Notice on the Current Visa Application Procedures(updated in April 2023)

The Consulate General of People’s Republic of China in Los Angeles will adopt the new requirements for Chinese visa application as the following:

I.Who can apply

Visa applications shall be submitted in accordance with the consular jurisdiction. Applications from outside of the service area of the Chinese Consulate General in Los Angeles will be returned. 

Ⅱ.Who do not need to apply for a new visa

1) Foreign nationals who are subject to mutual visa exemption agreements;

2) Holders with valid APEC Business Travel Cards (Virtual ABTC excepted, 

3) all kinds of valid residence permits,

4) valid foreign permanent resident permit ID card;

5) Personnel who apply to the Hainan 30-day visa-free policy, 15-day visa-free policy specified for foreign cruise-group-tour through Shanghai Port, Guangdong 144-hour visa-free policy specified for foreign tour groups from Hong Kong or Macao SAR, and Guangxi 15-day visa-free policy specified for foreign tour groups of ASEAN countries;

6) Personnel who under the 24-hour Transit Visa Exemption Program are allowed to enter the Mainland of China with no need to apply for new visas.

Please note:

*The United States and Canada are transitional members of the APEC travel card program, and the APEC business travel cards issued by the United States and Canada do not have visa functions.

 

Ⅲ.Visa Types and Required Documents

Visa Type	Visa Description	Required Documents(include“A.Basic Documents”and“B.General Documents”)
		A.Basic Documents	B.General Documents
M	Issued to those who  intend to go to  China for commercial and  trade activities	Documents on the  commercial activity issued by a trade partner in China(Please refer to Annex 3  for the contents of the invitation letter)	1. Passport (The remaining  validity must be more than 6  months with at least 1 blank  visa page) 2.Photocopy of the bio-page of the passport 3.COVA Visa Form. Please log on to https://cova.mfa.gov.cn to fill out the form online (Please follow Annex 1  “Important Tips for online  COVA visa form filling”) 4. Photocopy of the latest  Chinese visa or the Chinese  residence permit. Should it be a valid long term multi    entry visa, the original      passport with this visa      attached on is also required  5. Proof of Residence (eg,  driver’s license, utility bill,  bank bill) 6. Where You Stay Form( Please see Annex 4,  handwritten signature required) 7. If the applicant is a foreigner in the US, they need to  provide a photocopy of green  card, visa, I20, or I94 to prove their legal residence in the US. 8. If the applicant was of  Chinese nationality, this  application is the first Chinese  visa application after  naturalization in a foreign  country, please provide a  photocopy of the bio-page of  the Chinese passport. In  addition, the last physical  Chinese passport is needed for  the visa application. 9. If the applicant’s name has  been changed, and it is the first  time to apply for a Chinese visa after the name change, a  photocopy of the name  change document is required. 10. For the visa application by a minor of Chinese origin born  in the US, please provide the  child’s birth certificate, copies  of the personal information  pages of the passports of both  parents when the child was  born,  copies of the legal  residence certificate (such as a  green card) of both parents in  US, or the copy of the  naturalization paper if parents  have changed nationality into  US.
F	Issued to those who intend to go to  China for exchanges, visits, study tours  and other activities	An invitation letter issued by a relevant entity or  individual in China(Please refer to Annex 3 for the  contents of the invitation  letter)
Z	Issued to those who  intend to work in  China	Notice for the Work Permit for Foreigners
S1	Issued to those who  intend to go to  China to visit the foreigners working or  studying in China to whom they are  spouses, parents, sons or daughters under the age of 18 or  parents-in-law, or to those who intend to go to China for other private affairs. The intended duration of stay in China  exceeds 180 days.	1.An invitation letter from the inviting individual (a  foreigner who stays or  resides in China for work  or studies)(Please refer to Annex 2 for the contents  of the invitation letter) 2.Photocopies of the  inviting individual’s  passport bio-page and  residence permit 3. Original and photocopy of certification (marriage certificate, birth certificate, etc) showing the  relationship of immediate family members between applicants and inviting individual. *In case of other personal  affairs, relevant supporting materials shall be provided upon request
