Getting A Chinese Visa can usually be processed in two ways: through the online visa service provided by China visa direct delivery, or through the visa office of the Chinese Embassy / Consulate General in your country of residence.
China visa procedures in the United States are based on your country of residence at the visa office of the Chinese Embassy / Consulate. The cost of a tourist visa is $140. You can submit your application in person or use an agent (no power of attorney required).
In the visa process of the Chinese Embassy, you must submit a series of documents in person, and at the end of the process, you must card the visa in your passport. For a group online visa, you must send the scanned documents through the online form, and finally get a form with a visa seal, which contains the list of group names going to China; this form is not attached to your passport It is sent to you from Shanghai through FedEx, UPS or DHL, etc. at your home in the United States.
What are the requirements for Getting A Chinese Visa online?
Online group travel visas are issued for groups of at least two people, up to a maximum of 10. All members of the group must travel the same way in and out of China at the same time. If you travel with family or friends, it’s an ideal visa and everyone has the same itinerary.
To obtain this visa, you must scan the documents and send them electronically: a copy of your passport page and your personal information, a copy of your return ticket (by plane or train), and a copy of your hotel reservation.
After sending documents online and paying for them, they will send the visa to your home address through the international express service.
A visa is an A4 size form that details the authorized group. The price varies according to your nationality. For US citizens, the cost per person is $130. It is a valid visa within 30 days from the date of entry into China and must be used within 15 days from the date of issuance. This visa only applies to one entry, so if you plan to re-enter from China (two entries), it will not work for you.
Process of Getting A Chinese Visa from the Chinese Embassy
You can check at the Chinese Embassy, but Americans must apply for a visa to go to China. According to the purpose of travel, there are many types of visa: tourist visa, business visa, transit visa, study visa, work visa, etc. Next, I will explain step by step how to deal with tourist visas to the United States. It is recommended to start the visa application process 30 to 45 days before the date of your entry into China. You can apply for a visa up to three months in advance.
When can I get a visa?
After you complete the formalities in person and submit all necessary documents correctly, you will get the visa within 4 working days. However, keep in mind that the number of processing days may vary depending on the time of the year and existing needs, but on average it takes about four working days.
What is the validity of the visa?
The period of validity of a visa is the period from the date of issue of the visa (when you submit your application) to the period of validity of the visa. This is the time when you can enter China. It can be 3 months, 6 months or 1 year. As I will explain later, this does not mean you can stay in China for 3, 6 or 12 months.
What is the maximum stay time?
Stay time refers to the time you can stay in China since you enter China. For a tourist visa (one entry visa) valid for 3 months, the maximum stay time is 30 days.
Entry times refer to the number of times you can enter China during the validity period of your visa.
Single entry. The most common type is a single entry visa, through which you can only enter China once. It doesn’t matter whether you enter China through Beijing or leave other cities like Shanghai, because in this case, you can only enter China once. A tourist visa is valid for three months.
Two entries. This means you can enter China twice. For example, if you enter China and stay in that country for a few days, and then want to visit another country, then two entry visas will enable you to – enter China during the validity of your visa. Double entry visas are valid for three to six months from the date of issue.