Visa Information for China
Who requires a visa?
Anyone entering China for longer than 48 hours requires a visa.
The Chinese visa authorities may issue a Diplomatic, Courtesy, Service or Ordinary Visa to a foreigner according to his/her identity, purpose of visit to China and passport type. The Ordinary Visa consists of eight sub-categories, which are respectively marked with Chinese phonetic letters L, F, X, Z, G, C, J, and D.
L Visa (as of 04/18/2002): Issued to an applicant who comes to China for tourist purposes, family visiting or other personal affairs. Visa L is characterized by a short duration of stay, usually 30 days, no more than 90 days, and could not be extended upon expiration. For a tourist applicant, in principle he shall evidence his financial capability of covering the travelling expenses in China, and when necessary, provide the air, train or ship tickets to the destination country/region after leaving China. For the applicants who come to China to visit relatives, some applicants are required to provide invitation letters from their relatives in China.
Visas for groups are not issued on the passports, but on a separate paper, which requires the group members to enter and exit the Chinese border together.
From Nov. 15th 2000, aliens traveling to Hong Kong and Macao Special Administrative Regions(SAR), in tour groups organized by travel agencies registered in the above-mentioned SARs, are exempted from visa requirements for a period of not exceeding 6 days, when entering into the following Chinese mainland cities: Guangzhong, Shenzhen, Zhuhai, Foshan, Dongguan, Zhongshan, Jinangmen, Zhaoqing, Huizhou, etc. The premise is that the traveler shall have the citizenship of a country that has diplomatic relations with the People’s Republic of China, and the traveler is carrying an ordinary passport.
F Visa: Issued to an applicant who is invited to China for conference, research, lecture, business, scientific-technological and cultural exchanges or short-term studies or intern practice for a period of no more than six months.
X Visa: Issued to an applicant who comes to China for the purpose of studying or intern practice for more than six months.
Z Visa: Issued to an applicant who is to take up a post or employment in China, and his/her accompanying family members, and who is to conduct commercial performance in China.
G Visa: Issued to those who transit through China.
C Visa: Issued to crewmembers on international aviation, navigation and land transportation missions and family members accompanying them.
J Visa: Issued to foreign journalists. J Visa is subdivided into J-1 Visa and J-2 Visa. J-1 Visa is issued to a foreign resident correspondent in China. J-2 Visa is issued to a foreign correspondent on temporary short term news report mission in China.
D Visa: Issued to applicant who is to reside permanently in China.
What documents will be required?
A. All applicants are required to submit the following documents:
(1) A valid original passport. There must be blank visa pages in the passport. Pages for endorsements or amendments can not be used as a visa page. The passport should be valid for at least 6 months;
(2) One completed Chinese Visa Application Form signed by the applicant. Children’s application form can be signed by their parents or guardians;
(3) One recent passport photograph affixed to the visa application form. Life photos, copied photos and digital photos printed on ordinary paper are not acceptable.
B. Additional documents:
1. L visa
(1)Documents mentioned in part A;
(2)A copy of outward and return flight ticket booking;
(3)A copy of Chinese hotel booking (please note the applicants who are below 14 years old or born in China (including Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan) as shown in the passport are not required to provide this);
If the applicant is going to stay at a relative or friend’s home while visiting China, and therefore unable to provide hotel booking, an invitation letter containing the inviter’s home address and telephone, and a copy of the inviter’s ID card or residence permit should be provided instead.
For applicants who are going to Tibet, an entry permit issued by Tibetan Tourist Bureau is required . (Fax number of Tibetan Tourist Bureau: 0086-891-6834632; Telephone number:0086-891-6834313)
2. F visa
(1)Documents mentioned in part A;
(2)A copy of outward and return flight ticket booking;
(3)A copy of Chinese hotel booking;
(4)Visa Notification Form (which is issued by the relevant department of Chinese government, companies or institutions, under the authorization of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of China. Detailed information can be obtained from the Foreign Affairs Office of the relevant province, autonomous region and municipality where the inviting party resides.);
3. X visa (for studying more than 6 months in China)
(1)Documents mentioned in part A;
(2)JW-201 or JW-202 form issued by the Ministry of Education of China;
(3)A letter of admission from a Chinese University/College.
4. Z visa (for long-term working)
(1)Documents mentioned in part A;
(2)An employment permit from the Ministry of Labour and Social Security or the State Administration of Foreign Experts of China;
(3)An invitation letter from a relevant Department of Chinese Government or a government-authorized company.
5. J-1 or J-2 visa (for journalism)
(1)Documents mentioned in part A;
(2)A letter from a relevant Department of Chinese government;
(3)A letter from the employer.
6. G visa (for transit through China)
(1)Documents mentioned in part A;
(2)A copy of Chinese hotel booking;
(3)A copy of outward and return flight ticket booking;
(4)A valid visa for the country of destination.
NOTE 1: For applicants from some specific countries, additional documents other than those mentioned above may be required.
NOTE 2: Applicants should check the issued visa upon collection and if necessary raise any queries at the same time. If there is no immediate query relating to the issued visa, the applicant is held responsible under any circumstances thereafter.
How long is the visa valid for?
A visitor ‘F’ visa is valid for up to 6 months, and is usually single-entry.
Student ‘X’ visas are valid for up to 12 months, and allow multiple-entries.
If the visa holder needs to stay longer than the duration of stay, he or she should apply for extension of duration to the local public security bureau of China in advance.
Other information:
A new Arrival& Departure Card designed by the Ministry of Public Security of China for foreign passengers is going to be used at all Point of Entries in China as of October 2007.
The new card consists of two adjacent parts. One is for arrival and the other is for departure. A foreign passenger is obliged to fill in the arrival card. The departure card will be kept by the passenger for his/her departure from China.
There is “Important Notice” printed at the back of the new Arrival& Departure Card which gives brief instructions on matters related to the registration, travel, residence and employment of a foreign national during his/her stay in China.
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