To further facilitate Chinese visa application, from 17 December 2025 to 31 December 2026,  the Chinese Embassy in the UK will exempt fingerprint collection for all short-term visa applicants with a stay of up to 180 days.

For applicants of D, J1, Q1, S1, X1 and Z visas, which require the application for a residence permit after entry into China, fingerprint collection will still be required.

Please note that fingerprint collection will continue to be waived for the following categories of applicants:

1. Children under the age of 14 and adults over the age of 70;

2. Holders of diplomatic passports, or those eligible for diplomatic, service or courtesy visas of China;

3. Applicants who are missing all ten fingers or whose fingerprints cannot be collected.