Report: Tehran, Chinese VIsa

[tandemonde]

July 2018, French couple applying for a double entry visa.

Documents :
-passeport, copy of passeport, photo
-schedule + all hotel bookings + plane tickets (yatra website)
-letter of no objection

We brought bank account extract and insurance paper but they didn't ask for these.

We had a Turkish exit stamp in our passeports.

Applying on Thursday, getting our passeport back on Tuesday.

3 months of validity from the day we applied. Our schedule featured a 40 days period, exit and back for a 42 days stretch. The woman didn't count these but instead asked us to tell her what was the longest period we stayed. We answered 42 days and she said "Then 50 days is enough right?". So if you want the full 60 days you could try a schedule showing a 51+ days stretch.

Total price 120$ paid at the bank in front of the embassy, you have to pay 24h hours before pickup at least, so we went to pay right after applying.

[Mrloes]

Dutch couple applied on Tuesday 19 June and got a double entry visa on Sunday 24 June.

We provided them with the following documents:

- Typed application form
- Colour copy of passport
- Colour copy of visa Iran
- 2 passport photos
- Full itinerary from 27 June to 20 August with side trip to Hong Kong because we wanted a double entry (see attachment)
- "Fake" flight bookings via yatra.com (if you don't pay within 5 days, the reservations are automatically cancelled).
We had bookings in and out of the country as well as for the side trip to Hong Kong.
It's enough to provide the reservation overview that you can print via checkmytrip.com after you book on yatra.com.
- All accommodation bookings via booking.com, which we cancelled when we got the visa
- Travel insurance and extract of bank account; she briefly looked at it and gave it back.

We provided one copy of the itinerary, flight and hotel bookings for both of us. That's enough paper already!
We didn't have a Letter of No Objection and they didn't ask for it. We both have a Turkish stamp in our passport.

The Chinese-looking woman with the glasses checked our itinerary and compared it with the hotel and flight bookings. She did this accurately and efficiently and after about 5 minutes of checking and double checking, she decided to give us a double entry visa. We had asked for the fast express procedure on the application form, but when she asked what we wanted we could switch to the normal procedure, because this turned out to be fast enough (we applied on Tuesday, picked up the visa on Sunday). When we left the embassy after applying, the bank was already closed, so we paid the 120 USD just before we came back on Sunday to pick up the visa.

They keep the passport during the five days that it takes to get the visa, which can be a bit unpractical. It'll probably not be possible to buy train tickets or travel by train. We travelled around in the Kurdistan province by bus and hitchhiking with colour copies of our passport. All but one ho(s)tel accepted the colour copy, so it might be wise to get a stamp or something from the Chinese embassy on your passport copy and an explanation in Iranian why you don't carry your passport. We forgot to make a copy of our Iranian visa but can recommend having one!

I spent an evening putting together a nice fake itinerary including trains to take and sights to see. Feel free to use (parts of) it! See attachment.

Travel itinerary for double entry visa China.zip

(80.94 KiB) Downloaded 370 times

[Johanna]

German Couple applied for China Visa on Sunday, 15th of July 2018 and picked up 4 days after on thursday, 19.07.2018. We have got double entry, 60 days each entry:

We provided:
-Filled out Visa Forms (We both are at the moment unemployed but we decided to write student in the form)
-Letter of No Objection of German Embassy (They told us they dont need it but it seems like there is no standard rule. The french couple that applied at the same day told the Letter of No Objection was the first thing they wanted to see. We dont know if they make differences between Nationalities or if it just was randomly.) (For Germans: The woman at German embassy made one letter for both of us so we just needed to pay 12,50€ per Person, Pay in Rial!)
-2 Pictures per Person (Selfmade, nearly perfect from sizes but still the size of the face wasnt correct but doesnt matter for the visa)
-Health insurances (they didnt need and gave it back to us)
-Bank Account (They took, but i am not sure if they really needed or just thought it belong to the hotel booking papers)
-One printed out Travel Itinerary for both of us(Just Dates, Cities and Adresses of Hotel , without telephone numbers and plans of visiting) (I will upload as well like the Dutch Mrloes;-))
-Hotel Bookings printed out (Booking.com, all canceled after receiving Visa)
-4 Flight Booking (Flight from Teheran to Beijing, Flight to Hong Kong fot get out first time, Flight from Hong Kong to Shanghai for second entry, Flight to Berlin for second Exit) (booked at agent.ru : they cancel flight if you dont pay)
-color copy of Iran Visa
-Color Copy of Passports

