VISA > CHINA

---

DO I NEED A VISA | REQUIREMENTS | FEES | OTHER IMPORTANT INFO | FORM DOWNLOAD

DO I NEED A VISA

No visa is required if you belong to the following categories:

According to bilateral agreements between China and foreign countries, citizens of some countries who meet requirements set out in the bilateral agreements may enter China without a visa. You may read for details the List of Agreements on Mutual Visa Exemption between the China and Foreign Countries.

1. The Philippines Diplomatic or Official passport holders are exempted from visa requirement for temporary visits to China for a period not exceeding 30 days.
2. Hold connected passenger tickets and are in transit to a third country or region by an international aircraft, ship or train via China, will stay for not more than 24 hours in China without leaving the port of entry.
3. No visas are required for citizens of the following countries, who hold valid passports with confirmed onward tickets and seats on international flights, and transit through
   1. Beijing International Airport and stay in Beijing, or
   2. Pudong Airport or Hongqiao Airport of Shanghai and stay in Shanghai, or
   3. Guangzhou Baiyun Airport and stay in Guangdong province, or
   4. Chengdu Shuangliu Airport and stay in Chengdu, for no more than 72 hours:
   Austria/ Belgium/ Czech/ Denmark/Estonia/Finland/France /Germany/Greece/Hungary/Iceland/Italy/Lativa Lithuania/Luxembourg/Malta/ the Netherlands/Poland/ ortugal/Slovakia/Slovenia/Spain/ Sweden/Switzerland/ Russia/Britain/Ireland/Cyprus/Bulgaria/Romania/Ukraine/America /Canada/Brazil, Mexico/Argentina/Chile/ Australia/New Zealand/ the Republic of Korea/Japan/Singapore/Brunei/the Uinted Arab Emirates/Qatar. FAQ On 72-hour Transit Visa Exemption for Foreign Nationals.
4. Citizens of the countries having diplomatic relations with China holding ordinary passports and on a tour to Hong Kong or Macao, and participating in group tours to the Zhu Jiang River (Pearl River) Delta Area for a stay of less than 6 days organized by the travel services registered in Hong Kong or Macao, shall not need to apply for a visa. The Zhu Jiang River (Pearl River) Delta Area refers to the following cities: Guangzhou, Shenzhen, Zhuhai, Foshan, Dongguan, Zhongshan, Jiangmen, Zhaoqing and Huizhou.
5. Citizens of the following countries holding ordinary passports , and in group tours to Hainan Province for a stay of no more than 15 days organized by the international travel services approved by the National Tourism Administration of China and registered in Hainan Province, shall not need to apply for visas: America, Malaysia, Thailand, Republic of Korea, the Philippines, Indonesia, Germany, Britain, France, Austria, Italy, Russia, Switzerland, Sweden, Spain, the Netherlands, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Finland, Denmark, Norway, Ukraine, Kazakhstan, Japan and Singapore. Among those mentioned above, a tourist group of citizens of Republic of Korea, Germany and Russia may stay for no more than 21 days.
6. Citizens of Singapore, Brunei and Japan holding ordinary passports may enter China without a visa provided that they come to China for tourism, family visit, business or transit, and intend to stay in China for no more than 15 days. However, the following personnel of these three countries must apply for a visa in advance if: a) They are holders of ordinary passports, and come to China for tourism, family visit or business, and intend to stay in China for more than 15 days; b) They are holders of ordinary passports, and come to China for study, employment, permanent residence or on a news reporting mission.
7. A holder of a valid APEC Business Travel Card.
8. A holder of a valid Residence Permit for Foreigner in the People's Republic of China issued by the Public Security organs in China.
9. A holder of a valid Permanent Residence Card for Aliens of the P R China.

