Jun 4, 2013, 2:02 pm
Last edit by: mnbp
Your Forum Ambassadors are maintaining this guide. Signed in members with 90 days / 90 posts can edit this Wikipost; wiki contents may be printed by using the 
(lower right wiki corner).
Visa Information for the People's Republic of China (PRC, Mainland China)
Important: China's visa terms and conditions changed effective 12 Nov 2014 as far as duration, and 1 July 2013 for requirements and procedures. Do not rely on information posted prior to that date.
Note new FT thread regarding up to ten year visa duration: http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/china...ov-2014-a.html
The PRC allows certain foreigners to transit China without a visa if they will be exiting the country within 24, 72 or 144 hours provided various other conditions are met. Please see the separate China 24, 72, and 144 hour Transit Without Visa ("TWOV") rules master thread and Wikipost for detailed rules and discussion.
The best source of current visa and travel document requirements is IATA'S TIMATIC, as that is what the airlines rely upon to determine whether they will permit you to fly. Star Alliance provides a free, easy-to-use TIMATIC tool to help you identify your exact requirements based on nationality, residency and specific itinerary. The SkyTeam alliance website contains a link which also allows you free use of TIMATIC, including good printouts of the information.
Note that posts made prior to 1 July 2013 have been archived, but are still available for reference at China Visa / Visas Master Thread (ARCHIVED). The old FAQ: Visa-Free Transit / TWOV thread is also closed but available for reference.
China Forum Ambassadors: moondog----------anacapamalibu----------jiejie----------mnredfox
(lower right wiki corner).Visa Information for the People's Republic of China (PRC, Mainland China)
Main source: Visa Page - Embassy of the People's Republic of China in the United States of America (external website)
Important: China's visa terms and conditions changed effective 12 Nov 2014 as far as duration, and 1 July 2013 for requirements and procedures. Do not rely on information posted prior to that date.
Note new FT thread regarding up to ten year visa duration: http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/china...ov-2014-a.html
The PRC allows certain foreigners to transit China without a visa if they will be exiting the country within 24, 72 or 144 hours provided various other conditions are met. Please see the separate China 24, 72, and 144 hour Transit Without Visa ("TWOV") rules master thread and Wikipost for detailed rules and discussion.
The best source of current visa and travel document requirements is IATA'S TIMATIC, as that is what the airlines rely upon to determine whether they will permit you to fly. Star Alliance provides a free, easy-to-use TIMATIC tool to help you identify your exact requirements based on nationality, residency and specific itinerary. The SkyTeam alliance website contains a link which also allows you free use of TIMATIC, including good printouts of the information.
Note that posts made prior to 1 July 2013 have been archived, but are still available for reference at China Visa / Visas Master Thread (ARCHIVED). The old FAQ: Visa-Free Transit / TWOV thread is also closed but available for reference.
China Forum Ambassadors: moondog----------anacapamalibu----------jiejie----------mnredfox
China Visa / Visas Master Thread (all you need to know)
May 1, 2016, 10:52 am
#1186
Join Date: Jul 2005
Location: LAX
Programs: AA EXP 2MM, SPG Plt, Hyatt Plt
Posts: 318
I know there are dozens of places online which maintain the visa application form in PDF format, so that you can just tab from space to space as you fill in your data. Is there a particular one that anyone can recommend which handles all of the formatting well? I started at the LA consulate, and the itinerary section on that one takes your hotel information and makes it fit in the box by shrinking the font, so that for a long address it becomes so small as to be unreadable. The form at the US embassy gives you two lines for addresses, which is good, but doesn't allow date ranges in the itinerary section. Another one I tried uses a fixed font for some fields, which was causing overflows. There must be one out there that handle the various fields well.
May 2, 2016, 11:12 am
#1187
Join Date: Oct 2005
Location: BUR
Programs: in C/C++, Python, SQL
Posts: 342
I used the form provided by Allied Passport & Visa on their website. Under Business or Tourist requirements click on the "China visa application" to access the form and save it to your desktop. I didn't have any formatting problems.
