I. Definition
A visa is an officially approved document issued by authorized bodies of the government following the laws of the country to foreigners who are applying for entrance into, exit from or transit through the country.
According to international laws and practice, any sovereign state is entitled to decide whether it will allow foreigners to enter or exit its border, and whether it will issue or reject a visa, or revoke an issued visa according to its national laws.
Chinese visa-issuing authorities are entitled to make the final decision of visa type, number of entries, period of validity and duration of stay according to Chinese laws and regulations.
II. Visa-issuing Authorities
Chinese overseas diplomatic/consular missions and other institutions authorized by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of China are responsible for the issuance of visa to foreigners in host countries.
III. Categories of Chinese Visa (Mainland Only)
Chinese Visa (Mainland only) includes diplomatic visa, courtesy visa, service (official) visa and ordinary visa. The categories of ordinary visas include C、D、F、J1/J2、M、Q1/Q2、R、S1/S2、X1/X2、Z as listed in the following table.
Visa Type | Applicant’s Category |
C | Issued to foreign crew members of international transportation, including aircraft, trains, and ships, as well as motor vehicle drivers engaged in cross-border transport activities，and ships crew's accompanying family members. |
D | Issued to individuals intending to reside permanently in China. |
F | Issued to individuals intending to visit China for exchanges, visits, study tours, and other non-commercial activities. |
J1 | Issued to resident foreign journalists representing international news organizations stationed in China, whose anticipated duration of stay in the China exceeds 180 days. |
J2 | Issued to foreign journalists intending to visit China for short-term reporting (up to 180 days). |
M | Issued to individuals intending to visit China for commercial and trade activities. |
Q1 | Issued to family members of Chinese citizens or foreigners with Chinese permanent residence who intend to go to China for a family reunion, or to those who intend to go to China for the purpose of foster care. The intended duration of stay in China exceeds 180 days.
'Family members' refers to spouses, parents, parents-in-law, sons, daughters, spouses of sons or daughters, brothers, sisters, grandparents, grandsons, granddaughters. |
Q2 | Issued to family members of Chinese citizens or foreigners with Chinese permanent residence who intend to go to China for a family reunion. The intended duration of stay in China isn’t more than 180 days. |
R | Issued to foreign high-level talents and urgently needed specialized talents required by China. |
S1 | Issued to individuals intending to visit foreigners working or studying in China to whom they are spouses, parents, sons or daughters under the age of 18, or parents-in-law, or to those who intend to go to China for other private affairs. The intended duration of stay in China exceeds 180 days. |
S2 | Issued to individuals intending to visit the family members of foreigners who are visiting China for short-term visits (no more than 180 days) for work, study, etc., as well as those who need to visit china for medical treatment or medical companion.
"Family members" refers to spouses, parents, sons, daughters, spouses of sons or daughters, brothers, sisters, grandparents, grandsons, granddaughters and parents-in-law. |
X1 | Issued to individuals intending to study in China for more than 180 days. |
X2 | Issued to individuals intending to study in China for a period of no more than 180 days. |
Z | Issued to individuals intending to work in China. |
IV. Hong Kong and Macau Visa
(I) Hong Kong Special Administrative Region visa
A. The Hong Kong SAR grants visa-free treatment to people from certain countries and regions. Please click here for more information: http://www.immd.gov.hk/sc/services/hk-visas/visit-transit/visit-visa-entry-permit.html#part2
B．Foreigners who do not enjoy visa-free treatment must apply for a visa to Hong Kong.
(II) Macau Special Administrative Region visa
A. The Macau SAR grants visa-free treatment to people from certain countries and regions. Please click here for more information:https://www.gov.mo/zh-hans/services/ps-1474/ps-1474b/#6
B. Except for a few specific countries, foreigners from other countries who do not enjoy visa-free treatment can, in principle, apply for a visa on arrival at the Macao port.
Foreigners who apply to travel to mainland China, Hong Kong SAR, and Macau SAR at the same time must apply for mainland visa and visa for Hong Kong and Macau respectively.
V. Period of Validity
The period of validity ("enter before", shown on biometric visa as "expiry date") means the valid period of time during which the visa holder may enter China. Unless specified by the issuing authority, a visa is valid from the date of issuance until Beijing time 24:00 on the expiring day. The visa holder can enter China before the expiry date, so long as the entries granted on the visa have not been used up.
VI. Entries
The number of "entries" means the number of times that the visa holder may enter China within the period of validity time. The visa is no longer valid if the entries are all used up, or the visa has expired by the expiry date even if entries have not been used up. In either case, the visa holder should apply for a new visa if another visit to China is planned. Holders of an invalid visa will be refused to enter China.
VII. Duration of stay
"Duration of stay" means the period of time during which the visa holder is allowed to stay in China after each entry. It begins from the next day of entry.
Overstay in China violates Exit and Entry Administration Law of the People's Republic of China, Regulations of the People's Republic of China on Administration of the Entry and Exit of Foreigners and other relevant laws and regulations, and may result in a fine or other penalty.
VIII. Residence Permits
Holders of D visa, J1 visa, Q1 visa, S1 visa, and X1 visa with the "000" duration of stay shall, within 30 days from the date of their entry, apply for foreigners' residence permit from the exit and entry departments of China’s public security organs at and above the municipal level (including districts and counties under the jurisdiction of municipalities directly ruled by China Central Government), which are entrusted by China National Immigration Administration.
Holders of W-series visa (including W-diplomatic, W-courtesy, W-service and W-ordinary visa) with the "000" duration of stay shall, within 30 days from the date of their entry, apply for foreigners' residence permit to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) of China or MFA-authorized local foreign affairs office in China.