The Chinese Embassy in Canberra and its five consulates have quietly extended a pandemic-era incentive that cuts the cost of almost every category of Chinese visa lodged in Australia until 31 December 2026. Single-entry tourist (L), business (M) and family-visit (Q) visas for Australian citizens now cost just AU$56 instead of AU$109, while multiple-entry F- and M-class visas are about 40 per cent cheaper. Fees for third-country nationals applying in Australia have been reduced on a sliding scale as well.
Beijing’s move dovetails with its separate decision in November to allow Australians 30-day visa-free entry for short trips. Mobility managers now have a two-tiered choice: travellers staying fewer than 30 days can go visa-free, while longer-stay or frequent flyers can apply at a steep discount. Travel agents say a family of four will save more than AU$200—often the difference between a tentative enquiry and a confirmed booking.
For corporate mobility teams, the savings are even greater on multi-entry M-visas used by engineers and project managers commuting between Australian resource projects and Chinese equipment suppliers. VisaHQ, which broke the news, notes that its platform can pre-check paperwork and schedule biometrics appointments, reducing rejection risk for time-poor travellers.
![Beijing slashes Chinese visa fees in Australia through end-2026]()
Whether you are a first-time tourist or a corporate travel manager juggling multiple passports, VisaHQ’s Australian portal (https://www.visahq.com/australia/) can take the friction out of the process. The service auto-fills Chinese visa forms, flags missing documentation in real time and books the required biometrics slot at the nearest centre, ensuring applicants hit the new price window without last-minute stress.
The fee relief comes as two extra China Southern and China Eastern frequencies to Melbourne and Brisbane have been approved for 2026, lifting early-2026 seat capacity to 95 per cent of pre-COVID levels. Tourism Australia welcomed the decision, calling it “a perceptual barrier removed at exactly the right moment”. Australian companies are being urged to update travel-cost calculators and brief staff before the January business-travel rush.
In practical terms, applicants should remember that all existing documentary requirements—biometrics, invitation letters and proof of onward travel—remain in place. The Chinese consulates warn that visa centres will close on 1 January for a public holiday, so time-critical travellers should lodge by mid-afternoon on 31 December or wait until 2 January.
Beijing’s move dovetails with its separate decision in November to allow Australians 30-day visa-free entry for short trips. Mobility managers now have a two-tiered choice: travellers staying fewer than 30 days can go visa-free, while longer-stay or frequent flyers can apply at a steep discount. Travel agents say a family of four will save more than AU$200—often the difference between a tentative enquiry and a confirmed booking.
For corporate mobility teams, the savings are even greater on multi-entry M-visas used by engineers and project managers commuting between Australian resource projects and Chinese equipment suppliers. VisaHQ, which broke the news, notes that its platform can pre-check paperwork and schedule biometrics appointments, reducing rejection risk for time-poor travellers.
Whether you are a first-time tourist or a corporate travel manager juggling multiple passports, VisaHQ’s Australian portal (https://www.visahq.com/australia/) can take the friction out of the process. The service auto-fills Chinese visa forms, flags missing documentation in real time and books the required biometrics slot at the nearest centre, ensuring applicants hit the new price window without last-minute stress.
The fee relief comes as two extra China Southern and China Eastern frequencies to Melbourne and Brisbane have been approved for 2026, lifting early-2026 seat capacity to 95 per cent of pre-COVID levels. Tourism Australia welcomed the decision, calling it “a perceptual barrier removed at exactly the right moment”. Australian companies are being urged to update travel-cost calculators and brief staff before the January business-travel rush.
In practical terms, applicants should remember that all existing documentary requirements—biometrics, invitation letters and proof of onward travel—remain in place. The Chinese consulates warn that visa centres will close on 1 January for a public holiday, so time-critical travellers should lodge by mid-afternoon on 31 December or wait until 2 January.