We printed out only one time Itinerary, Hotel and Flightbookings.

Maybe Important for Itinerary:
The first entry was 48 days, the second entry 53. The woman asked us for the number of days for the longest stay. We said 53. So she decides do give us the double entry, 60days each entry. The french couple applied for less than 50 days and they just got double entry, 30days each entry. Definetly try to show you will need the 60 days!
Our Travel Itinerary also shows that we will enter China within two weeks or something like that. We have read its good. I dont know about the effect. But she looked at the dates and said: "So 3 month enter ist enough?"

We payed 120 Dollar at the bank directly and picked up the Visa on Thursday morning.

[laghubhara]

Another German couple, applied on 5th of August, picked up visa on 9th of August. Everything pretty much the same as with the German couple above us, so just additional info.

• We provided a full itinerary with hotel and flight bookings: We used Turkish Airlines, Qatar Airways and yatra bookings (the confirmation email, not with checkmytrip). All worked. They wanted to see the dates of the flight, so make sure that is visible.
• We didn't need a LONO, they asked for it, but when we said that we didn't have it, it didn't matter.
• Both copy shops that are mentioned in this thread seem not to exist anymore. We printed something at M. Mahdavi immigration services. It is in the Agdasieh Shopping Mall (https://goo.gl/maps/fGe14jG1BpG2) on the first floor (3 in the elevator?). Door number 34, otherwise unmarked. We had a laptop with us and emailed them the completed form. They did not take a USB stick for printing.
• The price is still $120 for double-entry visa. We first got a pick-up slip that said it was only $80, but this seems to be the price for single-entry visa.
• We arrived pretty late for application and pick-up (both times half an hour before closing time) and it was no problem.

[us3r777]

We are a couple of French travelling by foot and hitchhiking on the Silk Road. We managed to have chineese visas on the 27 august 2018 in Tehran for 1 month with single entry.

What we needed :
- Passport
- copy of passport
- copy of iran visa
- 2 pictures (our first were not good, the woman asked a new with a very white background. In the street of embassy you can find a place to do pictures and copy)
- Itinerary (dates and town)
- Hotel reservation for every night in China (we used booking for fake reservation and we print each email of confirmation)
- Flight Tehran-Beijing and Shenghen-Paris (we used yataz for fake flight and print each booking confirmation)
Itinerary, hotel and flight, one copy for both of us.
- Application form. A little bit time consuming but it was not a problem to fill it.

We met the tiny chinese one, very strict face with small glasses. She inspected carefully our reservation.

The embassy keep your passport to do the visa.

We didn't need insurance, copy of bank account and letter of non objection.

We pay 80$ for two, 24 hours before taking the visa at the bank in front of embassy. We had to pay in dollars, not in Rials, not with credit card.

We applied on Monday and we took visa on Thursday.

We must enter before the 27 september and we have 1 month in China.



More info on our adventure here :Vers la chine à pied et en autostop

[ninanina]

Obtained two Chinese visas in the beginning of December with one German and one Swiss passport. Thanks to the information provided here the process was mostly smooth. We got single entry, 43 days (which matches our itinerary exactly) and have three months to enter (our itinerary started 1,5 months from the date of applying). it cost 40USD each.

