The Chinese Visa Application Service Centre (CVASC) in Seoul has issued a notice stating that it will close on Monday, 2 March 2026 for a local public holiday. Application submission, biometric collection and passport pick-up services will all be suspended for the day, with collection dates automatically moved to the next working day.
The centre warns that peak volumes are expected in the days immediately following the closure as applicants rush to file before school-graduation travel and early-spring business trips. Corporations that routinely deploy staff from the Republic of Korea to China should therefore build at least a three-day buffer into assignment timelines. Express and rush-processing windows are likely to fill up quickly; HR teams are advised to book slots on the CVASC online system as soon as they become available (midnight Korea time each day).
![Seoul Chinese Visa Centre to Close on 2 March, Causing Temporary Processing Delays]()
For travellers or mobility teams looking to streamline the process, VisaHQ can handle form preparation, appointment scheduling and status tracking—while monitoring CVASC holiday closures—through its online platform. Get started or review the latest requirements at https://www.visahq.com/china/
Although the disruption is minor, it serves as a reminder that China outsources most visa submissions in major foreign cities to third-party CVASC centres, whose holiday calendars may not align with those of Chinese embassies. Companies with regional mobility programmes should maintain a centralised calendar of local CVASC closures to avoid last-minute surprises.
Travellers holding Korean passports remain subject to visa requirements; no bilateral waiver is in place. The Seoul CVASC processed more than 210,000 Chinese visa applications in 2025, according to figures from China’s National Immigration Administration.
The centre warns that peak volumes are expected in the days immediately following the closure as applicants rush to file before school-graduation travel and early-spring business trips. Corporations that routinely deploy staff from the Republic of Korea to China should therefore build at least a three-day buffer into assignment timelines. Express and rush-processing windows are likely to fill up quickly; HR teams are advised to book slots on the CVASC online system as soon as they become available (midnight Korea time each day).
For travellers or mobility teams looking to streamline the process, VisaHQ can handle form preparation, appointment scheduling and status tracking—while monitoring CVASC holiday closures—through its online platform. Get started or review the latest requirements at https://www.visahq.com/china/
Although the disruption is minor, it serves as a reminder that China outsources most visa submissions in major foreign cities to third-party CVASC centres, whose holiday calendars may not align with those of Chinese embassies. Companies with regional mobility programmes should maintain a centralised calendar of local CVASC closures to avoid last-minute surprises.
Travellers holding Korean passports remain subject to visa requirements; no bilateral waiver is in place. The Seoul CVASC processed more than 210,000 Chinese visa applications in 2025, according to figures from China’s National Immigration Administration.
