Summary of Visa Invitation for Foreigners to China

1. How long is the limitation period?

After obtaining the seal of the District Foreign Affairs Office, you can go to the municipal foreign affairs office platform to declare and inquire about the progress.

Once you receive the invitation letter from the Municipal Foreign Affairs Office, you can apply to the Chinese embassies and consulates abroad.

2. How long is the invitation valid?

Three months.

3. How long is it valid?

The visa is for a single entry and you can stay in China for up to 180 days. Please consult the exit-entry administration and Chinese embassies and consulates abroad for specific policies.

4. Can I apply for an urgent foreigner’s work visa?

Before the outbreak of COVID 19, if you had urgent needs, you needed to inform the embassies and consulates abroad when submitting your visa application.

As long as you can ensure that the urgency is reasonable, the embassy will meet your needs. However, after the outbreak, the embassies and consulates abroad stopped providing emergency services.

5. Can I travel in China after entering China?

In principle, the applicant should try to stay in the entry city.

If you need to go on a business trip, you must be in isolation 14 days before departure, and you need to obtain the consent of the local foreign affairs office or CDC, and then indicate the consent in the application and seal of the company.

6. Can you choose home isolation after entry?

– According to the current policy, hotels are only points for centralized isolation after entering the country;

– The elderly, young, sick, and disabled can apply for home isolation at the airport after the plane lands. The place for home isolation can’t be a hotel, but only a rented or self-owned house.

7. What does a visa-free residence permit mean?

There are two types of visa exemption:

– First, foreign friends with valid residence permits who can stay in China and enter and exit China many times during the validity of their residence permits do not need to apply for visas;

– Second, foreign friends who have a permanent residence permit for foreigners in China and valid certificates can stay in China and enter and leave the country many times without applying for a visa.

8. If you can’t book a flight, can you choose a charter flight?

You can choose charter flights. You need to apply for a valid visa to China before submitting your application.

9. My visa is still in the application process. Can I book a ticket?

After you receive the seal from the Foreign Affairs Office of the new area, you can start the ticket reservation.

It will take 2-3 weeks for the Municipal Foreign Affairs Office and consulate to approve the visa, and the specific time shall be subject to the actual handling.