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Visa policy of mainland China

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The Government of the People's Republic of China allows citizens of specific countries/territories to travel to the Chinese Mainland for tourism or business for up to 15 days without having to obtain a visa, but most foreign travellers to China are required to hold a visa. Exceptions to this requirement exist in certain parts of the country.

Chinese visa

China's visa policies are constantly changing, which has been the subject of both official comment and news reports.[1] [2] In fact, the Australian government warns its citizens: "The Chinese authorities have put in place more stringent requirements for visa issue.... Police authorities (Public Security Bureau) have tightened regulations and are stringently enforcing regulations for the issue and renewal of visas."[2]

Eligible nationalities for visa-free entry

Citizens holding passports issued by the following nations are not required to obtain a visa to travel to China on a trip as long as it lasts no more than the visa waiver limit as listed below.

Ordinary passports

15 days or less

90 days or less

Ordinary passports (endorsed "for public affairs")

30 days or less

Diplomatic and service/official passports

30 days or less

Seaman's identity certificate/book

30 days or less

APEC Business Travel Card

Citizens of the following countries who possess an APEC Business Travel Card which states on the reverse that it is valid for travel to China can enter visa-free.

Visa-free transit within any international airport

Visas are not required of any foreign passport holders who:

  • hold air tickets to a final destination outside China and who have booked seats on international airlines flying directly through China
  • stay in the transit city for less than 24 hours;
  • leaving the airport transit area is not allowed.[26]

Region-specific visa exemptions

The Chinese government has implemented visa waiver schemes for foreign nationals travelling to particular areas of Mainland China.

Shanghai

Holders of passports issued by the following countries do not need a visa if transiting through either Pudong Airport or Hongqiao Airport in Shanghai provided they hold valid passports, visas for the onward countries, final destination tickets and have booked onward flight seats, and stay in Shanghai for less than 48 hours. [25]

Pearl River Delta

All visitors to Hong Kong and/or Macao are able to visit the surrounding Pearl River Delta visa-free as long as the following conditions are fulfilled [26]:

Hainan Province

Nationals from the following countries can visit Hainan Island visa-free as long as their visit lasts 15 days or less and they are visiting as part of a tour group organised by a National Tourism Administration of China-approved travel agency based in Hainan.[27][28]

Region-specific visa restrictions

There are special rules to obain a visa to the Special Administrative Region of Macao that exempt only a few countries' nationals.[29] Residents of the "mainland" of China have had great difficulty in obtaining a visa to go to Macao (also spelled Macau), due to what is termed an informal policy.[1] This may have been done to prevent money laundering, but by August 2010, the policy has hurt the Macau economy, especially its casinos.[1]

The Australian government warns that:

The Chinese government does not recognise dual nationality and will not allow consular access by the Australian Embassy or Consulate to Australians detained by Chinese authorities if they have entered China on a Chinese passport, a Hong Kong or Macau identity card or any non-Australian foreign passport. ... Hong Kong and Macau are Special Administrative Regions (SAR) and have separate visa and entry administration. Travellers who exit mainland China to visit Hong Kong or Macau may require a new Chinese visa to re-enter mainland China. Travellers with a single entry visa for China should be particularly diligent to this requirement. Some travel permits, issued in Hong Kong or at Hong Kong-Macau-Chinese mainland border crossings, are valid for limited travel to designated areas only such as Shenzhen, Zhuhai or other areas in Guangdong Province. It is illegal to use these permits to travel to other parts of China. Travellers should carefully check the details on their visa.

— "Travel Advice for China", Government of Australia [2]

Visa application procedures for visa nationals

In the majority of cases, visa nationals are required to apply for a Chinese visa in their home country at the Chinese foreign mission (embassy or consulate) or through an appointed visa agent prior to entry into China. However, in some scenarios, it is possible to arrange for a visa upon entry into China. There are currently four main categories of visas available: L (tourist), F (short term business/study), X (study) and Z (work) visas. There are also visa categories for spouses and children, though these are more complex to obtain and rarely granted. Chinese embassies require invitation letters for all visa types. L-visas are issued for any time between 14 - 90 days and can be extended in China twice for 30 days. F-visas are issued for either 1, 3, or 6 months, X-visas for 6 or 12 months and Z-visas for 12 months.


Visa-on-arrival procedures

Airports

Visa nationals are able to obtain a visa-on-arrival at the following airports as long as arrangements have been made prior to arrival into China and confirmation has been received from the Entry and Exit Division of the local Public Security Bureau that a visa will be issued on arrival.

See also

Citations

  1. ^ a b c Muhammad Cohen, "Visa curbs haunt Macau," Asia Times, August 3, 2010. Found at Asia Times online. Accessed August 26, 2010.
  2. ^ a b c "Travel Advice for China", found at Government of Australia website. online]. Accessed August 26, 2010.
  3. ^ Embassy of the People's Republic of China in Negara Brunei Darussalam: Information for Visa to China [1]
  4. ^ Embassy of the People's Republic of China in Japan: About Chinese Visa [2]
  5. ^ Embassy of the People's Republic of China in the Republic of Singapore: Chinese Visas [3]
  6. ^ Visa Information [4]
  7. ^ Mutual Visa-free Agreement between China and Foreign Countries [5]
  8. ^ http://www.esteri.sm/on-line/home/ufficio-passaporti-servizi-e-modulistica/ufficio-passaporti/ufficio-passaporti---visti-turistici.html
  9. ^ Visa Information [6]
  10. ^ Visa Information [7]
  11. ^ Visa Information [8]
  12. ^ Visa Information [9]
  13. ^ Visa Information [10]
  14. ^ Visa Information [11]
  15. ^ Visa Information [12]
  16. ^ Visa Information [13]
  17. ^ Visa Information [14]
  18. ^ Visa Information [15]
  19. ^ Visa Information [16]
  20. ^ Visa Information [17]
  21. ^ Visa Information [18]
  22. ^ Visa Information [19]
  23. ^ Visa Information [20]
  24. ^ Mutual visa-free agreement between China and Foreign Countries [21]
  25. ^ Visa-free entry into China [22]
  26. ^ Do I need a visa? [23]
  27. ^ Do I need a visa? [24]
  28. ^ 入境海南旅游26国免签证 [25]
  29. ^ June 6, 2010, "Notice on adjustment of Macao SAR visa policy for nationals of relevant countries," found at Website of the Chinese embassy in Nigeria. Accessed August 26, 2010.
  30. ^ "武汉航空口岸取得落地签证权". Retrieved 12 08, 2011. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help)


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