Updated: 2011/03/17   

"L" Visa is issued to an alien who comes to China for sightseeing or visiting family members and friends.

Non-US passport holder must provide original AND copy of green card, or original I-94 and a copy of US immigration document (e.g. H1B, I-20). Please read detailed information and country specific visa requirements.

What to submit

1. Your actual passport, with at least six (6) months of remaining validity and at least one blank visa page (pages 22-24 are not visa pages).
2. A completed Visa Application Form (Q1) with one passport photo (color, about 2x2).
3. From March 2011, if you request a stay of more than 60 days per trip, you need to provide some sort of justification on section 5 of the visa application form (e.g. visit family).
4. A copy of the order confirmation page of our agency, filled out online.
5. If you were born in mainland China, Hong Kong or Taiwan, and your current foreign passport does not have an old Chinese visa, please submit the original AND a copy of your old Chinese passport (*) (pages with your name, photo and passport extension), or a copy of old Chinese visa on your last foreign passport (**). Also supply your name in Chinese characters.
   If the applicant was a holder of Chinese passport as a child, he or she also needs to provide a copy of birth certificate and copies of parents' passports.
6. Children who were born in US and either parent is Chinese, please follow instructions in this document (in Chinese).

How to apply

• please follow the "step by step procedures" at the bottom of the main index page.

Visiting Hong Kong or Macau on your trip? You may need multiple entry visa (details).

US citizens may apply for a Multiple Entry "L" Visa valid for 6 months or 1 year, no additional documents are required (from 09/10/2006).

If you were born in mainland China, Hong Kong, Taiwan, you may apply for a 2-year family visit visa

Visa processing time and fees

[For details on fees please see table here] The regular processing time at the Consulate is 4 working days. For express service, additional fees are required for same day or 2-3 working days processing.

Visa validity and duration of stay

Usually the validity of a Single Entry or Double Entry "L" visa is 90 days or 180 days from the date of issue. This means the holder of the visa shall enter China no later than 90 days or 180 days from the date of issue, otherwise the visa is expired and is null and void. If you intend to apply for double entry visa, please remember that your second entry can be no later than 180 days from the date your visa was issued!

The duration of stay of a "L" visa is 30 days, which means the holder of the visa may stay in China for up to 30 days from the date of entry. The visa officer may extend the Duration of Stay if the applicant needs and requests a stay in China for more than 30 days, upto 180 days (single entry, family visit, for applicants or their spouse, parents born in China only), or 90 day (double or multiple entry, family visit), or 60 days (tourist, without a China tie). For tourists without a China tie, you usually can only get 60 days stay in China on each trip, but if you can justify your longer stay, you may get a maximum of 90 days.

* for passport copy, copies of pages with your name, photo and passport extension are required.

** usually only copies of the photo page and the page with a Chinese visa is needed, and you don't have to submit the actual old foreign passport with a Chinese visa.