Global immigration firm Fragomen reported on 26 December that China will continue to waive fingerprint collection for short-term visa applicants (stay ≤ 180 days) at its consulates in Australia, Canada, Ireland, Macao SAR, New Zealand, the Palestinian Territories, Singapore and the United Kingdom through 31 December 2026. The exemption, originally due to lapse this month, applies to tourist (L), business (M/F), family-visit (Q2/S2) and short study (X2) visas, and is open to third-country nationals applying at those posts.
Chinese authorities argue that modern risk-profiling tools and advance passenger information render fingerprints unnecessary for low-risk categories, freeing up counter capacity and lowering applicants’ costs. Heavy-volume posts like London and Sydney handle more than 1,000 short-stay submissions daily; consular staff estimate the waiver trims appointment times by three minutes each, saving roughly 50 staff-hours per week.
For corporate mobility managers the extension is significant: assignees can delegate in-person lodgement to accredited agents without travelling long distances purely for biometrics. Employers sending seasonal technicians to China—common in mining, aviation and film production—should see faster turnaround times and lower TMC fees.
![Fingerprint-Free Visa Processing Extended at Eight Key Chinese Consular Posts]()
Online visa processing specialists such as VisaHQ can further simplify the process. Through its dedicated China portal (https://www.visahq.com/china/), the company tracks the latest consular announcements—including the biometrics waiver—and lets applicants upload documents, schedule courier pickup, and receive real-time status alerts, reducing the administrative load for both travellers and HR teams.
The waiver does not cover long-term work (Z), journalism (J1), student (X1) or family reunion (Q1/S1) visas, which still require fingerprints that interface with China’s Exit-Entry Biometric Database on arrival. Consulates reserve the right to request prints on a risk basis; applicants with prior overstays or criminal records may still be summoned.
Practical tip: travellers who benefited from a previous waiver should still carry the printed confirmation letter when entering China because some airlines insist on seeing biometric exemption proof at check-in.
Chinese authorities argue that modern risk-profiling tools and advance passenger information render fingerprints unnecessary for low-risk categories, freeing up counter capacity and lowering applicants’ costs. Heavy-volume posts like London and Sydney handle more than 1,000 short-stay submissions daily; consular staff estimate the waiver trims appointment times by three minutes each, saving roughly 50 staff-hours per week.
For corporate mobility managers the extension is significant: assignees can delegate in-person lodgement to accredited agents without travelling long distances purely for biometrics. Employers sending seasonal technicians to China—common in mining, aviation and film production—should see faster turnaround times and lower TMC fees.
Online visa processing specialists such as VisaHQ can further simplify the process. Through its dedicated China portal (https://www.visahq.com/china/), the company tracks the latest consular announcements—including the biometrics waiver—and lets applicants upload documents, schedule courier pickup, and receive real-time status alerts, reducing the administrative load for both travellers and HR teams.
The waiver does not cover long-term work (Z), journalism (J1), student (X1) or family reunion (Q1/S1) visas, which still require fingerprints that interface with China’s Exit-Entry Biometric Database on arrival. Consulates reserve the right to request prints on a risk basis; applicants with prior overstays or criminal records may still be summoned.
Practical tip: travellers who benefited from a previous waiver should still carry the printed confirmation letter when entering China because some airlines insist on seeing biometric exemption proof at check-in.
