I'm not sure where to post this, so I thought I'd start here. Some of you fly to China often enough and my question is about getting the Visa.

I just dropped off my visa application at the Chinese counsulate and I over heard the guy right before me getting hassled about needing a letter (maybe an invitation) from the hotel he was staying at. I remember hearing about this during the Olympics, as well. I thought I'd get the same question.

When I got to the window I gave the woman my official papers and probably flashed a few others, one of which was my reservation at my hotel. She never said anything about the letter, etc. I'm supposed to go back to pick up my Visa at the end of next week, but now I'm worried that they will say somethings missing. I'm working on a tight schedule to get this Visa.

So the question is:

Does the Chinese Counselate require a letter from your hotel or does just showing the reservation suffice?

I couldn't ask the clerk - their customer service is a million times worse than any call center United has ever used. To a yes/no question I asked her, she responded, "Yes, but maybe not." What the heck does that mean?

Thanks!

L (tourist) visa?

Then no.

You need letters if you are travelling for work, not as noted above for a tourist visa. You're fine.

No invitation necessary for tourist visa.

Business visas need a letter of invitation.

They usually point out defects at intake.

FYI, I did a quick search of the China (Travel) Forum and found a number of threads on visas, such as:

http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/china...ina-visas.html

I am sure the members who post in that forum could help.

Yup. Got many of those Chinese (tourist) Visas in my passport. Never needed a letter of introduction or any sort of documentation like that.

If you're there for business, then you need letters and such.

If the visa clerk already accepted your application, then you are fine. They won't hassle you with additional roadblocks when you go back to pick up your passport/visa. I can only guess that people get asked different questions based on their different circumstances. If they get asked what hotel they are staying, perhaps they are traveling to a "sensitive" area outside of the usual Beijing/Shanghai/Guangzhou/Chengdu circuit. Meanwhile, I've never had to present any of my travel plans in advance, but because of my profession (publishing) I am always required to write a "personal statement" disavowing commentary on internal affairs that is then stapled to my application, tourist mind you. YMMV.

So true. When I applied for my first tourist visa many years ago, I went through a travel agent and I was advised to change "Printing Company Executive" to "Business Owner" because China is very sensitive about any profession dealing with publishing and printing.

I've had over a dozen tourist visas. No letters, no hotel reservations (never had them, we've always stayed with relatives), just submit the application and get back the visa.

I'm not in a sensitive field and we've always been going to Shanghai (although we have at times made side-trips elsewhere, generally within one-day ground range of Shanghai but we did fly to Beijing once.) I am also married to a former Chinese citizen and most of the time our applications have been submitted together.

Reddirt14, did you also submit that new Declaration Form listing places you have visited recently?

I had the new Declaration Form all ready but the visa clerk did not ask for it. She did make me fill in the hotel name, address & phone # for 4.7, .8 & .9. I was told to come back in a week. I just picked up my China visa and it is only good for 30 days.