China Facts

• General China
• China Visa
• Traditional Chinese Medicine
• Chinese Food
• Chinese Tea
• Chinese Kung Fu
• Chinese Ethnic Groups
• Chinese Festivals
• Chinese Arts
• Chinese Architecture
• Religions and Beliefs
• Chinese Wine
• Traditions and Custom
• Chinese History
• China Travel Tips
• Chinese Indigenous Wildlife
• More about China

Site Search

 

Recently, we received lots of emails from customers to enquire about the changes in China Visa situation. There are  many changes in China Visa policies because of the Olympics. We collected some FAQs from Chinese embassy’s websites and several travel forums. The followings are what we reedited.

Q: Can I still apply for my China Visa in Hong Kong and Macau?

A: After Hong Kong returned to China in 1997 and Macau returned to China in 1999, many foreigners choose to apply for China Visas in Hong Kong and Macau because it is much easier to apply for China Visas in the two places than in their home countries.

But the situation changed because too many foreigners are applying for China Visas in Hong Kong and Macau during the Olympics. Now, passport holders of 33 countries can not apply for China Visa in Hong Kong and Macau any more. The 33 countries are (listed alphabetically) Afghanistan, Algeria, Bangladesh, Congo, Egypt, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, India, Indonesia, Iran, Iraq, Kazakhstan, Kirgizstan, Libya, Malaysia, Mali, Mauritania, Morocco, Nepal, Nigeria, Pakistan, Philippines, Saudi Arabia, Sierra Leone, South Africa, Sri Lanka, Sudan, Syria, Tajikistan, Tunisia, Turkey and Uzbekistan.

The people who hold passports of other countries can still apply for China Visas in Hong Kong and Macau but the situation may change at any moment. We suggest our customers enquire Chinese embassies in their home countries before they go to Hong Kong or Macau to apply for China Visas.

Q. Are there any changes in applying for L Visa (Tourists Visa) and F Visa (Business Visa)?

A: L Visa (Tourists Visa) and F Visa (Business Visa) are two most popular categories of China Visas, so many tourists are eager to know policy changes in the two categories of China Visas. China Highlights listed the changes below:

F Visas issued in China mainland can not be renewed in China mainland F Visa issued in China mainland can not be renewed in China mainland. But if you get your F Visa in Shenzhen or Zhuhai you can still renew it in China mainland. Other F Visa holders must go to Hong Kong, Macau or their own countries to renew F Visas.

Validity of L Visa and F Visa has been reduced from 90 to 30 days

F Visa can not be switched to L Visa or Vice Versa

Q: Which documents do I need to prepare when applying for L Visa or T Visa?

Passport: your passport with a validity of at least 6 months. Besides, there should be a few blank pages on your passport.

Application Form: to apply for a China Visa, you need to complete an application form. You can download the application form on the official website of China embassy in your resident county.

Photo: a photo the same with your passport. You need to glue it on your application form.

Round Trip Air Tickets and Hotel Reservation: the hotel reservation should include your check-in and check-out time and the round trip air tickets should include your arrival and departure time. If you want to live in your friend’s home, you need to provide your friend’s passport number or ID number. If you want to live in your family member’s home you need to your family member’s passport number or ID number. Besides, you need to prepare a certificate of kinship.

The four documents are necessary to apply for both L Visa and F Visa. Besides, when applying for an F Visa you need a Visa notification issued by an authorized Chinese unit.

Q. Can I apply for Multiple-Entry Visa now?

A: No new Multiple-Entry Visa will be issued from now on. The existing ones are valid till they expire. Only Single-Entry Visas and Double-Entry Visas are being issued now.