Chinese visa

All foreigners need an entry visa. Individual travellers can apply at any Chinese embassy.
The procedure is usually straightforward and takes about a week.
Suggested time to apply for visa is one month before your departure (to avoid expiration of the visa).

A valid passport is required to enter China with at least six months validity and one blank visa page. China does not allow entrance if the holder's passport expires in under six months; returning home with an expired passport is illegal, and may result in a fine.

Prices and application varies from country to country.


Apply for visas through your local Chinese embassy or consulate in your home country.
List of some of Chinese ambassies websites:
France: www.amb-chine.fr
UK: www.chinese-embassy.org.uk/eng
Germany: www.china-botschaft.de
USA: www.china-embassy.com
(For others countries, you should search on Google.)




Visa Z, X, F, and L are the most commonly seen:

• Visa L is for those who come to China to travel, visit friends and relatives or to deal with private matters.

• Visa F is for those who come to China to visit, teach, do business, or for cultural, scientific or technological exchanges for less than six months. Usually requires a Letter of Invitation from “host” organization (university, local company…).

• Visa X is for students or interns studying for more than six months, issued only with letter of invitation from an accredited Chinese university such a Mandarin Language.

For student "X"/"F" visa (single entry, no multiple)

Form JW202 or JW 201 issued by the State Education Commission of China and notice of admission from the receiving university are required. An "X" visa is issued for those who study in China over 6 months and "F" visa for those who study in China less than 6 months.

• Visa Z is the working visa for foreign employees and their accompanying family members.

Pudong Shanghai TIP
Tourist visas or ‘L' visas for tourists are generally the easiest to obtain and offer the shortest period of stay.
They are a good way to enter China before exploring other options.
Then, through EMOO, a business visa or ‘F' visa can be obtained without a sponsoring company, which allows you to stay longer in China.
Our ‘F’ visa does not have stay limit compared to the one issued by some overseas Chinese consulates or Hong Kong visa offices.
Duration stay limit means that you have a limit for each stay in China, usually of 30 days.


Visa expiry

Many travellers have reported having trouble with officials who read the ‘valid until’ date on their visa incorrectly.
For a one-moth tourist visa, the ‘valid until’ date is the date by which upon which your visa expires.
Your visa expires the number of days that your visa is valid for after the date of entry into China. The penalty for overstaying your visa in China is 500RMB per day! Maximum fee will be 5000RMB (10 days).
All visas expire on the expiration date of your passport. Apply for a new passport in good time, in order to start re-applying for visas.

Click here to know how to read your visa.