英國進一步對中國公民簡化簽證申請

The UK will simplify visa applications for Chinese visitors through a new partnership with Belgium which allows travels permits for Britain and the European Schengen area countries to be processed in the same centre.

英國將通過與比利時締結新的合作伙伴關係，簡化中國遊客的簽證申請。相關安排將讓中國公民在同一個中心申請英國和歐洲申根區國家的簽證。

The move follows lobbying from UK retailers and business groups who complain that London is missing out on high-spending Chinese visitors who can shop in Paris, Milan and Berlin using just one visa covering the 26 nations of Europe’s border-free Schengen zone. Britain is not part of Schengen.

此舉出臺之前，英國零售商和商業團體進行了遊說，它們抱怨稱，倫敦與花錢豪爽的中國遊客擦肩而過，這些遊客只需一個覆蓋歐洲申根區26個國家的簽證，即可在巴黎、米蘭和柏林購物。英國不是申根協議的一部分。

The new UK-Belgium agreement means that Chinese tourists and business people will be able to obtain a visa for Britain and the Schengen area through a single visit to one of three joint application hubs in Beijing, Guangzhou and Shanghai.

新的英國/比利時協議意味着，中國遊客和商務人士只需跑一趟北京、廣州或上海的聯合申請中心，就能獲得英國和申根區簽證。

Last summer Theresa May, home secretary, streamlined the system by allowing Chinese visitors to use the same website to apply for a British and a Schengen visa. However, this still fell short of a true joint application system, since those requiring a UK permit were still required to visit a dedicated British visa centre in person to process their biometric data.

去年夏天，英國內政大臣特里薩•梅(Theresa May)精簡了手續，允許中國遊客使用同一個網站申請英國和申根簽證。然而，這仍算不上真正的聯合申請系統，因爲需要英國簽證的人士仍必須親自跑一趟專門的英國簽證中心，以便處理他們的生物特徵數據。

Under the pilot programme, which will open on July 1, Chinese travellers will be able to apply and pay for both UK and Belgian visas online using just one set of supporting documents, then book a single visa appointment to complete the process.

根據7月1日啓動的試點方案，中國遊客將可以在網上申請英國和比利時簽證並繳費，使用一套證明文件，然後獲得一個簽證預約以完成整個過程。

Despite the current obstacles, the number of UK visitor visas issued to Chinese tourists and business people increased by 10 per cent in the year to March. The benefits of collaboration with Belgium may be relatively slim, given that relatively few Chinese visitors travel there.

儘管目前存在種種障礙，但在截至今年3月的一年裏，英國發放給中國遊客和商務人士的旅遊簽證數量增加了10%。與比利時合作的好處可能相對較小，因爲前往該國的中國遊客相對較少。

In 2013, France admitted 335,961 Chinese visitors, while the figure for Italy was 333,705, and for Germany 268,404. The UK issued 291,919 Chinese visitor visas that year, compared to Belgium’s 14,223.

2013年，法國迎來33.5961萬中國遊客，而意大利的這個數字是33.3705萬，德國是26.8404萬。英國在那一年向中國公民發放了29.1919萬個旅遊簽證，而比利時只發放了1.4223萬個簽證。