REQUIREMENTS

Basic Requirements

1. Passport a. Original passport that is valid for at least another 6 months with at least one blank visa page, a photocopy of the passport's information/photo page and emergency contact page.
2. Visa Application Form a. You must submit truthfully completed and signed Visa Application Form of the People's Republic of China. Do not leave any field blank. Write N/A if the question does not apply to you.
3. Photo a. Affix one color photo on the Application Form. The photo should be recent, front view, white background, in 48mm x 33mm size without head covering. Glue the photo to the appropriate field. Stapled/taped/clipped/detached photos will not be accepted.

C	Crew Visa
	Guarantee letters issued by the foreign airlines or shipping companies, or invitation letters issued by the relevant organizations in China.
D	Permanent Residence Visa
	Confirmation Form of Alien Permanent Residence Status in China issued by Ministry of Public Security.
F	Visitor Visa for academic, cultural, scientific and other non-commercial activity visit
	Invitation letters issued by Chinese organizations.
G	Transit Visa
	A valid visa and a confirm connected passenger tickets for transit to a third country or region by an international aircraft, ship or train via China.
J1	Journalist Visa for resident foreign journalists in China.
	Visa notifications issued by the Information Department of the Chinese Foreign Ministry or other competent Chinese authorities and official letters from the applicant's employer.
J2	Journalist Visa for foreign journalists who visit China for temporary news coverage.
	Visa notifications issued by the Information Department of the Chinese Foreign Ministry or other competent Chinese authorities and official letters from the applicant's employer.
L	Tourist Visa
	Travel itinerary and round-trip airline ticket and hotel reservation.
M	Commercial Business Visa
	Invitation letters issued by commercial business partners in China.
Q1	Family Reunion Visa for family members of Chinese Nationals or family members of foreign nationals with Chinese Permanent Resident Permit to stay in China for more than 180 days.
	Invitation letters from relatives in China who must attach a copy of his/her personal ID copy or Chinese Permanent Resident Permit, and proofs of kinship.
Q2	Family Visitor Visa for family members of Chinese Nationals or family members of foreign nationals with Chinese Permanent Resident Permit to stay in China for less than 180 days.
	Invitation letters from relatives in China who must attach a copy of his/her personal ID or Chinese Permanent Resident Permit, and proofs of kinship.
R	Professional Talent Visa
	Visa notices issued by competent organizations in China
S1	a) Dependent Visa for family members of foreign nationals who work, study inChina to stay in China for more than 180 days. b) Visitor Visa for personal affairs to stay in China for more than 180 days.
	a) Invitation letters from relatives in China who must attach a copy of his/her personal ID/ Residence Permit for Aliens, and proofs of kinship. b) Documents supporting the purpose of visit.
S2	a) Family Visitor Visa for family members of foreign nationals who work, study in China to stay in China for less than 180 days. b) Visitor visa for personal affairs to stay in China for less than 180 days.
	a) Invitation letters from relatives in China who must attach a copy of his/her personal ID/ Residence Permit for Aliens and proofs of kinship. b) Documents supporting the purpose of visit
X1	Study Visa for studying in China for more than 180 days.
	The original and copy of Admission Notice and Visa Application Form for Study in China Form JW-201 and Admission Notice.
X2	Study Visa for studying in China for less than 180 days.
	The original and copy of Admission Notice and Visa Application Form for Study in China Form JW-202 and Admission Notice
Z	Work Visa
	The original and copy of Employment Permit for Foreigner, or Permit for Foreign Expert, and Invitation Letter of Duly Authorized Unit or Confirmation Letter of Invitation issued by an authorized unit in China.

The above mentioned invitation letter must contain the following information:

1. Information on the applicant : full name, gender, date of birth, etc.
2. Information on the planned visit: purpose of visit, arrival and departure dates, place(s) to be visited, relations between the applicant and the inviting entity or individual, financial source for expenditures, etc
3. Information on the inviting entity or individual: name, contact telephone number, address, official stamp, signature of the legal representative or the inviting individual.

The invitation letter may be in the form of fax, photocopy or computer printout, but the consular officer may require the applicant to submit the original of the invitation letter.

