- Outbound and return flight booking within the time the visa is applied for (that means that even if you plan to extend your visa in China, you still need to provide a flight within your original visa period).
- Stamped (chopped) hotel reservation for the complete duration of stay. In case you or your hotel are not entirely sure about what this confirmation should look like, you can download a form here. Only some embassies will accept online bookings.
- Alternatively, if you are staying at a relative's house, proof of kinship (marriage / birth certificate) and copies of his/her passport, visa, residence permit and police registration along with a personal invitation letter (see "How to... get a personal invitation letter") need to be provided. Please note that currently in some embassies, applications for tourist visas are only accepted without a hotel booking if the applicant has close relatives in China!
L visas are usually issued for a period of 30, sometimes of 45 or 60 days. They can be extended twice in Beijing (note the current regulations on how to extend L visas in Beijing, page 1 and page 2), which allows most visitors to stay in China for a maximum of 90 days in a row (assuming they started with a 30 days L visa). Extensions are subject to different regulations in other Chinese cities.
It seems that L visa can only be extended once for ten days in Beijing if you're from another Asian country.
However, if you are married to a Chinese national, you are eligible for a 12 months multiple entry L visa if you hand in your marriage certificate with your application (you can also do this in China). Please note that this L visa does not entitle you to work legally.
19 comments:
Vicky,
you'll have to come on a tourist visa which you should be able to extend here (especially because you're staying with family). This should give you about three months worth of legal visa, maybe even longer. If you haven't found a job by then, there's always the option to fly to Hong Kong and get a new visa.
so it's still possible to get a tourist L visa from Hong Kong? I've heard that, pre-July 1, ppl stlll got L's from third countries (ie hong kong or some place not your home country or China). Regarding work visas as well, i've had 2 friends who had to fly back to the UK or Australia, though i read websites where it says you can change from L to Z in Hong Kong?
Peijin,
the official information is indeed that you do have to go back to your home country to get a visa.
However, if you browse some forums (like here: http://www.thebeijinger.com/forum/viewforum.php?f=28), you'll see that all kinds of people are coming back from HK with brand new visas every day. It definitely helps to use an agency, but the Commissioner's Office in Wanchai is also full of foreigners.
If you give some of the agencies listed on my site a call they'll all tell you it's still possible to get F, L and Z visas, but it might be more expensive and require more documents than before, and the validity of your visa might be shorter than if you got it back home.
hi,I'm here in the Philippines, and my boyfriend is currently working in Shanghai, and has his Z visa. He rents an apartment together with his older sister and her husband and daughter. Would it be OK if my boyfriend sent me an invitation letter? I'm worried that the Chinese Embassy won't issue me a visa, with all the Olympics stuff going on. And does it do any harm if I show them my US visa,and my previous passports showing my travel to USA, Canada, and Hong Kong? Thanks in advance!
Please note that currently in some embassies, applications for tourist visas are only accepted without a hotel booking if the applicant has close relatives in China!
--this got me extra worried T_T
Pauline,
it is currently pretty hard to understand which nationals are still allowed to issue private invitation letters to friends and which ones aren't.
I know some Europeans definitely have to provide hotel bookings if proof of kinship cannot be provided, and we also know that in the past, Asian countries have always had a hard time applying for visa to China.
Showing them your previous visas will neither harm nor help; the same applies to your boyfriend's living situation.
The best thing you can do is give the Chinese embassy a call and ask if a hotel booking is mandatory for you.
Good luck!
I am a US Citizen traveling in Malaysia right now in Kuching. I have air, hotel and Olympic tickets already booked for August 10-12th. When I went to the Chinese Consulate in Kuching, they told me that I have to apply for a visa in Washington DC. This of course is not possible for me as I am in Borneo right now. Should I be able to get a visa for China from them or what options do I have in the next 25 days to get a visa? Thanks
Jim,
I copied your question and my answer to the "Ask a question" page. See you there!
Hi there,
I need to stay in Beijing for 60 days with a Tourist visa.
I wanted to go to HK to make a L visa valid 30 days double entry. So I would go out 30 days after the first entry and come back the day after to have my second entry.
Today, I called an agency in HK and they told me that the visa they can issue is a 30 days double entry, but the total duration of the stay cannot exceed 30 days.
Have you heard of such a visa or have I misunderstood the guy ?
Thank you for your help.
coeurdelion, was wondering if you've heard of people getting turned down on the L renewal at the Beijing PSB??
It is true that it will be hard for you to get a visa with a longer duration than 30 days in Hong Kong. You could try with a different agency but it might be tough. However, you should be able to extend your visa in Beijing for another 30 days (see "How to...extend my visa in Beijing") if you have the right documentation and sufficient funds.
Coeurdelion,
I'm currently living in Beijing but my current visa expires 15th October. At that time I'm going to travel the Trans-Mongolian to Mongolia and then to Russia.
I'll be in Mongolia from 8th-10th October to try and get a 1 month L visa for China. Do you know if the rules will be "going back to normal" by then, or will I need to book all my accomodation in China for my travel time? This will be a huge pain in the arse because I'll be travelling for a good month or two all around China.
Also, do you know if it's possible to get L visas extended at local PSB's around the country (I'll need to do this late November I guess).
Thanks a lot for your help!
Cheers
Hey BDB,
usually, October 17th is quoted as the day where everything goes back to normal. However, it seems that since September 19th already, bookings are not required any more when you apply for a tourist visa in the States, so there is hope this policy might be extended to embassies in other countries, too.
I can't tell you with certainty how this will be handled in Mongolia but it's quite easy, in the worst case, to make an online booking and cancel it later if your plans change.
Concerning extensions, they should be possible in any part of China, while the proof of sufficient funds only seems to be required when extending in Beijing.
Thanks for the help!
It's greatly appreciated :)
Hi Coeurdelion
Great website! Thanks heaps for all the info.
Just wondering if you knew how easy it is to get a tourist visa from Seoul?
I'm an Australian national if that makes any difference.
Thanks!!
Hi I would like very much to visit Xinjiang, as part of my central Asia tour. The Chinese consult require a Hotel reservation and airline ticket. I am from the Middle East and I am not sure that the Consulate will grant me a visa to visit Xianjin. If make my reservation to shanghai can I change my destination and travel to urumqi instead. Is that possible? Thanks
It seems that currently the Chinese Embassy in seoul only provides visa for Korean nationals and holders of a Korean work permit.
You can make a reservation anywhere in China - nobody can prevent your travel plans from changing! Just make sure you can cancel your bookings without a fee.
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