Visa for China

As of 2005, nationals of Singapore, Brunei and Japan do not need a visa to visit China for a stay of up to 15 days, regardless reason of visit.

To visit China, Hong Kong and Macau residents of Chinese origin need to apply at the China Travel Service to obtain a Home Travel Permit, a wallet sized ID card allowing multiple entries for 10 years

Getting a tourist visa is easy for most passports as you don't need an invitation, which you do for business or working visas. It is expensive compared to other countries' visa fees (currently US$100 for U.S. passport holders and US$35 for some other passports). The usual tourist single-entry visa is valid for thirty days but in Hong Kong and Macau you can often get a 3 month visa. A tourist visa must be used within six months after it was issued, until recently it was within three months.

Some travellers will need a dual entry or multiple entry visa. For example, if you enter China on a single entry visa, then go to Hong Kong or Macau, you cannot re-enter mainland China without a new visa. With a multiple entry visa, you can.

Holders of most passports can easily get Chinese visas in Hong Kong or Macau, either by going to the government office themselves or paying a bit more to have a travel agent do it for them. China Travel Services handles visa processing. Currently they offer same-day service at extra cost: in by 12PM, out by 5:30PM. Next day and 3 day services are also available. Many hotels and some other travel agencies provide this service as well. Visas may also be obtained from the China Travel Service desk at Hong Kong Airport [1]

Obtaining a visa on arrival is possible, but usually only for the Shenzhen or Zhuhai Special Economic Zones. For example when crossing from Hong Kong to Shenzhen at Lo Wu KCR station a five day Shenzhen only visa can be obtained during extended office hours on the spot for HK$150 (Oct 2007 price) for passport holders of many nationalities, for example Irish.

However there may be restrictions on visas for political reasons and these vary over time. For example:

• As of mid 2004, Nigerians could not get visas in Hong Kong, presumably because the Chinese Government was upset that Nigeria extended diplomatic recognition to Taiwan.

• Americans could no longer get Shenzhen-only visas at the border, presumably because the Chinese Government was irritated by US fingerprinting of Chinese travellers.

• British nationals could no longer get Shenzhen-only visas at the border. (In February 2007 British passport holders can get a Shenzhen visa, although they pay around HK$450 for it.) In August 2007 an enquiry to the Chinese Embassy, London denied the existance of this type of visa.

• As of mid-2006, South Africans were having trouble with visas.

• Indian nationals are limited to 10 or 15 day tourist visas, and have to show US$100 per day of visa validity in the form of traveller's checks (US$1000 and US$1500, respectively), likely owing to the contested border and migration fears.

It used to be common for people entering China to work to arrive on a tourist (L) visa and then have the employer obtain a working {Z} visa for them. Now the employer typically obtains a Residence Permit for them instead. This is effectively a multiple-entry visa; you can leave China and return using it. Some local visa offices will refuse to issue a residence permit if you entered China on a tourist (L) visa. In those cases, you have to enter on a Z visa and getting that requires an invitation letter from the employer, and perhaps a trip to Hong Kong or Korea. In other cases converting an L visa to residence permit is OK; it depends which office you are dealing with and perhaps on your employer's connections.