S2	Issued to those who  intend to visit their  family members who are foreigners  working or studying in China, or to those who intend to go to China for other  private matters. The intended duration of stay in China is no  more than 180 days. “family members”  refers to spouses,   parents, sons,  daughters, spouses  of sons or daughters, brothers, sisters,   grandparents,  grandsons,  granddaughters and parents-in-law.	1.An invitation letter from the inviting individual (a  foreigner who stays or  resides in China for work  or studies)(Please refer to Annex2 for the contents  of the invitation letter) 2.Photocopies of the  inviting individual’s  passport bio-page,  residence permit or visa. 3.Photocopy of  certification (marriage  certificate, birth certificate, etc) showing the  relationship of immediate  family members between  applicants and inviting  individual. *In case of other personal  affairs, relevant supporting materials shall be  provided upon request.
Q1	Issued to those who are family members of Chinese citizens  or of foreigners with Chinese permanent  residence and intend to go to China for  family reunion, or to those who intend to go to China for the  purpose of foster  care. The intended  duration of stay in  China exceeds 180  days. “Family members”  refers to spouses,  parents, sons,  daughters, spouses  of sons or daughters, brothers, sisters,  grandparents,  grandsons,  granddaughters and parents-in-law.	1.An invitation letter  issued by a Chinese  citizen or a foreign citizen with a Chinese permanent  residencepermit who lives  in China.(Please refer to  Annex2 for the contents of the invitation letter) 2.Photocopies of Chinese  ID (front and back) of the inviting individual; photocopies of the bio-page of the foreigner’s  passport and the permanent residence permit (front and back). 3.Original and photocopy  of certification showing  the relationship of family members between  applicant and inviting  individual. (eg, marriage  certificate, birth certificate)
Q2	Issued to those who  intend to visit their  relatives who are  Chinese citizens  residing in China  or foreigners with  permanent residence in China.  The intended duration of stay in China is no more than 180  days.	1.An invitation letter  issued by a Chinese  citizen or a foreign citizen with a Chinese permanent  residencepermit who lives  in China;(Please refer to  Annex2 for the contents of the invitation letter) 2.Photocopies of Chinese  ID (front and back) of the inviting individual; Or  photocopies of the bio-page of the foreigner’s passport and the  permanent residence  permit (front and back).
R	Issued to High-level talents	Confirmation Letter for  High Level Foreign Talents
L	Issued to those   who intend to go to  China for tourism	Round-trip air tickets and hotel orders (name and  personal information of  the applicant must be    included);  Or invitation letters     issued by a relevant    entity (e.g. Travel       agency) or individual  inside China          (Photocopies of Chinese ID (front and back) of   the inviting individual must be included) (Please refer to Annex 3 for the contents of the   invitation letter)
C	Issued to Crew  member	The applicant will be  guided by the staff by  email
W	Issued to  Ambassadors and  Consulates	Guarantee letter issued by  foreign transportation company or invitation letter issued by relevant units in China
X1	Issued to those who  intend to study in China for a period of more than 180 days.	1.Original and photocopy  of the Admission Letter issued by a school or other  entities in China. 2. Original and photocopy of ”Visa Application for  Study in China” (Form  JW201 or Form JW202).
X2	Issued to those who  intend to study in  China for a period of nomore than 180 days.	Original and photocopy ofAdmission Notice issued  by a school or other entities in China.
D	Issued to those who  intend to reside in  China permanently.	The original and  photocopy of the Confirmation Form for Foreigner’s Permanent Residence  Status
G	Issued to those who intend to transit  through China.	An onward air (train or  ship) ticket with  confirmed date and seat to the destination country or  region.
J1/J2	Issued to news  media personnel who intend to visit China for news report	An invitation letter issued by a relevant entity in  China Note: in some cases the applicant might be asked to provide PU/TE category invitation letter. The Office  will give guidance by email.

 

Ⅳ.How to submit visa applications

1. The applicants shall fill out the “China Online Visa Application(COVA)” form on https://cova.mfa.gov.cn/. After that, the applicants shall make appointment through 

“Visa Application Submission (AVAS)”  on https://avas.mfa.gov.cn/ for on-site submission of the visa applications at the Visa Office of the Consulate General . 

2. The applicants or agents shall take the printed “AVAS Confirmation” page and other visa application materials, and visit the Visa Office to submit the visa applications at the appointed time. If the applicants or agents shall be unable to visit the Visa Office a the appointed time, they should cancel the present appointment at least one business day in advance through AVAS. Otherwise, the COVA application ID and the AVAS appointment number will be invalid. The applicants need to fill in new COVA form and make another appointment through  AVAS.

