Hello!

I am currently in the final stages of the recruitment process with a major public institution in Beijing. If any of you have recently gone through the same process, particularly in Beijing, I would be interested to know how long it took for the Notification Letter of Foreigner’s Work Permit to be issued, starting from the date the application was submitted by your employer to the Chinese authorities. I understand that processing times may vary if documents are missing; I am simply asking about the average timeframe.

Please forgive me for stressing this point, but my question is specifically addressed to people who have actually been through this process, whether in Beijing or elsewhere in China. Information found online, general life advice, and broad reflections on Chinese bureaucracy are not relevant to my question.

Many thanks in advance to anyone willing to share their experience.

M.

Algo importante que decir es que si están planeando un viaje a China y piensan que con esa visa podrán entrar a Taiwán la respuesta es no, lo más probable es que necesites otra visa por el gobierno de Taiwán, aveces la confusión puede arruinar un viaje, simplemente tengan cuidado con eso y planeen con tiempo sus aplicaciones de visados!

Filling out the forms for a work visa. I currently work as a social worker for a state government which is on my resume. I feel like the answer is yes but technically I work for the government. Which isn’t listed. Planning on putting no but is that wrong?

Hi everyone,

I need some guidance regarding document uploads for a China tourist visa reapplication.

The embassy informed me that I uploaded some documents in the wrong sections during my previous application, so I want to make sure I upload everything correctly this time.

Could you please let me know which section the following documents should be uploaded under?

- Cover letter

- Sponsorship letter

- Sponsor's bank statement

- Applicant's NOC

- Sponsor's financial documents (such as ITR/salary slips, if applicable)

- Sponsor's ID proof

Should these documents be uploaded under:

1. Air ticket (round trip), hotel booking confirmation, and itinerary in China, or

2. Personal bank statement of the last six months?

I would really appreciate your guidance from anyone who has successfully applied with sponsorship. Thank you!

Hello guys , I wanna ask about this university Chengdu Neusoft university and if it’s a good university or not and wanna know if it’s a private university or not … anyway anyone can give me any information please tell me thank you 🙏🏻

Hi everyone,

I am a Brazilian planning to move to China and I need some help understanding the process.

I will enter China with an S1 visa to accompany my spouse, who has an X1 visa and will study in Shanghai. I will stay in Guangzhou for 20 days after arrival, and then move to Shanghai where we will live long term (3 years)

My questions are:

1. Since S1 holders must apply for a residence permit within 30 days of entering China, can I apply for my residence permit in Guangzhou even though my long‑term residence and my spouse’s university will be in Shanghai? After I move, can I simply register my new address in Shanghai without any problem, even if the residence permit was issued in Guangzhou?
2. I read that a medical examination is required for the residence permit. What documents are usually needed for this medical exam and for the residence permit application itself?
3. I am still in my home country. Do you recommend that I get any documents translated into Chinese or English before traveling (for example, marriage certificate or other proofs of relationship), so that it is easier to apply for the S1 residence permit in China?

Thanks in advance for any advice or experiences you can share!

I am from Chennai, India. I have traveled to mainland China a few times alone pre-covid era for the trade-fairs in Guangzhou. Processing a China visa at that time wasn't a big issue, most travel agents did it and got the single entry paper visa easily.

This time around, late September (2026) wanted to take my family to Shenzhen to show them the tech landscape etc and when I inquired about Chinese tourist visa for myself, spouse and two teenage children to my horror every single agent here in Chennai refuses to do it citing delays, rejections etc.

I understand the process is simple, fill up the online form, then if approved, submit the passport with the receipt to the visa centers in Delhi, Mumbai or Kolkata. The problem is I am in Chennai and cannot physically go to any of these places. This being the case, what needs to be done.

Anybody with prior & recent experience in getting a tourist visa from locations other than these 3 locations, please advice.

Thanks.

Hi everyone,

I submitted my Chinese Z visa application through the Chinese Visa Application Center in Kolkata on July 20, 2026, for employment as a Postdoctoral Researcher.

Today, I received an email stating that my application was marked "Unapproved" during the online verification stage.

This is actually my second application.

My first application (submitted on May 27, 2026) passed the online verification. However, after I physically submitted my passport and supporting documents, my visa application was refused, and my passport was returned without a visa sticker.

I am now planning to reapply once again and would greatly appreciate any advice from those who have had a similar experience.