Additional Requirements

1. First Time Chinese Visa Applicant – You must submit information about your finances and employment or studies, which you should consider providing bank certificate of deposit balance including the past 6 months history of your bank account and the receipt for payment of this certificate, BIR-stamped income tax return form, letter from your employer detailing your salary and the length of your employment, business registration certificate if you are the owner, professional ID, etc. A letter of explanation is required if you could not provide the above-mentioned documents.
2. Original Chinese Passport – First-time applicant whose former nationality was Chinese, or who was born in China (including Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan), need to submit the original Chinese passport and a photocopy of the passport's information/photo page, and extension page (if applicable). You do not need to submit income tax return form and bank statement.
3. Previous Chinese Visa – If you had obtained a Chinese visa before, you should submit a photocopy of the visa, and if the visa is on your old passport, you should also submit the old passport.
4. Certificate of Name Change – If the name in the new passport is different from that in the original one, the official document (birth certificate/marriage contract) issued by authorities for name change must be submitted.
5. Non-Filipino Nationals – You must submit valid proof of residency, employment or study in the Philippines. Temporary visitors should apply for Chinese visas in their own countries, for special cases and if the applicant can provide valid proof of ID and employment, the visa officer will make the final decision on a case-by-case basis. You must also submit a photocopy of Philippine visa/immigration entry stamp on your passport.
6. Visit Tibet – You may join a tourist group organized by Authorized Travel Agency. If you plan to visit Tibet individually, you may contact the Tourism Administration of the Tibet Autonomous Region (Tel: 0086-891-6834313; Fax: 0086-891-6834632) in advance and provide a Visa Notification issued by it.
7. Applicants applying for special tour to China (self-driving, hiking, cycling, horse-riding, hot air balloon, or other expeditions) should provide an original of Invitation Letter for Tourist issued by Authorized Travel Agency.

Authorized Travel Agency refers to:

1. Tourism administration bureau of Chinese province, autonomous region or municipality directly under the Central Government.
2. CITS Group Corporation, CITS Head Office, CTS Head Office, CYTS, etc.
3. Seafarers from the Philippine shipping companies to join vessels in ports in China and stay in China for less than 10 days, should submit Letter of Guarantee from employers, and the original and copy of Seafarer's Registration Certificate, and should apply for "G" visa. Those who would stay in China for more than 10 days should also submit invitation letters from China, and should apply for "M" visa.

Effective on 1 September 2013

FEES

Visa Fee (Unit: Peso) and Processing Time

Number of Entries	Single	Double	6 months multiple	12 months Multiple
Philippine Passport	1400	2100	2800	4200
U.S.A Passport	6500	6500	6500	6500
Other Passport	1700	2550	3400	5100

Regular processing time is 4 working days.

• Express service (third working day release): an additional fee of 1100 pesos per visa will be charged.
• Rush service (second working day release): an additional fee of 1700 pesos per visa will be charged.

Service Fee: 500php per applicant

OTHER IMPORTANT INFORMATION

1. The visa application form must be filled out truly, clearly and completely. It should be signed by the applicant upon completion. Application of minors should be signed by their parents or legal guardians.
2. The application materials should be authentic and complete. Forged and incomplete applications will be denied.
3. The applicant should answer questions from the visa officers truthfully. According to China's relevant laws and regulations and international practice, visa officers have the right to require the applicant to submit additional supporting documents, and to refuse application without specifying any reason.
4. The applicant is also responsible to check the visa after obtaining it. Should there be any discrepancy, please contact the officer immediately.
5. The applicant should be held responsible for the following circumstances:
   1. Denial of visa due to incomplete visa application form or false information.
   2. Denial of visa due to unqualified/damaged photos and passports, or failure to provide additional supporting documents requested by visa officer.
   3. Denial of boarding or entry due to visa expiration or failure to provide a valid visa.
   4. Other personal reasons.

FORM DOWNLOAD

• Get you form here!