Chinese Visas for Expat

Chinese visa is a permit issued to a foreigner by the Chinese visa authorities for entry into, exit from or transit through the Chinese territory. The Chinese visa authorities may issue a diplomatic, courtesy, service or ordinary visa to a foreigner according to his identity, purpose of visit to China and passport type.



Visas for foreigners
The ordinary visa consists of eight sub-categories, which are marked with Chinese phonetic letters (C, D, F, G, J-1, J-2, L, X, Z respectively).
Visa C - For crews of airplanes, trains and ships who are on regular visits to China. Their accompanying family members are issued with the same type of visa.
Visa D - For permanent residence in China.
Visa F – For those who come to China for a business trip, a lecture, or for cultural, scientific or technological exchanges.
Visa G - For stopover's in China.
Visa J-1 - For foreign resident journalists in China
Visa J-2 - For foreign journalists who come to China to gather news.
Visa L - For sightseeing, visiting friends and relatives or to deal with some private matters.
Visa X - For those who come to study in China, or practice as interns for more than 6 months.
Visa Z - For those who come to work in China and to their accompanying families


We can look after the issues and complications of Chinese tourist (L) visa, business (F) and working visas (Z) as well as associated permits for expatriates. We are here to help and ease the problems and reduce time in applying for visas and work permits


Invitation Letter

If you wish to come to China for business or work, it is required that an official invitation letter (sample) from the appropriate authorized organization be provided at the time of application in Chinese embassies /consulates or China visa office in Hongkong.

We can assist you with obtaining the letter of invitation required for a business visa (F) or work visa (Z) application. It takes one working day (three working days for a one-year visa) to process the invitation letter which we will then email or fax back or door-to-door deliver the original copy to you. We can provide invitation letters for the following types of business (F) visa:

90 day single entry
90 day double entry
180 day multiple entry
360 day multiple entry

Note that double and multiple entry visas usually have a limit of 30 days on the duration of each stay in China. However, this limit can be removed after you arrive in China—contact us for more details. Once the limit is removed you can stay in China up to the date of expiry.




Visa Renewal　
If you enter into China on a tourist (L) visa, a business (F) visa or a work (Z) visa, and want to stay in China for longer than the stay time limit or validity period specified on the current visa, you can apply for the newel of your visa at the Ministry of Public Security and its affiliates at the provincial or city level, these affiliates are collectively known as Public Security Bureaus (PSB). There are some types of renewals you can choose, also there are some restrictions you may need to know when you apply for the visa renewals.


Visa Conversion　
Under some circumstances, one type of visa can be changed into another type, for example, from L visa to F visa, or from L / F visa into Z visa. This could be done within China.

Rules and requirements for visa conversion are constantly changing, please contact us for the latest ones.