1. Tourist (L) visa: An L visa is necessary for foreigners coming to China for the purpose of travel or visiting family. L visas are usually only good for one month but it is possible to get a 90 day L visa. Visas can be extended after arrival but the passport holder must travel to Hong Kong in order to apply for the visa extension.

2. Group visa: If you are traveling with a tour group, you will get a group visa. This visa requires you to enter and exit Chinese borders with your group. This visa is kept separately from your passport on a sheet of paper.

1. Visa application form filled out and signed by the applicant

2. Passport with a few blank pages

3. Two recent passport photos (bareheaded, full-face, 2-inch)

4. Travel information including the booking of air tickets and itinerary in China (you may be asked to show evidence of a return airline ticket)

5. Fee (payable in cash or by money order only).

You may have someone else apply for the visa on your behalf so long as they have the necessary information and documents needed for the visa. This can be a bit tricky, so be sure to speak with someone from the Chinese Embassy to ensure this potentially frustrating endeavor goes without a hitch. The required documentation is the same as above.

You can't post your documents to get a group visa, so at least one member of the group must come to the Chinese embassy or consulate in person with the following materials. Once again, phone in advance with detailed questions to ensure you have all of your paperwork together. Also, keep in mind that to apply for group visas, your group must be a minimum of five people. In addition, all group members must enter and exit China at the same time through the same place. Make sure a group visa suits your needs. If not, you can of course each apply for individual L visas.

1. An original passport or a copy of the main pages in each passport and a visa application form should be filled out for each group member.

2. Confirmation letter or fax from an authorized Chinese travel company.

3. A triplicate list of group members full names (typed, not handwritten). Each group member will be given a visa form number which should be marked on the cover of each passport and listed in order on the group visa form.

4. A letter of invitation from the Chinese authorities.

5. A general applicant is required to answer questions about the group.

6. Fee (payable in cash or by money order).

After you apply for your visa, you usually have three months to arrive in China or else your visa will become invalid. Your duration of stay begins as soon as you enter the country. Your L-visa is valid for no less than 30 days after your arrival and no more than 90 without renewal.

Try to get your visa application in at least one month before your intended departure. With visas it's always best to be organized throughout the process and to always err on the safe side. It takes roughly three working days to process a tourist visa and two weeks for group visas. A same-day service or 48-hour service may be available at extra cost. Visas cannot be issued on the same day unless the airline tickets are available for presentation and this is certainly not recommended because of obvious risk factors.

Chinese Embassies by Region: Asia

Africa

Russia

Europe

North America

Oceania

Latin America

Click the link to fill out the application form online. To download the form, right click the link and select "Save Target As..." or "Save link as..." Chinese Visa Application Form(PDF, 438K)