Over the years people from across the world have been showing increasing interest in visiting China for tourism and trade. In order to travel to China, one must have the right China visa. In this article we you how to apply for the right type of Chinese visa.

General China Visa Information:

If you are a passport holder from countries like Japan, Brunei, and Singapore, you can travel to China without applying for China visas up to duration of 15 days for purposes such as tourism, visiting relatives/friends, business or transit. However, citizens of any other country in the world will be required to apply for China visa. If you are travelling to China in a group, your travel guide will be required to keep your visa, while if you are travelling as an individual you should carry your passport with the China visa with you at all time.

Chinese visas are permits issued by the Chinese visa authorities to individuals from other countries who may want to enter, exit or transit via China. Broadly speaking, there are four categories of Chinese visas and they include:

1. Diplomatic
2. Courtesy
3. Service
4. Ordinary visas

The ordinary visa category has 9 sub-categories that are each represented with Chinese phonetic letters such as:

F (Visit / Business Visa)
L (Tourism Visa)
Z (Working Visa)
X (Study or Student Visa)
C (Crewmember Visa)
J-1 (Journalist Visa)
J-2 (Journalist Visa)
G (Transit Visa) and
D (Residence Visa)

How To Apply For Chinese Visas:

In Person – application for Chinese visa should be submitted in person or via a 3rd party like a Travel agent/Tour operator from 9:00am to 12:00pm at a Chinese Embassy or China Consulates-General in the country of your residence. Processing of Chinese visas takes around 5 to 7 working days.

By Mail – an applicant has to send their passport via registered post along with a self-addressed envelope, the completed Chinese visa application form and visa fee. Applications for Chinese visas sent by mail take around 2 weeks for processing. Express service is not available.

General Requirements for Applying for China Visas:

1. Visa application forms can be obtained from Chinese visa websites or from Chinese Embassy/Consulate in your city of residence. Only completed forms for China visas will be accepted.
2. 2 passport size photos clearly showing applicant’s complete front face
3. Current passport with minimum 6 months validity from expected date of travel.
4. Documents explaining your reasons to enter China

Embassy Fees For Tourism China Visas (for UK passport holders):

1. Single Entry (5 Days) £65.25
2. Single Entry (3 Days) £92.00
3. Double Entry (5 Days) £80.25
4. Double Entry (3 Days) £107.00
5. Handling fee – £35/Application
6. Express fee – £50 (additional to Embassy and Standard Handling Fee)