China’s 2026 Spring Festival holiday period is already reshaping global travel plans, and Europe is feeling the strain. Poland has now joined Germany, Ireland, Estonia, Sweden, Malta, France and more than two dozen other European nations in reporting mounting delays for travelers seeking visas to China, as consular services scale back or pause processing in the run up to Lunar New Year. With key visa centers temporarily suspending submissions and many Chinese government offices working at sharply reduced capacity, would-be visitors are confronting a mix of uncertainty, last minute itinerary changes and, in some cases, the risk of abandoning their trips altogether.
A Perfect Storm for China-Bound European Travelers
The 2026 Spring Festival, which falls on February 14 and ushers in a multi day public holiday across China, is triggering a chain reaction that is rippling through consulates, visa centers and travel agencies. Chinese Visa Application Service Centers have issued notices confirming that visa submission counters will be closed or significantly limited from mid February, typically between February 15 and 23, with only restricted document collection windows available. For many European applicants, this effectively freezes the process for more than a week at the height of the winter travel season.
Poland’s travelers are encountering the same bottlenecks that have already been reported in Germany, Ireland, Estonia, Sweden, Malta and France. In these countries, Chinese visa centers and consulates are warning that applications lodged in late January and early February may not be processed until well after the holiday, even if documents were submitted before the cut off dates. That means that business travelers hoping to time trips for late February or early March, as well as tourists aiming to catch post holiday festivals or trade fairs, may find their plans slipping beyond reach.
The delays are exacerbated by the way the Spring Festival disrupts operations in mainland China itself. Many government departments, including those responsible for issuing invitation letters and security clearances required for certain visa types, scale down or suspend work for up to two weeks. Even where overseas consulates remain partially open, the lack of back office support in China can stall approvals, leaving passports in limbo and applicants with little visibility on when decisions will be made.
For tour operators and corporate travel planners, the result is a surge in last minute rebookings and contingency planning. Agencies across Europe report clients asking whether to push trips back to late March or April, or to reroute itineraries to other Asian destinations where entry formalities are currently more predictable. That uncertainty is particularly acute for first time visitors who are less familiar with the impact of Lunar New Year on official procedures.
More Than Twenty Four European Nations Affected
While Poland’s recent inclusion in the list of affected countries has drawn attention, the geographic scope of the disruption is far broader. Across the Schengen area and its neighbors, travelers have been advised to expect slower processing or temporary halts at Chinese visa centers in Germany, Ireland, Estonia, Sweden, Malta, France, the United Kingdom, Belgium, Italy, Austria, the Netherlands, Spain, Denmark, Finland, Norway and Portugal. Eastern and southeastern European states including the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Slovenia, Greece, Lithuania, Latvia, Hungary, Romania, Luxembourg and Croatia are reporting the same pattern of delays and appointment scarcity.
This wide footprint reflects both the popularity of China as a destination and the centralization of processing at a limited number of visa centers. Applicants in smaller markets often rely on regional hubs, meaning that a backlog in one city can affect travelers from multiple countries. As appointment calendars fill up before the holiday closure, applicants who do not secure a slot in early January or the first days of February are increasingly being pushed into March dates, well after the peak travel period.
The affected travelers span a broad demographic. There are European business delegations preparing to attend post holiday trade shows in Shanghai and Guangzhou, academic groups planning exchanges with Chinese universities, and independent tourists drawn by winter city breaks or early spring visits to cultural sites. Many of these trips were scheduled in the expectation that the worst of the post pandemic visa backlog had passed and that China’s push to revive inbound tourism would mean more, not less, predictability at consular counters.
Instead, what they are encountering is a reminder that the Spring Festival remains a uniquely disruptive moment in the Chinese calendar. Even with efforts to digitize forms and introduce online pre arrival registration, visa issuance still depends on physical staff at consulates and in mainland offices. When those staff go on holiday, the system slows dramatically, and this year that slowdown is colliding with strong pent up demand from European travelers.