3. The agents could only submit visa applications with the AVAS appointment date same to the date of visit.

4. For the applicants who need to visit China urgently for humanitarian causes(including funeral attendance or visiting critically ill relatives) , they can apply for waiver of appoint requirement. The following is the procedure:

4.1 The applicants shall fill out the “China Online Visa Application(COVA)” form on https://cova.mfa.gov.cn/.

4.2 The applicant shall fill out the Urgent Visa Application Request Form(click Annex 5 for download), and email the form with supportive documents to [email protected]. The subject of the email must be “urgent visa + state of residence + applicant’s name + passport number”. Once approved, the applicant will receive an email from the Visa Office. The applicant shall take the printed email and other visa application materials, visit the Visa Office to submit the visa applications on the appointed date.

5. Please click an read <Notice on the Current Visa Application Procedures>for details on requirements for visa application materials

Annex 1 Important Tips for online COVA visa form filling

(1) Please carefully read the prompts and requirements of the COVA form system, and complete the entries of the visa application COVA online form step by step, making sure that the information is true, accurate and complete. Please note: Once the application form has been submitted, it cannot be modified in any way.

(2) The”location”option for submitting the visa application should be in line with the consular jurisdiction.

(3) Basic personal information. Surname, middle name (please fill the middle name into  1.1C together with the given name),given names, gender, date of birth, nationality, passport number, passport type, etc. must be exactly the same as those on the passport information page, otherwise your visa application will be returned.

(4) If you were born in China (including Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan), please note:

1. Application form 1.1E The native language name must be entered in Chinese with the Chinese character input method, please do not fill in “Chinese”, “Chinese language”, etc.

2. In the application form 1.6G, select “Yes” for “former nationality”, and then select the nationality information.

3. Item 1.6H of the application form is required if the applicant was born in China and is applying for a Chinese visa for the first time. This entry will be automatically generated during the form filling process.

(5) Completely fill in the work experience and educational background

1. Please fill in the complete work experience after graduation from school.

2. The “position” and “duty” of the application form 3.3D and 3.3E must be filled in completely.

3. Please fill in the complete learning experience since high school in 4.2, and the diploma/degree and major in 4.2C and 4.2D must be completed.

(6) Completely fill in each address

The address of the spouse in 5.5A of the application form, and the addresses of the parents in 5.5B and 5.5C must fill in the address of the current location, not the address of the place of birth. The address must be filled in completely, including street, city, state, and country.

(7) If you choose “not applicable” for any entry in the form, you need to state the reason for “not applicable”. 

(8) Printing and signing. After completing the COVA online form filling, you must print out a full set of application forms, including the “Confirmation of Online Visa application” and “Visa Application Form of the People’s Republic of China” (depending on the individual filling situation, a total of 9 to 10 pages will be generated). All the pages of the forms must be printed to turn in, the signature and date on the Confirmation Page and the 8th page of Visa Application Form of the People’s Republic of China must be handwritten by the applicant him/herself. Visa applicant under the age of 18 is signed by their guardian, and meanwhile add a handwritten signature in the “For person filling in the application on the applicant’s behalf”.

Annex 2 Contents of S1, S2, Q1, Q2 Visa Invitation Letter

Inviter’s name XX, gender X, date of birth: XX, Chinese ID number XXX (or foreign passport number XX, Chinese permanent residence card number XX), current address in China is XX, contact phone number XX, email XX.

I hereby invite the following relatives to visit China for a short-term visit/long-term residence. He/She plans to go to China on XX, and stay in China for XX days.

Invitee information: name XX, gender X, date of birth XX, nationality XX, passport number XX, and the relative relationship with the inviter is XX.

Inviter’s signature:      Date:

Annex 3  Contents of M, Land F Visa Invitation Letter

(1) Personal information of the invitee: name, gender, date of birth, passport number, etc.

(2) Information about the invitee’s visit to China: reason for coming to China, date of arrival and departure, place of visit, relationship with the inviting unit or inviter, who will pay for the travel, etc.

(3) Inviting party information: inviting party name, address, telephone number, official seal, legal representative or inviter’s signature, date, etc. (the information must be included in the text of the invitation letter)

Annex 4Where You Stay Form

Please note: According to the visa application requirements, applicants not in the United States can not apply for a visa from the Consulate-General in the United States.)