CHINA VISA APPLICATION INSTRUCTIONS

Applying for your China Visa is not always so straight forward for most of us. To help our travelers complete the China Visa Application accurately and painlessly (relatively speaking), here are some expert tips, pointers and instructions that will a long way….and avoid multiple trips to the Chinese Consulate.

DOCUMENTS REQUIRED:

1. Actual Passport (must remain valid for 6 months after end of trip)
2. For non-U.S. Citizens: Permanent Residence Card or any applicable work or student visas
3. Standard Passport Photo (recent photo,  not same as one on your passport unless passport was renewed within the past 6 months)
4. Completed visa application  (see instructions below)
5. Proof of Travel: Invitation Letter OR Flight Itinerary and Hotel confirmations. If you are booking a trip with us, please complete our passport information form and return it us. We will obtain your Invitation Letter.
6. Visa Fee of $140 (U.S. passport holders) + service charges by visa agency (if applicable)
   
   

GENERAL INSTRUCTIONS:

Chinese Consulates are generally very meticulous with the visa application form. Please follow the below pointers closely to avoid processing delays and/or multiple trips to the consulate:

1. Please use only standard passport photos (white background with standard passport photo dimensions). Must be a recent photo (different from the one on your passport unless if was renewed within the last 6 months)
2. The application must be completed by computer using the form attached (I.e. they do not accept hand-written nor type-written by typewriter). They do not accept subsequent alterations once printed (document must be reprinted if changes are required)
3. Some consulates require all data field completed in ALL CAPS. Suggest doing so to avoid processing delays.
4. For items that do not apply (I.e. Chinese Name, U.S. ID Card Number, etc., etc.), the fields CANNOT be left blank. Please type “N/A”, “Not Applicable” or “None” in those cases. Please also be sure to place “N/A” on section 5 as per sample application. (no signature required).
5. For U.S. Passport Holders, since the cost of Single vs. Multiple entry visas are the same (approval for 10 year multi-entry visa lies at the discretion of the consulate), please check the “Multiple Entries Valid for 1 Year” selection in section 2.2 in case you wish to return to China in the near future.

DETAILED INSTRUCTIONS FOR FILLING OUT VISA APPLICATION FORM:

SECTION 1:

• 1.1 Your last name, middle name and first name, as appear on your passport
• 1.2 Applicable for only applicants born in China, Hong Kong, Macau or Taiwan; Use “N/A” otherwise.
• 1.3 Other name such as maiden, religious, professional, aliases names if applicable. Use “N/A” otherwise.
• 1.4 Your gender.
• 1.5 Your date of birth in yyyy-mm-dd format (example: 1950-01-15)
• 1.6 Your current nationality as in your passport (such as USA). For travelers with dual nationality, please use your U.S. Passports only.
• 1.7 Your former nationality if applicable; “N/A” otherwise
• 1.8 Your birth place including city, province/state and country
• 1.9 Your Driver’s license number or student ID number. “N/A” if you do not have one. Do NOT use social security number.
• 1.10 Type of your passport with which you are applying for the visa. “Ordinary” should apply to most travelers
• 1.11 Your passport number with which you are applying for the visa.
• 1.12 Date of issue of your passport.
• 1.13 Place of issue of your passport. Note: that is what under “Authority” in your passport; or you simply input ” USA”.
• 1.14 Expiration date of your passport.
• 1.15 Please select your current occupation(s). If your occupation(s) are not listed above, please check “Other” and specify the details. If you are self-employed, please specify the nature of your business next to Other section.
• 1.16 Your highest education level you have received.
• 1.17 Your employer or school information. Please refrain from using abbreviations.
  • If you are currently unemployed, please provide your previous US employer or school information and mark it as previous.
  • If you are self-employed, please state the nature of your business after business name.
  • If your are retired, please type in “None (Retired)” in employer name.
  • If you are housewife, please type in “None (Housewife)” in employer name.
  • For minors, type in “None (Student)”
• 1.18 – 1.20 Your home street address and contact phone in the U.S. Do not use address outside of the US.
• 1.21 Your contact email address.
• 1.22 Your marital status.
• 1.23 List of your major family members including spouse, parents and children. This section should not be blank (indicate “N/A” instead)
• 1.24 Name, phone and relationship of contact person in case of emergency.
• 1.25 Country you are in when applying for China visa. Please type in “USA”.

SECTION 2:

• 2.1 Please select the purposes of your visit(s) to China. If your purpose(s) to China are not listed above, please check other and specify the details.
• 2.2 Please select the number of entries you intended to make with this visa. There are options such as 1 entry, 2 entries, multiple entry within 6 months or 12 months etc. For U.S. Passport Holders, since the fee for single vs. multiple 10-year visa is the same, please select “Multiple Entries Valid for 1 Year”.  Multiple entry visa is usually not given to Non-US passport holders. Please note the decision to grant multiple entries lies with the Consulate.
• 2.3 Please check one service level. Express Plus service is not available in all states. Normal processing = 5 business days; Express Service = 2 business days. Additional fee applies for Express Service)
• 2.4 The date of your first entry into China. Approximate date is fine.
• 2.5 Please fill in the longest possible days you intend to stay in China. Please note duration of stay granted is decided by Chinese Consulate. Duration of Stay allowed is normally 30 – 60 days.
• 2.6 Please provide date(s) and corresponding address(s) to stay while you are in China. Complete with city and address, not just hotel name. The information provided here should match your hotel confirmation or invitation letter.
• 2.7 Please answer who will pay for your visit(s) to China such as yourself, employer, inviter or etc.
• 2.8 Details about your inviter in China. The information provided here should match your invitation letter provided by your tour company. If you are visiting China for tourism purposes, and there is no inviter, it is OK to type in “None”.
• 2.9 If you have obtained China visa before, please specify date, place of the last visa obtained. Otherwise, please indicate “No”.
• 3.0 If you have visited other countries or territories in the past 12 months, please provide name of countries or territories visited. Otherwise, please type in “No”.

SECTION 3:

• 3.1 If you have ever overstayed your visa of residence permit in China, please select YES. Otherwise, please select No.
• 3.2 Answer whether you have been refused a China visa or entry
• 3.3 Answer whether you have any criminal record in China or other country
• 3.4 Answer whether you are suffering from any of the medical conditions specified
• 3.5 Answer whether you have visited any country or territories affected by infectious diseases in the last 30 days.
• 3.6 If you select YES to any questions from 3.1 to 3.5, please give details and submit relevant official documentation, e.g. punishment decision on overstay in China issued by Chinese public security bureau, final court judgment with details on the crime, diagnosis certificate issued by a hospital, doctor’s advice on long distance travel, etc. (Note: If your answer is “YES” to any question from 3.1 to 3.5, your chances of getting the China visa is significantly decreased.)
• 3.7 If you have more information relevant to your application to declare , please specify the details. Or simply put “NONE” here.
• 3.8 This question is not appropriate for U.S. passport holders or most US residents, simply type in “None” there.

SECTION 4:

• Please note that all applicants should sign the application form even if the form is completed by another person. In case of application for minor, parent or guardian should complete and sign in both section 4 and section 5.

SECTION 5:

• If the application form was prepared by someone other than the applicant such as parent for child, the preparer should complete and sign this section. Otherwise, indicate “N/A” in all fields except “Signature” and “Date”.