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All foreign citizens need a visa to enter China. The ordinary visa consists of nine sub-categories, which are respectively marked with Chinese phonetic letters F, L, Z, X, C, J-1, J-2, G, and D.
The most common is the Tourism Visa (L) issued to those who enter China temporarily for touring, family visiting or other personal affairs (multiple-entry is not granted for this category).
When applying for a tourism visa, an Individual traveler can apply for one at any Chinese embassy or consulate, and the procedure is usually straightforward with following documents to be submitted:
- One completely filled out Visa Application Form (Forms in English, German, French)
- One recently taken 2X2 in. photo showing entire face and without a hat on. Please affix the photo to the application form.
- Original passport with at least 2 blank visa pages and valid for at least 6 months beyond the date of application.
Please note that no visa application can be done through mail, email, internet, or any express delivery service such as UPS, FedEx, etc. Visa application should be submitted and picked up by the applicant or someone else entrusted at the Consulate.
A standard 30-day, single-entry visa from most Chinese embassies abroad can be issued in three to five working days. Rush processing of 24 hours issue or same-day is also available (additional Embassy fee applies).
Note that some Consulates do not allow submission by mail and some ask additional requirements (e.g., a letter of confirmation of the tour arrangement made by a travel agency in China or letter of reservation of hotel in China). As these requirements are changing and dependent on citizenship, all travelers are invited to contact the Chinese embassy for further information.
China Travel Guide provides also addresses of all Chinese embassies in the world.
If you wish to book tours with the Trans-Siberian Train and need confirmation of your travel in China, please book one of our individual travel packages with stops in Russia, Mongolia and China or contact us by email.
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