UK to extend visa terms for Chinese tourists
Source:Global Times Published: 2015-10-22 1:08:01
British Prime Minister David Cameron on Wednesday announced a new policy extending the term of standard visitor visas for Chinese tourists from six months to two years, as part of the UK government's ambition to strengthen China-UK relations.
The new visa will allow tourists to leave and return to the UK within two years without having to refile paperwork, according to a press release sent by the British Embassy in China to the Global Times on Wednesday.
The new policy scheduled to be enacted in January enables Chinese visitors to get a two-year tourist visa for 85 pounds ($130), the same price of a standard visitor visa with a six-month limit.
Cameron also announced plans to introduce a new 10-year visitor visa with multiple entries, according to the press release.
"China is becoming one of our fastest-growing tourism markets, so making it easier and more convenient for Chinese visitors to come to the UK is extremely important," said Cameron.
"It will mean that the UK has the best offer in Europe for Chinese tourists and will build on our already strong people-to-people links, strengthening UK-China relations further," he added.
Other formal measures to facilitate the application process are on the way, such as the extension of mobile fingerprinting services to an additional 50 cities.
The UK government is engaged in talks with its Chinese counterpart on a potential expansion of the existing UK network of visa application centers in China, which with 12 centers is already larger than that of any other EU country.
China has replaced India as the country with the most applications for British visas, said Barbara Woodward, British ambassador to China, the Xinhua News Agency reported in May.
Chinese tourists currently contribute 500 million pounds annually to the UK economy.
Separately, Russian President Vladimir Putin has instructed his government to draw up proposals for the establishment of visa-free entry for citizens of the BRICS group, Kiev-based news site pravda.com.ua reported in September.
Putin has urged the government to study the possibility of visa-free entry for Chinese citizens and to work out a plan before October 30, the report said.
Read more in Special Coverage:
The new visa will allow tourists to leave and return to the UK within two years without having to refile paperwork, according to a press release sent by the British Embassy in China to the Global Times on Wednesday.
The new policy scheduled to be enacted in January enables Chinese visitors to get a two-year tourist visa for 85 pounds ($130), the same price of a standard visitor visa with a six-month limit.
Cameron also announced plans to introduce a new 10-year visitor visa with multiple entries, according to the press release.
"China is becoming one of our fastest-growing tourism markets, so making it easier and more convenient for Chinese visitors to come to the UK is extremely important," said Cameron.
"It will mean that the UK has the best offer in Europe for Chinese tourists and will build on our already strong people-to-people links, strengthening UK-China relations further," he added.
Other formal measures to facilitate the application process are on the way, such as the extension of mobile fingerprinting services to an additional 50 cities.
The UK government is engaged in talks with its Chinese counterpart on a potential expansion of the existing UK network of visa application centers in China, which with 12 centers is already larger than that of any other EU country.
China has replaced India as the country with the most applications for British visas, said Barbara Woodward, British ambassador to China, the Xinhua News Agency reported in May.
Chinese tourists currently contribute 500 million pounds annually to the UK economy.
Separately, Russian President Vladimir Putin has instructed his government to draw up proposals for the establishment of visa-free entry for citizens of the BRICS group, Kiev-based news site pravda.com.ua reported in September.
Putin has urged the government to study the possibility of visa-free entry for Chinese citizens and to work out a plan before October 30, the report said.
Read more in Special Coverage:
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