Chinese Embassy

Agree with everything guybtaylor says — we waiting almost 2 ½ hours to get our Visas — very slow service. Helps to turn up early in the morning, anywhere up to about an hour before the Embassy opens — and of course make sure you double check your paperwork to ensure a better reception.

Expect big queues if you’re coming here for a visa, rather than an ambassadorial reception. You should bank on queuing for at least an hour, unless you can arrive very early, so bring a book and, if it’s the summertime, a hat to avoid heatstroke. Make sure you don’t forget your passport photos — two. You can go straight into the embassy when you arrive to pick up a form before coming back to queue up. Also, don’t print out the form off the website, as they don’t accept it — only the ones from the embassy.
You pay for your visa on collection, so don’t worry about bringing money when you come to apply.
Make sure you’re in the right queue — either the collection or application queue depending on what you’re coming for. Visas are collected downstairs and you apply in the main building.