Applying for a visa for entering China

In most cases, foreigners must apply for a visa to enter the Chinese Mainland. This may seem like a daunting task, but it needn’t be.

While application requirements vary depending on your location and citizenship, there are a few things to note:

First, applications under the tourist visa category L should be made through a Chinese Application Service Centre – not a consulate or an embassy – in a country where you have right of stay. Make an online appointment at least one month in advance but no more than three months prior to your trip. Check here for a more detailed step-by-step guide.

You’ll need to bring along your appointment confirmation sheet, passport, visa application form, a photo, proof of legal residence status, previous Chinese visas if available, your trip itinerary and round-trip plane ticket. Payment varies depending on your citizenship.

Your visa is valid starting from the issuance date. Upon collection, remember to note the validity and number of entries – single, double or multiple. For instance, if you have a double entry visa valid until 20 June, your last visit must end prior to 11:59pm Beijing Time on 20 June. Any unused visits after this date are deemed invalid.

Other useful things to note are that, following China’s post-pandemic reopening in early 2023, valid multiple-entry visas, including 10-year visitor visas, issued before 28 March 2020 can be used to travel to the Mainland again.

Visa-free transit options for stays shorter than 30 days are also available to citizens across 15 countries like The Bahamas and Barbados, as well as those in transit. These options include 144, 72 and 24-hour passes that let travellers enter the country through designated ports and move around in limited areas. And from 1 December 2023 to 30 November 2024, travellers from France, Germany, Italy, Netherlands, Spain and Malaysia will be able to enter the Chinese Mainland visa-free for up to 15 days for business, tourism, family visit and transit purposes.