China – Italy opens 11 new visa centres

Applying for a visa to Italy is becoming increasingly easier in China, with the opening last month of 11 new visa centres across the country. Fifteen Chinese cities now have visa centres: Beijing, Changsha, Chengdu, Chongqing, Fuzhou, Guangzhou, Hangzhou, Jinan, Kunming, Nanjing, Shanghai, Shenyang, Shenzhen, Wuhan and Xi’an. In 2015 Italy issued 541,000 visas in China, up 38 percent from the previous year. Individual tourist visas hiked by a 100 percent. Applying for a visa to Italy is simple and efficient, writes the Italian embassy in Beijing on its website. Applicants can turn up at the visa centre without an appointment and, for those who are part of organised group tours (ADS – Approved Destination Status), everything is taken care of by  the tour operator. Italy issues individual and business visas within 36 hours of arrival of the application at the visa section of the embassy or consulate.