May 3, 2016, 12:44 pm
#1188
Join Date: Jul 2005
Location: LAX
Programs: AA EXP 2MM, SPG Plt, Hyatt Plt
Posts: 318
That one worked pretty well. The only problem was that it didn't have a text box next to the 'Other' line in the number of entries section, where I could indicate a 10-year multiple entry visa, but that's not the end of the world. (Oh, and one box had a different font than all the rest--completely unimportant, I realize, but...why?)
Last edited by BogeyMan; May 3, 2016 at 12:57 pm Reason: Added link
May 8, 2016, 9:29 pm
#1189
Join Date: May 2000
Location: Houston, TX, USA
Programs: UA 1K, AA Lifetime Platinum, DL Platinum, Honors Diamond, Bonvoy Titanium, Hertz Platinum
Posts: 7,969
As of a few years ago, all foreigners are required to provide the exact address of where they'll be staying when entering the US. This question of you wasn't just in response to you claiming to "visit relatives."
May 9, 2016, 7:02 am
#1190
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Nov 2009
Location: Earth. Residency:HKG formerly:YYZ
Programs: CX, DL, Nexus/GE, APEC
Posts: 10,687
This was asked at land crossing at random where blue form was not required. Maybe 5% of the time.
May 9, 2016, 7:08 am
#1191
Join Date: Feb 2013
Location: China and Canada
Posts: 1,886
Still being asked. I had to pull out my hotel reservation last month when crossing by car to go catch a plane in Vermont.
May 10, 2016, 6:30 pm
#1192
Join Date: Nov 2006
Programs: Marriott Platinum, Hilton Diamond, IHG Platinum
Posts: 3,710
I have a 10 year Q2 visa, which is for visiting family [and friends?] (which I have in China). But say my next visit is mostly sightseeing by myself, with perhaps a little bit of family visit. Can I, technically, enter using my Q2 visa?
May 11, 2016, 10:29 pm
#1194
Join Date: Nov 2006
Programs: Marriott Platinum, Hilton Diamond, IHG Platinum
Posts: 3,710
May 12, 2016, 9:12 am
#1196
Join Date: Jul 2011
Location: SF Bay Area
Programs: UA MileagePlus (Premier Gold); Hilton HHonors (Gold); Chase Ultimate Rewards; Amex Plat
Posts: 6,675
Maybe I should have renewed my passport last year. My passport expires next year, so I'll have to renew it, but last year I just got a new 10 year visa good until 2025. Since the visa cannot be transferred to a new passport, I'd have to either travel with 2 passports from 2017 until 2025, or get a new 10 year visa and pay another $140.
I've seen a lot of advice in this thread and others recommending that people just do things the simplest way (the way that's least confusing for airline reps, immigration officials, etc). There have been agents who have refused to check pax in because they didn't know about the 72 hour TWOV policy for China. Anyone see problems with agents not knowing about an old visa in an old passport still being valid for entry to China?
I've seen a lot of advice in this thread and others recommending that people just do things the simplest way (the way that's least confusing for airline reps, immigration officials, etc). There have been agents who have refused to check pax in because they didn't know about the 72 hour TWOV policy for China. Anyone see problems with agents not knowing about an old visa in an old passport still being valid for entry to China?
May 12, 2016, 11:18 am
#1199
Join Date: Jul 2011
Location: SF Bay Area
Programs: UA MileagePlus (Premier Gold); Hilton HHonors (Gold); Chase Ultimate Rewards; Amex Plat
Posts: 6,675
Please tell me where I can do this. Everything I've seen says that you either travel with two passports, or you apply for a new visa, but existing visas cannot be transferred to a new passport.
May 12, 2016, 6:05 pm
#1200
Join Date: Oct 2007
Location: Southeast USA
Programs: various
Posts: 6,710
Theoretically, you would go to the main Entry-Exit Administration of the Public Security Bureau in a given (major) city. They are the only group with the power to do this. For instance, in Beijing, this is at 2 Andingmen East Street. In reality, the officers on duty may or may not agree to replace your USA-issued visa in the new passport, and there is no word on whether they will charge a fee or not--we just don't have data points yet on this. What is certain is that it's likely to take a week for them to process, based on how they handle other categories and situations of visa changes.