Chinese Visa

What is a Chinese visa?

When foreigners come to the mainland of the people's Republic of China, they must entrust Chinese embassies, consulates, and other institutions abroad with the Ministry of foreign affairs of China to apply for visas for visa agencies, unless they come from Singapore, Japan, etc., one of the visa-free countries. They shall also have the right to determine the type, time, period of validity and term of entry. According to Chinese laws and regulations, visa applications are rejected or revoked every time a visa is required to stay. Under Chinese law, foreign citizens may be refused entry even if they hold a valid Chinese visa.

Foreign citizens must obtain visas before entering China, except for visa-free entry according to relevant agreements or regulations. As a foreign citizen specified in Article 22 of the entry and exit law of the people's Republic of China, he/she is qualified to apply for a port visa at the port of entry approved to issue a port visa to a visa issuing institution authorized by the Ministry of public security.

For visiting Hong Kong SAR or Macao SAR, citizens of some countries/regions can visit for a short time without a visa. Otherwise, an entry visa must be obtained in accordance with the requirements of the government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region or the Macao Special Administrative Region. If visitors wish to visit the Hongkong Special Administrative Region / Macao Special Administrative Region and the mainland of China at the same time, they must apply for visas respectively.

Visa type, validity period, number of entries and length of stay

There are four types of Chinese visa: Diplomatic visa, Courtesy visa, official visa, and ordinary visa. The general visa can be divided into 12 subtypes or 16 categories. (click for more information).

The visa validity period indicates that the visa is valid, or from the date of issuance to the date of "input before this" (Beijing time) indicated on the visa, it is used to enter China.

"Entry" refers to the number of times the holder is allowed to enter China during the visa validity period. If there is no remaining entry visa, or if the remaining entry visa expires, the visa is invalid. If the visa is invalid, the holder must reapply for a new visa before entering China. Travel to China with an invalid visa will be denied entry.

"Length of stay" means the maximum number of days a visa holder is allowed to stay in China at a time, calculated from the date of entry into China.

Residence permit: the holder of visa D, j 1, Q1, S1, X1, or Z must apply for a residence permit to the local public security organ within 30 days after entering China unless the stay time of each visa is marked as 30 days. A member of a foreign diplomatic mission or consulate in China must apply for a residence permit to the Ministry of foreign affairs or the local diplomatic department within 30 days after entering China.