Visa to China

Before your visit to the visa centre you have two tasks — we handle one, you handle the other.

1. Get the invitation letter and invoice from us. Submit a treatment request through the dcp-china.ru website; we then continue all correspondence by email at info@dcp-china.ru. Reviewing the request takes up to 3 business days — for this we will need the passport details of the child and everyone travelling with them. Once the dates are agreed, we issue an official invitation letter for the medical visa and an invoice for the course prepayment; without this package the consulate will not accept an S2 application. The invitation states the child's full name, diagnosis, course dates and the details of H&B Neurolife, and it is accompanied by the centre's medical licence and the treating physician's certificate.

2. Check with the Chinese consulate in your country. The list of documents and the submission procedure are updated from time to time, so look for the current list on the website of the embassy or visa centre in your region. It is best to clarify anything unclear in advance, before you even start gathering the paperwork.

At each of these steps our coordinator stays in touch with you: they will suggest wording, double-check the dates and, if necessary, request any missing information from our partners.

The whole package splits into two parts: what you collect, and what the centre provides.

The list of requirements differs between consulates and changes periodically, so before submitting be sure to check the current version on the website of the visa centre in your region. Our coordinator sends an up-to-date checklist 2–4 weeks before the expected submission date.

The form is submitted online through the unified COVA system on the visaforchina.cn website. This portal is used by all Chinese consulates worldwide — wherever you submit your documents.

The form must be filled in extremely carefully: a typo in the date of birth, passport number or purpose of travel will result in your documents being returned. Before you press "Submit", double-check every field against the original passport.

A partner's help — free of charge. Anatoly, an independent visa specialist we have worked with for several years, can fill in the form for you. He prepares applications for the child and accompanying parents, explains what each field means and helps you book an appointment at the visa centre. His contacts are in the partners block at the bottom of the page.

Families from Kazakhstan can get similar help from Sultangazy Askar — you will find him there too.

Once the papers are gathered and the form is generated, it is time to visit the visa centre. Most centres accept visitors by appointment only, so check the opening hours on the website before you travel.

Be sure to bring with you:

•The printed invitation letter from H&B Neurolife — without it you simply will not be allowed to submit.

•The printed form pages — both the short one (with photo and QR) and the full multi-page version; the pages marked in the form must bear a personal signature.

•Originals and copies of all documents from the checklist.

•Appointment confirmation for a specific time, if the centre operates on such a system.

The consular fee is usually $50–100 per person and depends on the country and urgency. It must be paid right at the visa centre during submission — in cash or by card.

The full list of visa centres with addresses, phone numbers and opening hours is collected in the partners block below.

Standard processing takes 5–7 business days from the moment of submission (the day of submission itself is not counted). For an additional fee under an express tariff, the visa can be obtained in 1–3 business days, but check the availability of this option in advance — not all centres offer it.

The finished passport with the visa is collected at the centre in person or through an authorised representative with a notarised power of attorney. As soon as the passport is in your hands, check all the visa fields immediately: errors are corrected on the spot, whereas later a reissue will require resubmission.

The visa page has several key markings. It is worth understanding them in advance — this will help you plan your departure and length of stay correctly.

Print the documents in advance, mark the signature spots in the form with a highlighter and verify the copies. This way submission will go faster and the chance of a return will be lower.