese Visa Center in Kampala (hereinafter referred to as the ‘Visa Center’) to accept visas of ordinary passport holders or legalizations,” a statement from the embassy reads in part.
“Visa applicants shall log on to the Visa Center’s website (www.visaforchina.cn) to fill in the application form online and then go to the Visa Center for processing. The embassy will no longer directly accept visas of ordinary categories from ordinary passport holders or legalizations,” it adds.
The center operates Monday-Friday, except holidays, accepting submissions from 9 am to 3 pm and pickups until 4 pm.
“The Visa Center has no decision on visa or legalization approval,” the statement continues.
“The embassy will decide whether to issue a visa, its validity, duration of stay, and number of entries or whether to authenticate a certain document based on the applicant’s circumstances. The consul may request the applicant to provide additional supporting documents or supplementary materials according to the specific situation or appoint an interview.”
The center charges additional fees, including express service fees and service fees.
“Except for the Chinese Visa Center in Kampala, the embassy has not entrusted other institutions or individuals to accept Chinese visas or legalizations. Applicants are kindly advised to be careful with relevant information,” the statement reads.
Meanwhile, applicants holding diplomatic or service/official passports or applying for Chinese diplomatic, courtesy, or official visas must still submit applications directly to the embassy.