Holiday Closures and Reduced Services: What Is Actually Changing
Not all consulates are shutting their doors entirely, but the reductions are significant. Official notices from Chinese Visa Application Service Centers outline a common pattern for the 2026 Spring Festival: full suspension of new visa submissions between roughly February 15 and 23, continuation of limited passport collection services during restricted hours, and a return to normal business on February 24. In practice, this means that any application not fully lodged and accepted by early to mid February is unlikely to see progress until the last week of the month.
Complicating matters, the closures are not confined to Europe. Chinese consulates in North America, Asia and Africa are also observing the holiday period, and many Chinese companies will be closed or operating with skeleton staff from late January onward. That reduces the capacity to issue essential documents such as business invitation letters, which are mandatory for many categories of visa. Even if applicants manage to submit their forms before consular counters close, missing or incomplete supporting paperwork can cause their cases to stall in the queue.
Within China, the holiday shutdown is broader still. Government offices responsible for immigration, public security checks and administrative approvals run at reduced capacity for days before and after the official public holidays. While digital systems remain technically available, decisions often require manual review, which can be delayed until staff return from their break. For visa applicants in Poland and elsewhere in Europe, that means the official closure dates at their local centers only tell part of the story; the reality is that processing can slow as early as late January and remain sluggish well into the first half of February.
Travel industry sources note that, unlike flight schedules which are published months in advance, consular holiday notices are often finalized later and can vary slightly by country. This can catch travelers unaware, especially those who assume that submission deadlines mirror their own national holidays rather than China’s calendar. The result is a rush to secure appointments in the final weeks before Spring Festival, followed by a sudden silence as applications sit untouched until normal operations resume.
Visa Free Policies Offer Only Partial Relief
Amid the disruption, some European travelers are benefitting from China’s recent decision to extend and expand its unilateral visa free entry program through the end of 2026. Under this policy, eligible ordinary passport holders from selected countries can enter China for up to 30 days without a visa for tourism, business, family visits and short term exchanges. Sweden, for example, joined the list in late 2025, giving Swedish nationals more flexibility for short stays.
However, the relief is far from universal. Many of the European nations now grappling with delays at visa centers are not included in the visa free scheme, or they rely heavily on longer stay or work related visas that are not covered by the exemption. Even travelers from visa free countries may still need to apply for traditional visas if they plan to study, work, or remain in China for more than 30 days. For them, the Spring Festival closure remains a critical hurdle.
In Poland, Germany, Ireland and other affected countries, travel agents report that some clients are restructuring itineraries to fit within the 30 day visa free window where eligibility exists, adjusting meeting schedules and shortening planned stays. Others are splitting trips into multiple shorter visits to take advantage of visa free entry, although this can introduce its own complications with flight availability and cost. Meanwhile, travelers from non eligible states have little choice but to endure the uncertainty and hope that their pending applications are processed swiftly once consular staff return.
The mixed picture underscores the importance of understanding not only whether a visa is required, but also how different categories and exemptions interact with seasonal disruptions. A traveler who might ordinarily opt for a multi entry visa valid for several months could, in the context of Spring Festival delays, find that a shorter, visa free visit offers a more reliable path if their nationality qualifies.
Layered Disruptions: European Border Changes and Global Backlogs
The timing of China’s visa slowdown is particularly uncomfortable for Europe because it coincides with broader strains on international mobility. The European Union is in the midst of rolling out its new biometric Entry Exit System, a large scale border management project that has already led to longer queues and processing times at some airports and land crossings. Although EU authorities have given member states flexibility to pause or scale back the system during peak periods to avoid severe congestion, travelers are still encountering longer waits at entry points in countries such as France, Spain and Italy.
For a Polish or German traveler connecting through major European hubs on their way to China, this can translate into a double burden: uncertainty about whether their visa will be issued in time, and the risk of added delays during departure and transit. Airlines and airports are advising passengers to arrive earlier and to allow more time for transfers, particularly where biometric registration for non EU nationals is required. While EU citizens typically move through dedicated lanes, mixed party groups that include third country nationals may find themselves slowed by differentiated procedures.
