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Visa Info
VISA INFORMATION
This is general information on visa's for foreigners coming to China and is NOT the words of the Chinese customs authorities. It is only to be used as a guideline.
Where do I get a visa?
- Visa's for China can be obtained from the Chinese embassy in your country. The process is usually slow, so plan to get it way in advance.
- Another option is to go to Hong Kong first and obtain your visa there. In Hong Kong you can (most nationalities can) get a multi-entry business visa for up to 6 months in only 1 day.
What are the visa types?
- A standard tourist or L visa is issued for 1 month only if it comes from an embassy in your home country. It can be extended in China up to 2 times for an entire stay 3 months before you must exit the country again.
- A student or X visa can only be issued by the Chinese embassy in your home country.
- A business or F visa would seem to only be available in Hong Kong or Macau. This visa allows a stay of up to 6 months and is multi-entry, meaning you can leave the country as many times as you like and come back wthout getting a new one issued. It can be extended 1 time in the mainland giving you a 1 year stay in total.
- A work or Z visa is (legally) only available through the Chinese embassy in your home country. If you are already in China, you must leave the country (go to HK usually) or in some circumstances return to your home country to pick it up and then return. China is much more strict about this than before, so it is a good idea to get this done before you come if there is any chance of you working here.
Do I need a visa for Mainland China?
- The following countries may visit China for a length of up to 15 days without a visa: Singapore, Brunei and Japan. If this does not include your country, you will need to get a visa before arriving.
Do I need a visa for Hong Kong?
- If you are from these countries you may remain without visa for up to 90 days:
Andorra, Anguilla, Antigua & Barbuda, Argentina, Australia, Austria, Bahamas, Barbados, Belgium Belize, Bermuda, Botswana, Brazil, Britain (180 days), Any British Overseas Territories Citizens, Brunei, Bulgaria, Canada, Cayman Islands, Chile, Columbia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Dominica, Equador, Egypt, Estonia, Falkland Islands, Faroe Islands, Fiji, Finland, France, Gambia, Germany, Gibraltar, Greece, Greenland, Guyana, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Isreal, Italy, Jamaica, Japan, Kenya, Kiribati, South Korea, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malawi, Malaysia, Maldives, Malta, Mauritius, Mexico, Monaco, Montserrat, Namibia, Nauru, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Papua New Guinea, Poland, Portugal, Romania, San Marino, Seychelles, Singapore, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, St. Helena & Dependencies, St. Kitts, St. Lucia, St. Vincent and the Grenadines, Swaziland, Sweden, Switzerland, Tanzania, Tonga, Trinidad and Tobago, Turkey, Tuvalu, Uraguay, United States, Vanuatu, Venezuela, Zambia, Zimbabwe.
- If you are from these countries, you can recieve a 30 day visa free stay:
Bolivia, Cape Verde, Costa Rica, Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Indonesia, Morocco, Paraguay, Peru, South Africa, Thailand, Tunisia, Uganda, Yemen.
- If you are from these countries, you can recieve a 14 day visa free stay:
Algeria, Angola, Baharain, Benin, Bhutan, Bosnia Herzegovina, Central African Republic, Chad, Comoros, Croatia, Djibouti, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Haiti, India, Jordan, Kuwait, Lesotho, Macedonia, Madagascar, Mali, Marshall Islands, Mauritania, Micronesia, Mongolia, Mozambique, Niger, Oman, Palau, Phillipines, Qatar, Rwanda, Sao Tome & Principe, Saudi Arabia, Suriname, US Trust Territories, Vatican City.
- If you are not listed in one of these categories you will need a visa. All visa's for Hong Kong and Macau are issued through the Chinese embassy.
Do I need a visa for Macau?
- If you are from these countries you may stay in Macau without a visa for up to 90 days:
Andorra, Austria, Belgium, Brazil, Bulgaria, Cape Verde, Croatia, Czech, Cyprus, Denmark, Dominica, Egypt, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Japan, Latvia, Lebanon, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Mali, Malta, Mongolia, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovak, Slovenia, South Korea, Spain, Sweden, Tanzania and the United Kingdom.
- If you are from these countries you may stay in Macau without a visa for up to 30 days:
Australia, Canada, Chile, India, Indonesia, Kiribati, Liechtenstein, Malaysia, Mexico, Monaco, Namibia, New Zealand, Philippines, Samoa, Seychelles, Singapore, South Africa, Switzerland, Thailand, Turkey, the United States of America and Uruguay.
- Residents of Hong Kong can stay for one year.
- Everyone else can get a visa on arrival with proof of onward ticket.