The Chinese government has opened the first visa centre in Kampala to assist ordinary passport holders get visas.
The centre which has been on trial from January 31 to February 2 was launched on Monday by the Chinese Ambassador to Uganda, Mr. Zhang Lhizong.
“Visa applicants shall log on to the Visa Application Center’s website (www.visaforchina.cn) to fill in the application form online and then go to the Visa Application Center for processing. The embassy will no longer directly accept visa applications of ordinary categories from ordinary passport holders or legalization applications,” a statement from the Chinese Embassy on Monday said.
According to the Embassy, the visa centre will always be open Monday to Friday, between 9 am and 3 pm while those picking up will go up to 4 pm.
The Embassy however, clarified, “The Visa Application Center has no decision on visa or legalization approval. The Embassy will decide whether to issue a visa, its validity, duration of stay, and number of entries or whether to authenticate a certain document based on the applicant’s circumstances. The consular officer may request the applicant to provide additional supporting documents or supplementary materials according to the specific situation, or appoint an interview.”
The new visa centre will greatly benefit ordinary Ugandans wishing to travel to China, students, and businessmen.
However, holders of diplomatic, service, or official passports, and those applying for Chinese diplomatic, courtesy, or official visas will be required to submit applications directly to the Embassy.
The relations between Uganda and China have been blossoming over the years.
By last year, the trade volume between the two countries had risen by 6.6%, reaching $1.14 billion.
China has granted zero-tariff treatment for 98% of taxable items to Uganda.
Uganda Airlines is expected to open direct flights between Entebbe and China’s Guangzhou City.
China’s direct investment in Uganda reached $131 million in 2022, ranking 10th among all African countries.