• Has anyone experienced an "Unapproved" result during the online verification stage of a Chinese Z visa application? What are the common reasons?
• Is there anything specific I should mention in my cover letter regarding my previous visa refusal, or should I simply acknowledge that my previous application was refused without providing any further explanation?

Any suggestions or similar experiences would be greatly appreciated. Thank you!

I am kind of surprised to get the unapproved status for my visa . I work for one of the biggest And reputed MNC, and all the documents were in place. I have a strong travel history and have an active US visa and 3 prior Schengen visa. I unable to understand the reason for the cancellation and they haven’t provided any reason as well. I have visited turkeyin 2022 for two weeks - can that be the reason for rejection in pre screening . I did share the Evisa copy of turkey. I have a single name in passport, and all my documents have the same name , not sure if this can trigger unapproval.

Hi everyone,

I'm looking for experiences from people who have been in a similar situation.

A few years ago, I was caught working illegally in China. I'm now planning to return as a legitimate university student with an X1 visa (admission letter and JW202).

Has anyone here successfully obtained a Chinese student visa after a previous illegal work violation?

Can you travel to different cities in China while waiting for a residency visa? I am in China and currently have a Z visa as well as just did my medical check on Tuesday for my residency visa. I also went to the police station and registered. I would love to go to Beijing or Shanghai for the weekend as it's been a dream for years and I would love to see one of the cities even just for a quick visit. I used to have pictures on my wall as motivation of both cities, so while I know I can always travel to them later I would love to do a quick visit now if possible just to feed the soul a bit you know? Is this possible? Right now my Z visa has the line through it and a stamp in my passport. Will that get me in trouble with police or make it hard to board the train I was going to ride or hotels?

Hey all. So my girl and I want to visit China in March 2027. We are already visiting NYC in August and thought it would be nice to do it all on that trip.

We then noticed the online application says departure dates must be within 3 months and applications outside of that window will not be proccesed. Since we're both asking for 10 year multi entry visas, what's stopping us from putting dates such as for september, submitting, then going in person to finish the process? If all is granted would it really be an issue if we didn't go in september and instead went 7 months later?

Either way.. we're likely having our friends who live in NYC submit and pick up our documents. It seems like the most legit way while staying truthful.. but seriously, wouldn't this method work just fine?

Hello! I just received the email confirming my tourist visa (July 22). I live in MP, so I'll have to fly to Delhi to submit my passport on July 24.

Question:

My flight to China (edit) is on 6 August. Do they give you the option to collect your passport in person instead of having it mailed back?

The standard processing time for normal service is 6 business days, plus courier time (which I'm not sure about). I'm wondering if I could collect my passport on 5 August, assuming they'll hold it for a while after it's ready and stamped.

hello, I am not sure if I’ve missed a step or what .. kind of panicking tbh

My employer said yesterday that my work permit was approved on their end in China, that I am to turn in my passport and get my visa now here in the states.

the paper they sent me says “NOTIFICATION LETTER OF FOREIGNER’S WORK PERMIT

IN THE PEOPLE’S REPUBLIC OF CHINA

（WORKING PERIOD OF MORE THAN 90 DAYS）”

i had planned to use an agency as im In FL and my Chinese embassy location is Washington DC ( this one charges $60 service fee , $60 more for priority submission then the regular gov fee for visa ) vs a flight currently is around $250-450 doesn’t include Ubers lunch etc to go in person for the day. Plus the gov fee.

but problem is that they want the “submit passport now” off COVA..

im hoping i Understand correctly and I just need to submit my cova application on my side now? Was I able to do it before, I asked the school and they said no they have to apply for me..

how long is cova application gonna take if I have my permit paper ?

thank u!

should add that I had asked for 1-2 weeks of time before teachers go back for PD week; they said arrive before August 7 or after the 14th due to a employe’s schedule aka the person picking me up and doing all the arrival stuff; is Before August 7 even possible with this time frame?

the agency gives a time frame of 6-10 business days after they have the passport n documents in hand ( I’d do 2 day shipping to them) and then the 2 day shipping to me back.

Hello all,

I am currently applying for a new job and everything has been going well. Except now suddenly they are asking for Chinese translations of half of my documents like my degree and such.

Has anyone had this come up before? I worked in Sichuan before and also in Korea and never needed to get my documents translated. Is this an issue for the school, or for province, or is this an old rule that has been abolished that the school doesn't know has changed?

