Hi everyone,

I’m thinking about booking a flight but there will be 2 transit stops in Dalian (23.75 hours) and Chengdu (14.75 hours). Will I be eligible for the 10-day transit visa since my final destination will be the third stop?

Thanks.

hi, i'm an ethnically chinese, u.s borne citizen and i applied for my china visa at the hong kong office. i have all the documents listed on the china visa website for hong kong but do not have the documents needed for ethnically chinese people that are not listed on the website.

these additional documents for ethnically chinese people (but not chinese nationals) include:

• both parents' passports/green cards valid at the date of your birth
• your birth certificate

you can find the visa application process on other threads but this is the one for the hong kong office:

1. queued up at the very front, showed my visa app to the guy and he stamps it with today's date.
2. went to another desk where i showed all my visa documents and he gave me a queue number.
3. waited 1-2 hours to see one of the 15-20 clerks
4. saw a clerk, got turned away because i didn't have the correct documents. *each time i visited after i was turned away, i was told to return to the same clerk
5. finally submitted my documents after 3 visits, got a receipt and went to another desk to pay the $1340 HKD fee - not expedited or urgent. usually this takes 3 business days but you can pay more to get it expedited by 1-2 days. for me, my app was flagged because i didn't have the specific docs they asked for so i'm waiting on an email that can come in 1 week-1 month apparently

i had a couple of complications with my application as stated above:

my mom was a permanent resident and green card holder before i was born but the only one she had was expired at the date of my birth. i included (1) her green card from before i was born, but expired at the date of my birth (2) her passport upon naturalization - a little after i was born, (3) a statement that explained the time gap between these documents, (4) her chinese passport from before she was naturalized, and (5) her current passport valid today.

my dad was a us citizen before i was born but did not have his green card or passport on the date i was born; also, the name on his naturalization certificate did not match the name on his current passport. i included (1) his naturalization certificate before i was born (2) the back of the naturalization certificate that explains the difference in names between the naturalization cert and his passport, (3) a statement that confirms that the naturalization document belongs to my dad (because of the name difference), and (4) his current passport valid today.

waiting on the email now but it's only been 1 day - will update this thread! let me know if anybody has had a similar experience/insight on mine!

I'm filling out the visa application form cos I'm going to go out to China with my girlfriend (Chinese) and she's going to be filling out an invitation letter form for me. Do I need to bring any of her ID documents besides the Invitation letter itself to the visa centre, and do I still need to bring documented proof of flight and hotel booking if I am applying for the visa with an invitation letter? Applying from the UK btw.

Guessing they don’t take Apple Pay right?

Can anyone recommend the fastest/best website for a tourist visa application? I’m leaving on the 26th of march and feel like I’m running out of time.

Hi,

I have a multiple entry working vise that has max duration of 30 days. Is it a good work-around to leave the country within 30 days each month? I need to be there for 3 months.

Example: Fly to Seoul from CH, and then back to CH from Seoul the next day.

Thanks in advance :)

I'm a Hong Kong resident with Right to Land, and I make frequent trips into the mainland for leisure and travel purposes. I am a US passport holder with a tourism visa for China.

Since I make such frequent trips to the Shenzhen side, my passport is filling up quite quickly. I'm aware of a new entry scheme for Hong Kong permanent residents that will now allow non-Chinese Hong Kong permanent residents to enter using a special card via the e-channel, but I'm not elligable for this.

Is anyone aware of an alternative visa or entry scheme for China that could give me E-channel access? I've been told my multiple people that they have a friend who is working in Hong Kong, not a permanent resident, and is able to enter China using the e-channel.

I know there is a new visa they are offering to non-permanent Hong Kong residents that grants you 5 years with multiple entries, which I'm also looking to apply for as my Visa expires soon. However, I've found that information on this is limited, and I have no idea what Visa application to fill out for this or even if this Visa would allow me to register for the e-Channel. Would appreciate any insights people can provide!

I have an upcoming vacation to China in three weeks but just realized I might not be eligible for the China visa.

I was born in Hong Kong (pre-1997), currently holding a valid US passport, an expired HK-ID and SAR-passport. It appears I cannot apply for a China visa with my US passport because I am retroactively a dual Chinese citizen after 1997. I do not wish to renounce my HK/China citizenship. Which is the most reliable method that allows me to travel to China in three weeks? Do I need to apply for the "Return to Homeland" permit instead? Flying from US > Hong Kong > China without leaving the airport. I have access to the China consulate in Los Angeles.

The person that is actually traveling is an elderly person with limited mobility, so taking the time to apply in-person while in HK is not an option. HELP!

Hello!

I'm walking into the Chinese consulate tomorrow to try and get a Visa. I am Chinese-American and have seen that I may need my parent's naturalization documents. However, I don't know if I will be able to get these in time.

If I had a previous X2 visa (but this time I am applying for an L visa), do you all think I would still need to show my parents' passports, naturalization documents, etc.

