You can obtain visas for china travel as fast as the same day if you are in a hurry. There are instructions about how to do this towards the end of this article but let’s begin by looking at the several types of visas for China travel and their respective requirements.

Types of Visas to China

The types of visas to China can be categorized according to either the purpose of your trip or the validity and number of entries. One example is the "L" visa which is granted to applicants who plan to visit China for the purpose of tourism. Those who go to engage in business will apply for an F visa. The letter that is used for a crew visa is "C", for a work visa is "Z", for a student visa is "X" and for a resident visa is "D".

Foreign correspondants should apply for either a J-1 or J-2 visa depending on whether they intend to stay long-term or short-term respectively.

The Chinese consular services offer single-entry, double-entry and multiple-entry visas. Validity will be either 90 days or 180 days for the single-entry and double-entry visas. Visas with 6 months, 12 months and 24 months validy are available for travelers who apply for a multiple-entry visa. The 24 month vailidity visa is not listed on the application and has special requirements if you want to get one.

Applying for Chinese Visas

The application process to apply for a China visa is pretty straightforward. Of course, you have to submit a valid passport in order to get a visa. The passport has to have at least six months of validity remaining beyond your time of stay in China.

A single downloadable application form is available for all visa types. There are just a couple of pages that are separated into 7 different sections. The first section requests personal information such as full name, date of birth, passport number and occupation. Information about your China travel plans should be written in Section 2. This space is provided for you to to select the type of visa you need as well as the the validiity and number of entries you desire.

Section 3 asks six questions about your health condition and Section 4 is reserved for contact information. Section 5 is for any special declarations you want to make and Section 6 is only necessary if the form is completed by a third party. Lastly, you sign and date the form in Section 7.

It is essential that you fill in the form with correct information and in a legible manner. Any errors can cause delays in the process or, even, rejection of your request. There is a place on the application for affixing a recent passport-style photo which must be a full-face front view with a light colored background.

These few requirements and payment of the fee is all you need to get a visa for tourism. Other visas have additional requirements that must be met when submitting an application. For example, applicants who apply for a business visa to China must also submit an Official Business Visa Notification, a business letter with the name of visiting firm in China and a letter of invitation from a company in China.

The recommendation made by the China government is that travlers submit visa applications one month before their planned travel date. However, they do offer express (2-3 business days) and same day rush processing services. You have to ask for this service and include payment for it.

Note, the Chinese embassy and consulates will not accept applications that are delivered by mail.

Therefore, you either have to personally deliver the Chinese visa application form or apply through a private China visa service.

Tags: china business visa, china tourist visa, china travel visa, china visa, visas for china travel

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