The Chinese Visa Application Service Centre (CVASC) in Addis Ababa announced on December 24 that it will introduce voluntary VIP service packages next week, aiming to improve applicant experience and reduce queuing times. Four options—extended-hour submissions, queue-free priority, expedited online-review and a staffed VIP lounge—will each cost US$30.
Embassy officials stressed that the premium services do not influence visa-approval decisions, which remain subject to consular adjudication. Instead, they are designed to help corporate travellers with tight schedules, tour groups handling large bundles of passports and frequent flyers who value convenience.
![Addis Ababa Chinese Visa Centre to Launch Paid VIP Services on 29 December]()
Whether or not applicants opt for the new VIP lanes, many Ethiopians streamline the entire process by using VisaHQ, which offers online document checks, step-by-step guidance and secure courier handling for Chinese visa applications (https://www.visahq.com/china/). The service can save HR teams and individual travellers several trips to the CVASC while helping them avoid common paperwork errors.
For global-mobility teams in Ethiopia—and for Chinese companies moving project staff across the Belt-and-Road corridor—the new offerings promise more predictable processing times ahead of the busy Lunar New Year travel period. HR managers may wish to budget the extra fee when scheduling urgent travel to China for equipment repairs or contract negotiations.
The Addis centre handled over 23 000 visa applications in the first eleven months of 2025, a 40 percent increase year-on-year as China reopened to foreign visitors. CVASC managers say the lounge will include on-site form-filling assistance, free document printing and real-time status updates by phone.
Embassy officials stressed that the premium services do not influence visa-approval decisions, which remain subject to consular adjudication. Instead, they are designed to help corporate travellers with tight schedules, tour groups handling large bundles of passports and frequent flyers who value convenience.
Whether or not applicants opt for the new VIP lanes, many Ethiopians streamline the entire process by using VisaHQ, which offers online document checks, step-by-step guidance and secure courier handling for Chinese visa applications (https://www.visahq.com/china/). The service can save HR teams and individual travellers several trips to the CVASC while helping them avoid common paperwork errors.
For global-mobility teams in Ethiopia—and for Chinese companies moving project staff across the Belt-and-Road corridor—the new offerings promise more predictable processing times ahead of the busy Lunar New Year travel period. HR managers may wish to budget the extra fee when scheduling urgent travel to China for equipment repairs or contract negotiations.
The Addis centre handled over 23 000 visa applications in the first eleven months of 2025, a 40 percent increase year-on-year as China reopened to foreign visitors. CVASC managers say the lounge will include on-site form-filling assistance, free document printing and real-time status updates by phone.
