China keeps tough visa requirement despite end of pandemic

[Image source: Gettyimagesbank]

Business travel to China has resumed after being previously banned with the outbreak of Covid-19 but the country’s visa process remains rigid, causing complaints among South Korean companies looking to expand overseas activities.

According to multiple industry sources on Monday, all Koreans traveling to China must visit Chinese visa application service centers in Seoul, Busan, and Gwangju. The fingerprint registration requirement was adopted at the height of the pandemic on January 29, 2021, but has not been lifted although China scrapped its zero-Covid-19 policy in January.

The country has been issuing visas after collecting fingerprints from visitors across the world, including those from Korea, the U.S., and Europe.

To get an M visa issued to those who intend to go to China for commercial and trade activities, visitors need to register their fingerprints and file documents at a visa center.

There is a separate waiting room for corporate chief executive officers (CEOs), but they still have to wait for their turn. Many complaints are being raised that there is a long wait even if online reservation is made in advance.

“It used to take about a week to get a Chinese visa, but now it can take as long as three weeks,” said an executive at a large Korean company.

Visitors with a multiple-entry visa need not be fingerprinted again for five years after the first registration. However, most of the business travelers must be fingerprinted again due to a long break during the pandemic.

For group tourists, the pre-pandemic visa process has been re-adopted since the end of June but the requirements for individual and business commercial visas remain unchanged.

Due to visa barriers, China travel in Korea has not recovered yet. At major travel agencies, Japan travel saw the greatest recovery at 68 percent, followed by Europe at 60 percent, the South Pacific at 57 percent, and Southeast Asia at 50 percent. Travel to China is at the bottom of the list with a recovery rate of 11 percent.

There are ways for visitors to China to ease their visa application by getting exempted from fingerprinting.

In February, the Embassy of China in Seoul announced that it would provide relaxed visa application procedures for holders of the virtual Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation Business Travel Card (ABTC) from May 1.

However, the card has to be in possession prior to May 1. Getting a new ABTC after May 1 takes a while given the complicated process. Even a physical card holder has to have a card that is valid from August 24 last year to be exempt from getting a visa.

The biggest victims of the strict visa procedures are Korean entrepreneurs who are expanding their on-site operations in China.

In late March, SK Group Chairman Chey Tae-won traveled to China to attend the Boao Forum, a major international event in the country.

“Although the list of business travelers was not decided, the China visa center asked us to submit invitations to the forum issued to each individual,“ said an unnamed official from SK Group.

Hyundai Motor Group officials who visited China for the unveiling of Kia Corp.‘s EV5 in March and Auto Shanghai in April also had to visit the visa center regardless of their rank or position at the company.

Home appliance and semiconductor companies are also experiencing inconvenience due to China’s tough visa requirements.

Meanwhile, the increased workload at China’s visa centers after China lifted restrictions on short-term visas for Koreans in March is another reason behind the delay in visa issuance.