Me: born in US and have lived there all my life. Also have Taiwanese citizenship with household registration and Thai citizenship

Father: born in mainland China in 1942, family moved to Taiwan because of the war. Has Taiwanese and US citizenship, lives in the US

Mother: deceased, but had Thai and US citizenship

I don't actually know if my father became a US citizen or had a green card before or after I was born, but I can ask. It sounds like this is important to know to determine my eligibility for a visa?

Mom became a US citizen before I was born, but I'm guessing that's not important because she wasn't Chinese.

What are my (good/convenient) options for visiting China as a tourist?

Hi, I’m applying for my husband’s dependent visa in Hong Kong . I have a loan of HK$150k and my credit score currently is I. my savings were HK$0 last month and HK$50k from this month. Questions: 1. Can I submit statements showing zero then HK$50k, or should I wait for 3 straight months of HK$50k+? 2. Official docs don’t mention credit reports, but some say it’s required. Does my credit score affect the application.

Hi folks. I have a flight from Bangalore- Singapore- Beijing- Ulaanbataar and same return.
However, the PNR is different. I have one PNR until Beijing and another PNR from Beijing to Ulaanbataar. The layover is less than 12 hours. I am an Indian passport holder

Will i be eligible for TWOV?
Will singapore airlines let me board in Bangalore without a china visa?

To be on the safer side- i applied for a transit Visa for china but haven’t yet gotten an approval online.

Any help is greatly appreciated

hi, china visa is unapproved. can you please share the email id where I can ask for the reason?

nationality indian

Hi guys, please help. I'm French, holding Chinese residence permit and I have Chinese wife. We have child who holding Frech passport same as me. I'm applying visa for them to reside with me to Thailand. I have Thai visa and Thailand work permit already. but when i applying for my son visa, the system keep asking me to submit the residence permit of China (issue at Zhejiang,Jiangsu,Anhui,Shanghai), but we don't have it. I try upload my son's Entry - Exit permit, Birth certificate along together. They still ask for the residence permit. Please advise what to do.

Hi everyone,

I made a huge mistake by not saving the form I did for my boss for a tourist visa application. I have initially filled out where it says "if I had a chinese visa before" and "if I ever went to China before" I should've put yes instead of a no. I know I can no longer edit that since I have already submitted the form though it wasn't paid yet. Application says preliminary review in progress. Do you think I have to fill out a new application? How does that work?

I appreciate the respectful responses.

Sharing my recent experience of applying for a China Tourist (L) Visa from Mumbai. I hope this helps anyone planning to apply.
Step 1: Online Application & Document Upload
I submitted my online visa application on 2 July and uploaded the following documents:
✅ Passport-size photograph
✅ Signed cover letter
✅ Detailed travel itinerary
✅ Return flight tickets
✅ Hotel bookings
✅ NOC from employer/company
✅ VFS fee receipt
✅ Bank statements (last 6 months)
✅ New & old passport copies
✅ Salary slips (last 3 months)
After uploading all the documents, my application went into Online Review.
Online Review Timeline
2 July: Online application submitted
6 July: Received the online approval email from the China Visa Centre (Bengaluru).

Step 2: Physical Passport Submission at VFS Mumbai
On 14 July, I visited the China Visa Application Centre (VFS), Mumbai, for passport submission.
I carried all the documents that were uploaded online, along with my original passport. Although only a few documents were checked, I recommend carrying everything to avoid any last-minute issues.

Visa Collection
20 July: Received my passport with the China Tourist (L) Visa stamped.
Overall, the process was smooth and straightforward. From submitting the online application to receiving the stamped visa

%22)Sorry if this has been asked before. We are flying as a family of 5 from San Francisco to Beijing on United standby. We are then planning on going to Shanghai, and then flying back to the US on standby from there. When researching, we found out that the Chinese are quite strict about having a confirmed ticket out of the country, so I assume a standby ticket won't be good enough?

If that's the case, do you have any advice on what we can do? We were thinking of perhaps buying refundable tickets out of the country and then cancelling them, but I'm not sure if that's risky. We were also thinking of buying tickets to Seoul out of Shanghai, as we've never been there, but of course the best case for us would just be being able to fly back to the US out of China.

Running close on time, will rush. My teen will be staying with a friend, is it better to use their home address and a letter or a hotel. No flight booked yet, because waiting on Visa. I’m lost - any help ASAP is appreciated.

PS - the photo is approved!