Beyond Europe, other major destinations are also struggling with visa backlogs and appointment shortages. In the United States, for example, reports of interview wait times stretching many months have persisted, especially in popular consular posts. The global picture is one in which administrative friction is increasingly a core factor in travel planning, on par with ticket prices and accommodation availability. China’s Spring Festival closures fit into this wider trend of visa related uncertainty rather than standing apart from it.
For the travel industry, these overlapping pressures make accurate communication essential. Tour operators and corporate travel managers must explain not only the specific dates and constraints tied to China’s New Year holiday, but also how these interact with evolving border control practices in Europe and beyond. The challenge is to do so without deterring travelers entirely from long haul trips at a moment when tourism recovery remains fragile.
How Travelers from Poland and Across Europe Can Prepare
For individual travelers, the most effective response to the 2026 Spring Festival disruption is early and careful planning. Applicants in Poland, Germany, Ireland, Estonia, Sweden, Malta, France and other affected countries are being urged to submit their visa documents well before the mid February closure window, ideally no later than the first half of January for trips planned in late February or early March. That lead time allows for potential requests for additional documentation and reduces the risk of an application being caught in the pre holiday backlog.
Where possible, travelers should monitor official announcements from the Chinese Visa Application Service Center in their country, paying close attention to published holiday calendars, shortened office hours and any changes to appointment booking systems. It is also wise to confirm processing expectations with airlines and tour operators, many of whom are in close contact with consular services and can provide up to date guidance on realistic departure dates.
Flexibility is equally important. Travelers with non urgent plans might consider shifting their itineraries to late March or April, when visa centers are back to full capacity and the post holiday surge has subsided. Those with firm dates, such as participation in fixed date conferences or family events, should build in buffer days at the start of their journeys to account for potential delays at airports or connecting borders, especially within the European Union where new biometric systems can lengthen queues.
Finally, applicants should ensure that their documentation is complete and correctly prepared before submitting it. Missing invitation letters, unclear itineraries or incorrect photo and form specifications can all trigger delays that become far more consequential in the weeks leading up to a major holiday closure. In a year when demand for travel to China is rising and administrative bottlenecks are particularly acute, meticulous preparation can mean the difference between a smoothly issued visa and a trip that never gets off the ground.
What This Means for the 2026 Travel Season
The current wave of delays illustrates how deeply the rhythms of China’s domestic calendar continue to influence international travel. As Poland joins Germany, Ireland, Estonia, Sweden, Malta, France and more than two dozen other European countries in grappling with consular slowdowns ahead of Spring Festival, it is clear that even in an era of digital forms and online pre registration, physical holidays still bring global mobility to a near standstill.
For the broader 2026 travel season, the impact is likely to be uneven. Some trips will be postponed rather than canceled, shifting demand into late spring and early summer. Others will be rerouted to alternative destinations, particularly within Asia, that can offer more predictable entry conditions during February. Airlines and hotels catering to China bound travelers may see a brief dip in occupancy during the holiday window, followed by a rebound as backlogged visas are cleared.
In the longer term, the episode underscores a broader lesson for frequent travelers and industry professionals alike. Understanding the intersection of visa policy, administrative capacity and cultural calendars is no longer a specialist concern but a practical necessity. For Europeans planning journeys to China, that means treating the Spring Festival not only as a cultural highlight but also as a structural factor that shapes when and how trips can realistically take place.
As 2026 unfolds, travelers who adapt quickly to these realities, building generous lead times into their visa plans and remaining alert to official guidance, will be best positioned to navigate the uncertainties. For now, however, thousands across Poland and the rest of Europe are watching their calendars closely, waiting for consular counters to reopen and hoping that their long anticipated trips to China do not remain indefinitely on hold.