A few things to know/consider:
- We applied on Tuesday and picked up on Sunday. According to the embassy, there is no express visa. Our begging was without success (and made the woman with glasses visibly angry so we had to wait an extra hour - at least we think so - and got scared our application might be rejected because of that ).
- Don't try to avoid the woman with the glasses, we think she is in charge of English-speaking folks so you will probably be assigned to her anyway. She is not horrible or anything, but will ask about the itinerary and check your bookings thouroughly.
- our Iranian visa ends a month before our "flight" to China, it didn't seem to matter.
- The copy shop on Boustan Street that also types your application form was super expensive and couldn't provide color copies at the time we were there. Also, not all of our documents were printed so we had to return again. A bit further (35.798207, 51.474972), there's another copy shop with a very friendly owner. color copies there are cheaper than black and white copies at the Boustan St store. And yes, you need color copies of your passport and Iranian visa, we saw somebody else being turned away because of b/w copies.
- No Letter of no objections was asked, and the bank statement and travel insurance papers were handed back to us stating they don't need them.

[Khodolgoon]

We are two french citizen and we get quite easily a 82 days, one entry chinese visa in five days with these documents:
-Application form
-ID photos
-Passport copy
-Hotel reservation of the trip (you can delete them just after)
-Plane reservation
-Calendar of the tourist tour
-2x40$
No letter of no objection or financial affidavit were needed. The Turkish stamp doesn't seems to cause issue.

[Busygoingnowhere]

Hello.
I got my Chinese visa today. Thanks to information here I had all my documents. Although I noticed that the standard sized photos needed here are not the same size as the Chinese wants in my home country (Sweden). But thanks to the people at Mahdavi and Photoshop it all worked out anyway . There were a lot of people at the Mahdavi office, so be there early. They open around 8. If the mall is closed (which it will be at 8 am) you go around to the back where you will find signs to a "reception hall". Enter and take the elevator up to the 3rd floor. You'll see unit 34 as you step out of the elevator.

I did not need a letter from my embassy and the process took four days. Handed in Sunday and picked it up early Thursday.

Notice that the embassy will be closed for Chinese New Year and also on Feb. 28th 2019.
/swedish traveler

[kappazeta]

Success story, two Italians, followed the instructions here, got 70 days single entry.

Just notice that Iranian standard format for official pictures is not accepted by the embassy, they want bigger ones (so if you make photographs tell that you need a bigger size than the usual). Also: we had our color passport copies on A5 paper, they told us to get new copies on A4 and that's what we did.

As for the payment, we didn't need to go to the bank: they do take the money when you pick up your visa. They just accept 100 dollars bills issued from 2009.

[sebas2day]

Great success, 60 days single entry, 80$ total. Couple from the Netherlands.

Applied on Sunday

• Passport + photo
• Passport copy (full A4 size) color
• Application form typed with computer + photo
• Copy Iran visa (this one already had extension and wasn't within our entry date to China but it did not seem to matter)
• Itinerary covering 54 days
• All places where we wanted to stay done through booking.com, printed, directly cancelled afterwards
• Flight from Tehran to Beijing, booked using Opodo, printed, directly cancelled by phone (skype voip credit)
• Flight from Hongkong to Amsterdam, booked using Expedia, printed, directly cancelled online

Note: papers should not have staples.

We had the chinese lady with the glasses. She checked the booking dates matching our itinerary very carefully and asked a question about how we wanted to go to Hongkong. We said by train. It was ok.

Pickup at Thursday
We only had to give them a one 100$ paper. They gave a 20$ back and a receipt. Visa was pasted into our passport.

When you come at the embassy it is usually crowded full of Iranian people. But apparently when you're a tourist they allow you to go before them. I guess this is because there are only a few people at the embassy that can speak Iranian and those who cannot speak English depend on them. The chinese lady probably cannot speak Iranian so you are more likely to talk to her when applying.

So happy for all the information we got from this forum beforehand! Thank you so much