A Brief Introduction to Chinese Visa and the Procedure for Visa ApplicationChinese visa is a permit issued to a foreigner by the Chinese visa authorities for entry into, exit from or transit through the Chinese territory. The Chinese visa authorities may issue a diplomatic, courtesy, service or ordinary visa to a foreigner according to his identity, purpose of visit to China and passport type. Hereunder is an introduction to the ordinary visa and its application procedure:
The ordinary visas consist of eight sub-categories, which are marked with Chinese phonetic letters (D, Z, X, F, L, G, C, J-1 and J-2 respectively).
Visa D: issued to aliens who are to reside permanently in China. A permanent residence confirmation form shall be required for the application of Visa D. The applicant shall apply to obtain this form himself or through his designated relatives in China from the exit-and-entry department of the public security bureau in the city or county where he applies to reside.
Visa Z: Issued to aliens who are to take up posts or employment in China, and to their accompanying family members. To apply for a Visa Z, an Employment License of the People's Republic of China for Foreigners (which could be obtained by the employer in China from the provincial or municipal labor authorities) and a visa notification letter/telegram issued by an authorized organization or company are required.
Visa X: Issued to aliens who come to China for study, advanced studies or job-training for a period of six months or more. To apply for a Visa X, certificates from the receiving unit and the competent authority concerned are required, i.e., Application Form for Overseas Students to China (JW201 Form or JW202 Form), Admission Notice and Physical Examination Record for Foreigners.
Visa F: Issued to an applicant who is invited to China on a visit, on a study or lecture, business tour, for scientific-technological and cultural exchanges, for short-term refresher course or for job-training, for a period of no more than six months. To apply for a Visa F, the invitation letter from the inviting unit or the visa notification letter/telegram from the authorized unit is required.
Visa L: Issued to aliens who come to China for sightseeing, visiting relatives or other private purposes. 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 heading country/region after leaving China. For the applicants who come to China to visit relatives, some are required to provide invitation letters from their relatives in China.
Visa G: Issued to aliens who transit through China. The applicants are required to show valid visas and on-going tickets to the heading countries/regions.
Visa C: Issued to train attendants, air crewmembers and seamen operating international services, and to their accompanying family members. To apply for a visa C, relevant documents are required to be provided in accordance with bilateral agreements or regulations of the Chinese side.
Visa J-1: Issued to foreign resident correspondents in China.
Visa J-2: Issued to foreign correspondents who make short trip to China on reporting tasks. The applicants for J-1 and J-2 visas are required to provide a certificate issued by the competent Chinese authorities.
In addition to providing the above-mentioned documents, an applicant is also required to answer relevant questions and go through the following formalities (with the exception of those stipulated otherwise by agreements):
Providing valid passport or a travel document in lieu of the passport
Filling out a visa application form, and providing a recent 2-inch, bareheaded and full-faced passport photo.
Paying the visa fee.
The overseas Chinese visa authorities are Chinese embassies, consulates, visa offices, the consular department of the Office of the Commissioner of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in HKSAR, and other agencies abroad authorized by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of China. If a foreigner intends to enter into, exit from or transit through the Chinese territory, he shall apply to the above-mentioned Chinese visa authorities for a Chinese visa. For further information, please consult the nearest Chinese visa authorities.
A Brief Introduction to the Tourist Visa for ChinaA tourist visa, issued to aliens who come to china for sightseeing and visiting relatives, is marked with ?L? in the many kinds of Chinese visas. 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.
Group visa, another kind of tourist visa, is applied by foreigner traveling in tour groups. Group visa is not issued on the passports, but on a separate paper, which requires the group members 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 having diplomatic relations with the People?s Republic of China and carrying an ordinary passport.
How to Apply for a Chinese Visa1. A simplest visa application should consist of the followings:
A. One completed visa application form;
B. One recent passport sized photo;
C. A valid original passport with blank pages.
2. Further requirements for different types of Chinese Visa
A. TOURIST VISA
Travel information including the booking of airline ticket and itinerary in China.
B. BUSINESS VISA
An invitation letter/fax from your contact in China is required for business purpose. For applying a multiple entry visa, an invitation letter from a Chinese governmental department or a competent company is required.
C. WORK VISA
An employment permit from the Ministry of Labor or the State Bureau of Foreign Experts of China in addition to an invitation letter mentioned in the previous article (article B).
D. STUDENT VISA
The applicant should present the visa application form for international students (JW-201 or JW-202 form) issued by the Ministry of Education of China and a letter of admission from a Chinese university/college.
E. TRANSIT VISA
A valid visa for the country of final destination in addition to an invitation letter or onward airline ticket.
F. OTHERS
Besides the above-mentioned visas, there are also other types of Chinese visas. Applicant should meet the requirements for the visa concerned.
3. VISA VALIDITY
A single or double entry visa is usually valid for entry within 3 months from the date of issue. Multi-entry visa is normally valid for 6 months and only issued according to official invitation letters for business visitors.
4. DURATION OF STAY / NUMBER OF ENTRIES
Duration of stay of a visa varies. It is possible to extend the duration of stay of a visa in China when it is needed. Visa is always required wherever you enter Chinese mainland even from Hong Kong or Macao.
5. Detial requirements on your passport
A. There must be at least ONE TOTALLY BLANK PAGE in the passport. Pages for endorsements or amendments can not be used as a visa page.
B. The validity of your passport should fully cover your trip in China. If not, you should bear all the responsibilities thus aroused. It is highly suggested that your passport valid for at least 6 months when you apply for single or double entry visa. For multiple visas, a passport with at least 9 months validity is preferable.
6. ACCOMPANYING PERSON USING THE SAME PASSPORT
On our visa application form, No.19 is designed for parents bringing their children to travel together. The photo of the accompanying person is required on the form. And the visa fee will be fully charged.
7. APPLICANT WHO HAS CHINESE ORIGIN
Chinese name (if applicable) and place of birth in China (if applicable) or Chinese passport (for former Chinese passport holder who applies for Chinese visa for the first time) should be provided.