What are the Requirements for China Tourist Visa A

If you're planning to visit China as a tourist, you'll need to apply for a Chinese Tourist Visa. 

There are several basic requirements that you'll need to meet in order to obtain a Chinese Tourist Visa:

1. Passport: You'll need to provide your original passport, which should have a validity of at least 6 months and have at least one blank visa page left. Additionally, make a copy of the data page, photo page, and any previous visa pages. If you have a valid Chinese Tourist Visa in an old passport and are now using a new passport, you can use both passports together to visit China as long as your purpose of visit remains the same.

2. China Visa Application Form: If you're from one of the 40 specified countries or regions, you can fill in the electronic form on the website of the China Visa Application Service Center (CVASC). Otherwise, you can either complete the form online or obtain the latest application form (v. 2013) from the visa office of the Chinese Embassy or Consulate. It is important to fill out all personal information and travel-related details completely and correctly, as visa officers will carefully verify this information to determine whether to approve your entry.

3. Visa Photo: You'll need to provide two recently-taken (within the past 6 months) front passport-size bareheaded color photos. These photos must be taken against a white or light solid background, hatless, with a frontal view presenting your full face. One photo should be attached to the printed visa application form. The paper photo size should be 33mm×48mm, and the digital photo size should be horizontal: 354-420 pixels, vertical: 472-560 pixels.

4. Proof of Legal Stay or Residence (applies to outlander applicants): If you're an outlander applicant, you'll need to provide the original and photocopy of a valid certificate or visa that shows your legal stay, residence, work, and study in the residing country (not in your home country).

5. Previous Chinese Passport or Chinese Visa (applies to former Chinese citizens who later joined a foreign nationality): If you're applying for a Chinese Visa for the first time, you'll need to submit the original passport and a copy of the passport's date page. If you've previously obtained a Chinese Visa and are now applying for a new one with a new passport, you'll need to provide a photocopy of the previous passport's date page and the old Chinese Visa. An official certificate of name change is needed if the name on the current passport is not the same as on the old passport.

In addition to these basic requirements, you'll also need to provide supporting documents showing your itinerary, such as booked refundable round-trip air tickets and hotel reservation records, proposed travel schedules, or an invitation letter issued by a relevant entity or individual in China.

An Invitation Letter is one of the optional supporting documents for a China Tourist Visa application. If you're invited to visit China by friends, family, or an authorized travel agency, an Invitation Letter may help explain your travel purpose. The letter should include:

a. Information on the applicant (passport number, nationality, full name, gender, date of birth, etc.)

b. Information on the planned tour (departure and arrival dates, places to be visited, etc.)

c. Information on the inviting entity or individual (the host company name or inviter's name, contact telephone number, address, official seal of the unit, signature of the legal representative or the inviting individual, etc.)

China Tourist Visa Invitation Letter

If you're applying for other types of Chinese Visas, such as China Business Visa or China Work Visa, please visit Required & Supporting Documents for China Visa.