Guide On Chinese Visa
Guide On Chinese Visa one of the leading Asian destinations, which is frequented by travelers and tourists from across the globe. Large numbers of US citizens also come to the country not only for leisurely travel and tourism but also for business purposes. Whatever be the intent of visit, US citizens will need a valid Chinese visa for the travel purpose. There are different categories of visas available for entry into China. And each category has separate formalities that have to be met with. Read on to know about the different kinds of Chinese visas and the way of getting the same.
What is a Chinese Visa?
A visa is an approval given by a foreign country’s government to an individual so that he/she can enter the country without any kinds of obstructions. US citizens have a very powerful passport and they usually don’t need visa or other kinds of documentation for entering other countries. But for entering countries like China, India, Russia, Brazil etc, proper visa is required by US citizens. For obtaining the visa, different kinds of paperworks and documentations need to be done and submitted at the Chinese Embassy in the US capital or at Chinese consulates, which are located in Houston, New York, San Francisco, Los Angeles and Chicago. Once the visa is approved, it is affixed to the US passport. Expedite visa services are also available if you are in urgency of getting a China visa. Verification of the passport and the visa is done at almost every step while traveling from US to China. When you check in for the international flight to China, the airline will thoroughly verify and check whether you have a valid passport and appropriate visa on the passport. After arrival at China at any of the airports at Beijing, Shanghai or any other Chinese airport, there will be immigration check where the passport and the visa will be reviewed. In case there are anomalies in the documents, the traveler will be denied entry into China and will need to take a flight back to US. However, if the documents are valid and proper, entry into China is permitted.
Basic requirements for getting a Chinese Visa
For obtaining a Chinese visa, certain basic requirements have to be fulfilled. Some of them are as follows:
• Original passport with minimum validity of 6 months. Two blank pages in the passport is a must.
• Photocopy in black and white of the passport page containing the photo of the applicant. Photocopies of the pages which contain any past Chinese visas that you had obtained in the past. (This point is only applicable if the applicant has already been to China in the past)
• Recently clicked passport sized colored photo with light background. The dimensions of the photo should be 48mm x 33mm.
• Duly filled up application form, printed and signed by the applicant. There should be no errors in the application form as it can lead to rejection of the visa application.
• An invitation letter issued by a relevant individual or entity in China. The invitation letter is required while applying for C Visa, L Visa, F Visa, Q visa, M Visa, Z visa or S visa. The invitation letter can be in the form of a computer scanned printout, a fax copy or a photocopy. However, there are times when the invitation letter needs to be furnished in original.
Apart from these, there are some optional documents as well that need to be produced for getting a China visa. Those are for specific requirements and cases.
Validity of Chinese visa
There are different time periods of validity of Chinese visa. Validity of visas ranges from 30 days to 10 years. In general, Chinese visas issued to citizens of US have validity of 10 years. But if not needed, they might apply for a visa with shorter duration as per their preference and discretion. For non US citizens, the validity period of the visa is not so long. Usually those visas are valid from 3 months to a year’s time. There are two aspects that are covered in the validity of the visa. One aspect is how long the visa is applicable and the second is the length of stay of the traveler. For instance, for US citizens, the China visa is valid for 10 years, but the length of stay per entry is just 60 days. This means that the US citizen can visit China for 60 days at a stretch at a time for as many times they like within span of 10 years.
Obtaining Chinese visa via a reliable agency
There are many agencies offering China visa services in USA. When you are looking to get a Chinese visa via an agency, it is important that you choose the right agency at the first place. China visa department is one that caters high quality services on arranging china visa for American citizen. You will get highest level of customer service with professionalism.