1. Visa Category
F-visa is recommended for guests planning to attend an academic conference in China. An invitation letter, which will be sent by conference organizers promptly after collecting participants’ information, is an important supporting document for the F-visa application.
For details of Chinese visa categories and their document requirements, please refer to: About Chinese Visa
2. Length of Application Time
Normally, the Chinese Embassy or Consulate issues a visa within 4 to 5 working days and the date of passport collection will be indicated on the pick-up sheet. However, the Embassy or Consulate reserves the right to extend the visa processing time in some special cases. For applicants, it is recommended to submit their visa application about one month before their planned date of entry.
3. Application Fee
Please check the official website of the local Chinese Embassy/Consulate.
4. Rush Service
Rush service is available and generally it costs about CNY 170 to 250.
5. Mutual Visa Exemption Arrangement
List of Agreements on Mutual Visa Exemption: List of Agreements on Mutual Visa Exemption Between the People’s Republic of China and Foreign Countries
Exemption of visa requirements does not mean permission to stay and reside in the other contracting country for an indefinite period of time. According to the agreements, holders of valid specified passports are permitted to stay for less than 30 days upon entry into the other contracting country. If a passport holder intends to stay for over 30 days, he or she should go through residence formalities with the local authorities according to relevant regulations as soon as possible.
6. China implements unilateral visa-free policy for 47 nations
Currently, nationals of 47 countries including Brunei, France, Germany, Italy, Spain, Holland, Malaysia, Switzerland, Ireland, Hungary, Austria, Belgium, Luxembourg, New Zealand, Australia, Poland, Portugal, Greece, Cyprus, Slovenia, Slovakia, Norway, Finland, Denmark, Iceland, Andorra, Monaco, Liechtenstein, Korea, Bulgaria, Romania, Croatia, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Malta, Estonia, Latvia, Japan, Brazil, Argentina, Chile, Peru, Uruguay, Saudi Arabia, Oman, Kuwait and Bahrain holding valid ordinary passports can be exempted from visa requirement if entering into China for the purpose of business, tourism, family or friends visits, exchange and transit. They can stay in China for no more than 30 days without visa.
For more information, please visit: Answers to Frequently Asked Questions on 30-day Unilateral Visa-free Policy-FAQ
7. 240-hour Visa-free Transit Policy
Individuals from 55 eligible countries, including Russia, Brazil, the United Kingdom, the United States of America, and Canada, traveling from China to a third country (region), can enter visa-free through any of the 60 open ports in 24 provinces (autonomous regions and municipalities), and stay within the allowed areas for visa-free transit travelers for no more than 240 hours.
For more information, please visit: China's visa-free transit policy fully relaxed and optimized and China's 240-hour visa-free transit policy_Visas
8. Special Cases
TE invitation letters are required for visa applicants from Turkey, Sri Lanka, Pakistan, etc., which means visa applications from these countries may take more time.
9. Quick Links
Embassy of China in the US:
Embassy of China in the UK:
http://gb.china-embassy.gov.cn/eng/visa/
