Chinese Tourist Visa in Jakarta for Indonesians and Foreigners

In preparation for our upcoming trip, I had to apply for Chinese Visa for Miss Kiki, DH, and I. This is the very first time that neither of our passports can enter a country without a visa. :D According to their website, the only regular passport holders who can enter China without a visa (other than Chinese citizens, of course) are Singapore, Brunei, and Japan passport holders. Even then, it is only for certain purposes and up to 15 days of stay. There are also other exceptions such as other passport holders who are coming to China as part of a group tour. These information can be found on this page.

As such, the three of us need a visa.

A few things to know before you apply for a Chinese visa somewhere:

1. You have to be a resident of that area. If you do not live in Indonesia, you can not apply for a Chinese visa in Jakarta. 
2. If you are not Indonesian but you live in Indonesia, you need extra supporting documents to submit with your application. Extra documents are also needed for applicants under 18 years of age.
3. Different fees apply to different countries. American and Canadian citizens have to pay a lot more for their visa, but it is for multiple entries visa.
4. Don't believe anyone who tells you it's difficult to get a Chinese visa on your own. If you follow the instructions properly you can get your visa done within 4 working days.

ALL DOCUMENTS NEED TO BE SUBMITTED IN A4 sized paper!

What you will need to prepare:

1. Photocopy of your passport information.
   This means the page with your name and photo, as well as the page with your signature on it. In Canadian passports, that can be done in 1 photocopy because they are located in facing pages. For Indonesian passports, one is at the very front and the other one at the very back. So Indonesians will need two different copies.
2. Go to the online application form, fill it up, and print it. Everything has to be typed, hand-written forms will not be accepted.
3. Two pieces of IDENTICAL photos. The requirements can be viewed here. Please note that even though you don't have to wear a dress shirt in the photo, accessories are not allowed. I submitted a photo wearing my usual long earrings and they were almost rejected. Almost. All over the visa websites it kept saying one piece of photo but somewhere in there there is a news broadcast that said you now need two pieces. So please prepare two.
4. If you have had a Chinese visa before, you need to provide a photocopy of the old visa and the passport information related to that visa.
5. Printed round trip ticket booking.
   One copy for each applicant.
6. Printouts of your hotel bookings.
   One copy for each applicant.
7. If you are a foreigner applying in Jakarta, you need to submit a copy of your proof of legal status in Indonesia: KITAP/KITAS, work/school letter. 
8. If the applicant is under 18 years of age, these are the extra documents needed:

• Photocopy of the unabridged birth certificate of the applicant ; 
• Photocopy of the parents' passports or ID cards ; 
• The Affidavit from non-accompanying parent(s) authorizing the travel (Parental Letter of Consent). This affidavit should contain the dates of travel and the parents contact information. In my case, because both parents are going we did not need this.

If your documents are ready, please go here to set up an appointment. This will save you a LOT of time! I had made an appointment and when I arrived at the service centre my number got called immediately. It was much less painful than applying for Canadian or US visas. Of course you can go there without an appointment, but then your waiting time would be very different.

Once your applications are received, you will be given a pick-up slip. Mine was for 3 days after. I went and picked up our passports on the stated date and left the building in less than half an hour with our passports and new visas. Payments are done during the pick-up and can be made in cash, debit, or credit. Please see this page for the payment schedule.

Easy peasy lemon squeezy!