Thanks so much!

On COVA section 2.1, when selecting Q1/Q2 visa the form asks for "Name of the Chinese citizen(s)" after selecting "Relative of Chinese citizen(s) living in China applying for a visa for visit no more than 180 days." Should I list every relative here or just the one who is providing the invitation letter? I was going to list everyone as a comma-separated list but the form would not let me enter any non alphanumeric characters under the ID section so I did not know how to separate the relevant IDs.

Entering Mainland (from TW) with Italian passport, first for work then planning to stay a few more days on vacation. Planning to then cross the border to HK and fly back to Europe from there.

What do I need to have when I first go through Mainland customs? Proof that I'm leaving for HK? Do I need to decide in advance when exactly I leave Mainland for HK?

My family is planning a trip to China for the first time since COVID - my wife, my older daughter & I all have valid 10 year visas from the Before Times.

However our family has since grown to a second daughter, who does not yet have a China visa.

I am considering just taking her on TWOV. Our itinerary would be NRT-DLC-PVG-SFO.

Has anyone tried mixing a TWOV with accompanying visa holders, especially when the TWOV is a minor?

Hi everyone, information online isn't very clear so it would be amazing to get help on this and also be pointed in the direction of an official source to confirm.

We are flying to Japan but opted for a 20 hour stopover in Beijing en route. Our plan is to leave the airport, check into an airport hotel then go into Beijing to explore. We would have the afternoon and then fly the following morning.

My understanding is we don't need to do anything at all in preparation and go to a TWOV counter for a 24 hour pass. Is there anything else we should consider to make this as seamless as possible i.e. printing our hotel confirmation, flight passes from Beijing to Japan?

Also a random question, but my friend is mixed race and has experienced discrimination before in a European airport - all Caucasian people were waved through and only my friend was stopped to have his passport checked. I'm worried that it's a gamble as to whether the officer will approve our 24 hour visit. I'm feeling really stressed about this, it would be absolutely awful if one or both of us didn't get through the checks. Any advice is really appreciated.

Hey all.

My friend and I intend to travel to China on Saturday. One UK passport holder, one Polish passport holder.

Our planned itinerary is:

• 8th Feb: Fly London -> Munich -> Beijing on Lufthansa (arrive 9th Feb)
• 11th Feb: High Speed Rail Beijing -> Xi’an
• 13th Feb: High Speed Rail Xi’an -> Chengdu
• 14th Feb: Fly Chengdu -> Taipei on Sichuan Airlines

My biggest concern is that the rail portions of the trip travel through regions that are not acceptable using TWOV, but we will not be alighting at any of those places, just passing through.

Is there any anecdotal evidence of this sort of itinerary being allowed? If there’s any risk then I’ll book a flight back out of Beijing but we would like to see some more of the country if at all possible.

Thanks in advance.

Hello, I am indian citizen. I will be joining a job in china for 2 years of contract. My spouse and child will stay in India during these 2 years. But, they would come to China for visiting for few months every year at regular interval (e.g. 1 months at every 6 months).

So, I was looking for some visa that is not residence visa but a visitor visa having multiple entry and valid for 2 years.

I believe S2 visa is for that purpose. But Google says it's valid for 90 to 180 days only. I want it to be valid for 2 years having multiple entry option. Please guide.

Ok so im a former chinese citizen(current US citizen), im trying to apply for a visa to go back to china to see family. Im going through a visa agency to get my visa done. But i wanna make sure i have all my stuff in check before i start on the process. So the problem is, i dont have my old chinese visa anymore. Its been over 7 year since i became a US citizen. And i read that former chinese nationals need to provide a copy of their old chinese visa. The closest thing i have to proove where i originally from is my US naturalization certificate. Can i apply as a tourist even tho im a former chinese citizen? Or are there specific steps i have to follow? I dont even remember how to write my name in chinese anymore. If someone here has gone through this before, please give me some guidance.

Hi everyone,
I’ll be traveling soon with a 4-hour layover at PEK (Beijing Capital International Airport), and I want to be sure I won’t run into any issues. Here are the details of my trip:

• I have a Paraguayan passport
• My airline is Air China, and I will remain in the airport for the entire layover.
• I’m departing from Taiwan and continuing to a third country.

From what I’ve read, I should qualify for the 24-hour visa-free transit, but I’d love to hear from anyone who has done a short layover at PEK recently. Were there any unexpected issues with transit passengers or Air China at PEK?

Any advice or experiences would be greatly appreciated! Thanks in advance 😊

I'm applying for an L Tourist visa and am Chinese Canadian (ethnically only, born in Canada holding a Canadian passport and never had Chinese passport or citizenship). My parents were originally born in HK but are now Canadian Citizens and hold Canadian passports prior to my birth.

I noticed on the visa form that there is a field for "Chinese Name (if applicable)". I do have a Chinese name and my legal middle name on my passport is an English romanization of the first two characters. However, my actual Chinese name in Chinese characters isn't "officially" recorded anywhere - for those in a similar situation, did you fill out the Chinese Name field?

