A Chinese visa is a permit issued by the Chinese visa authorities to an alien for entry into, exit from or transit through China. The Chinese visa authorities may issue a Diplomatic, Courtesy, Service or Ordinary Visa to an alien according to his/her status, purpose of visit to China or passport type.

How to apply

Visa applications should be submitted by the applicant or someone else entrusted in person. It cannot be done through mail. No appointment is required.

Documents required:

1. One completely filled out Visa Application Form of the People's Republic of China with one passport photo affix to it.

2. Original passport with at least one blank visa page and it's valid for at least 6 months beyond the date of application.

3. An applicant born in China who is applying for a Chinese visa with his/her new foreign passport is required to submit his/her original Chinese passport or a photocopy of the Chinese visa in his/her old foreign passport.

4. A child of Chinese descent and born in foreign country who applies for a Chinese visa for the first time is required to submit his/her Birth Certificate and the foreign passport or foreign permanent resident permit (e.g. Green Card) of his/her parents. Both the originals and the photocopies are needed.

5. Using Non-US passports are required to submit a photocopy of the valid US visa or Green Card.

6. Other documents required are as follows:

Categories	Brief Introduction	Requirements
Tourist Visa (L Visa)	For sightseeing, visiting family or friends	US citizens may apply for a Single-entry (valid for 3-6 months from the date of issuance), a Double-entry (valid for 6 months from the date of issuance) or a Multiple-entry (valid for 6 or 12 months from the date of issuance) L visa as needed. The duration of stay of L visa is normally 90 days, which means the holder of the visa may stay in China for up to 90 days from the date of entry.
Business Visa (F Visa)	For business, scientific-technological and cultural exchanges or short-term study for a period of no more than six months	1. A Visa Notice from the an authorized Chinese unit, an invitation letter from the host company, meeting or exhibition organizers in China, or a letter from applicants' US company is required. 2. US citizens may apply for a Single-entry (valid for 3-6 months from the date of issuance), a Double-entry (valid for 6 months from the date of issuance) or a Multiple-entry (valid for 6 or 12 months from the date of issuance) F visa as needed. The duration of stay of F visa is normally 90 days, which means the holder of the visa may stay in China for up to 90 days from the date of entry.
Student Visa (X Visa)	For those who will study in China for a period of six months or more	1. The original and the photocopy of the Visa Application for Study in China (JW201 or JW202) and Admission Notice from the enrolled school are required. 2. Generally, (X) visa is valid for 3 months with a single-entry. US citizens may apply a multiple-entry (X) visas valid for 12 months. The holder of a (X) visa shall apply for a resident permit at the local Public Security Bureau within 30 days of entry into China.
Employment Visa (Z Visa)	For those who will take up posts or employment in China, and to their accompanying family members	1. A Visa Notice from an authorized Chinese unit, the original and the photocopy of the Alien Employment License issued by the Ministry of Labor and Social Security or the Foreign Experts Working Permit issued by the State Administration of Foreign Experts Affairs are required. 2. The accompanying family members (spouse and children) of the holder of Z Visa are required to submit a Visa Notice from an authorized Chinese unit. Otherwise the original and the photocopy of Marriage Certificate and Birth Certificate to prove the kinship are required. 3. Generally, (Z) visa is valid for 3 months with a single-entry. The holder of a (Z) visa shall apply for a resident permit at the local Public Security Bureau within 30 days of entry into China.
Crew Visa (C Visa)	For crewmembers working on board of international trains, airliners and vessels to China	1. A letter from the airline or shipping company and a photocopy of crew ID of the applicant are needed. 2. Crewmembers visiting China for sightseeing will be issued L Visa despite the validities of their C Visa.
Journalist Visa (J-1/J-2 Visa)	For Journalists	1. Applicants need to get the approval from related Chinese news authorities before submitting their visa application. 2. Journalists visiting China for sightseeing will be issued L Visa and are not permitted to cover news.
Resident Visa (D Visa)	For those who will reside permanently in China	A permanent residence confirmation form is required. The applicant shall apply to obtain this form himself or through his designated relatives in China from the exit-and-entry department of the Public Security Bureau in the city or county where he applies to reside.
Transit Visa (G Visa)	For transit through China	A valid visa of the destination country or region and connecting airline tickets are required.

Processing Time

Applicant will be given a pickup form when submitting the application. Applicant or someone else can pick up the visa by submitting the pickup form. No passports can be released without this form.

Regular service: 5 working days from the date of submitting the application.

Expedited Service: 3-4 working days from the date of submitting the application and the extra $20/visa will be charged.

Rush Service: 1-2 working days from the date of submitting the application and the extra $30/visa will be charged. If the application is submitted to our window before 11am, it could be picked up at 2:00pm on the same day.

Visa Fees

Credit card (MasterCard, Visa), money order and cashier's check are accepted for personal pickup.

Money order and cashier's check are accepted for mail back service.

Please make the money order or cashier's check payable to Chinese Consulate in Chicago.

Entries Permitted	Non-US Citizens (Using Romanian passport please see below)			US Citizens
	Regular Service	Expedited Service	Rush Service	Regular Service	Expedited Service	Rush Service
Single entry	30	50	60	130	150	160
Double entry	45	65	75
Multiple entry for 6 months	60	80	90
Multiple entry for 12 months or more	90	110	120

Visa fee of regular service for using Romanian passport is as follows:

$75 for a Single/Double entry visa

$150 for a multiple entry visa for 6-12 months

Mail back service

Applicants who cannot come to pick up could use mail back service. Please prepare a self-addressed pre-paid return envelope with sufficient postage. Only the following return envelopes with tracking number/bar code are accepted: UPS(air only), FedEx(air only), USPS Express Mail. Certified or registered return envelopes are not accepted. The applicant should fill in his/her name and US address as both SENDER and RECIPIENT on the return envelope. In addition to visa fee, handling fee of $5/envelope shall be charged. Please pay by money order or cashier's check. If you have more than one applications, you could use only one envelope and one money order or cashier's check.

Applicants are solely responsible for the correct address, postage provided on their return envelopes, any loss or damage to your passport and documents due to any mishandling by the post office or other delivery services.

Additional Information

Visa-free entry: No visa is required for ordinary passport holders from Singapore, Brunei and Japan to visit China for up to 15 days of business, sightseeing, visiting relatives or friends or transit.

Visa-free transit:

1. Visas are not required for aliens who hold final destination visas and have booked seats on international airliners flying directly through China, and will stay in a transit city for less than 24 hours without leaving the airport.

2. Visas are not required of passport holders of the following countries, who transit through Pudong Airport or Hongqiao Airport of Shanghai, provided they hold valid passports, visas for the onward countries, final destination tickets and have booked seats, and stay in Shanghai for less than 48 hours: Republic of Korea, United States, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Germany, France, Netherlands, Belgium, Luxemburg, Portugal, Spain, Italy, Austria, Greece, Sweden, Denmark, Norway, Finland, Iceland.

Applicants have the responsibility to check the contents of the visas when pick up.

All regulations are subject to change without notice.