I am hesitant to fill out the field as I'm not sure of the implications of including a Chinese name that isn't "official" as it may cause some unnecessary and unwanted issues, and it also seems like a field more for prior Chinese citizens/passport holders as well. But my legal middle name does have Chinese romanization in it so I'm not sure if that would raise questions during the visa application process lol.

Would love to hear input from others in a similar situation - thanks in advance!

Can anyone help clarify the questions below for the 144 hour transit visa?

1. Is it correct that seperate tickets, under seperate airline itineraries can be booked when arriving to and leaving China? This doesn't seem to be specifically clarified from what I can tell, but other folks have not had issues with this.

2. How are domestic layovers treated in this policy? For example is landing in PEK (Beijing) from Australia, and departing from PEK to PVG (Shanghai) and later to USA acceptable?

Edit: I should have clarified that PEK to USA would be single itinerary and I would not leave airport in PVG.

US Passport 3/1 ONT > TPE 3/5 TPE > PVG 3/12 PVG > TPE > ONT

For sanity check🫶🙏

EDIT: Thank you all for your insight! Even though some may consider this silly and assume lack of due diligence, it’s my first time flying to China and I felt comfortable asking the Reddit community, and believed it wouldn’t be so harsh. I’ve learned my lesson in not coming back here to ask.

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Planning to book a trip from London to Taipei via Shanghai on Air China as a multi-stop flight. I’m a British passport holder.

Itinerary would be LGW > PVG direct flight arriving on a Thursday morning and then I have a separate ticket from PVG > TPE on the Saturday morning.

A week later I’ll be flying back TPE > PVG > LGW but with a 5 hr layover and not planning to leave the airport.

Just want to check that this is all fine under the transit without visa rules - I think it is as Taiwan would be a third region so am clearly transiting through China within the now 240 hrs since the recent rule change. Presumably as I’d be flying with a Chinese airline they should be clear on the rules too, so hopefully should avoid any of the issues I’ve heard about with people being refused travel. Other than having all flights booked and clearly with onward travel to a third region, is there anything else I’d need?

And is there anything else I need to be aware of?

Thanks in advance!

Hi everyone,

I'm a US citizen with an upcoming layover at PVG Airport. Here are my flight details:

• Arrival: Saturday 16:05 (Terminal 1)
• Departure: 00:55 next day (Terminal 1)
• Total layover time: 8 hours 50 minutes

I'm confused about the visa requirements for this layover since I want to explore Pudong side/Nanjiang road side. Can anyone clarify:

If I want to leave the airport during this time, what kind of visa would I need? And where do I apply?

Thank you in advance.

I’m applying for an L visa as a canadian citizen to travel to see my boyfriend in April. I’m currently a student and i don’t work during the school year so my “income” is very low. I worked at a part time job last summer and made ~2000CAD. Most of the money that i am using for this trip is from gifts from my family. For the question on the visa about annual income, should i put this $2000, or add the gift money that i am using? I have put my occupation as student, so it will make sense for me to have a low income but will this affect the approval of my visa?

Another question, I am arriving to china in xiamen where i will be staying with my bf, so i will have an invitation letter to stay with him. However I am leaving china from shanghai, do i need to show proof of a hotel booking in shanghai?

Is this possible? Most sites say only cats or dogs but I saw one that said maybe as an agricultural import?

My best friend is going to China on the 9th of February and just invited me to the trip today (31st Jan) and I was wondering if there is a way to get my visa for the trip in time? Or is there any way to get around the visa requirement for the trip, I have a current passport right now. Any help is appreciated🙏🙏🙏

Hey, I'm applying for a work permit from the UK and need to get my 3 docs apostilled (degree, TEFL and ACRO). I understand my ACRO cert does not need to be notarised before sending it off to the gov but seeing conflicting info regarding the other 2, does anyone have any recent experience of this? Thanks!

The applicant in this case is an American national, living and traveling abroad for a few years.

Would the police certificate of no criminal record need to be from the recent/current country of residence, or from the US? Thanks.

Enter China date on my multi entry visa is Feb 25,2025 can I go Feb 21,2025 and stay full duration of my 60 days listed? Or does it expire? Thank you.

My 5-year-old son has a 10-year Q2 visa from his first passport. He will need to apply for a new passport for our trip to China this summer due to the 6 month validity rule. The State department has information on their website that makes it seem like we can just use the old visa as long as it matches his biographical data on the new passport, but I just want to confirm with someone’s who has gone through this. TIA!

https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/international-travel/International-Travel-Country-Information-Pages/China.html

“Your passport must have at least six months' validity remaining. If your visa is not in your valid passport, the biographical data on the valid passport and the visa must match exactly”

Last year I worked for the US government with a security clearance. I quit recently to start my grad school masters program. Will I still be able to get a visa?