Thanks to the development of economy and culture, more and more people want to travel in China. However, some US citizens still worry about how to apply for Chinese visa. Does China Visa for USA citizen exist? What are documents need to apply for visa China for US citizen? What are the procedures like? We will talk about them one by one.

The Chinese visa application for US citizens is pretty confusing. Some important words are usually either left out or not clearly stated. That’s why I was extremely pleased that Annie and I were able to work with a Chinese visa service company who had helped us get our tourist visa on the very first attempt. We plan to visit China in couple of months and I’m sure you’d like to know how this all worked out.

China Visa For Us Citizens

The U.S. Department of State defines non-immigrant visas as permits to enter the U.S. for a specific purpose, such as meeting with family or friends, attending professional conferences, or engaging in other activities for a limited time period. The most popular non-immigrant visa program is for tourism in the U.S., which is issued on an E-visa and takes approximately 10 business days (excluding weekends) to process once all documentation has been submitted. There are several types of visas available for tourism:

Tourist Visa

Tourism in China requires a visa and is typically a single entry visa with a stay duration of 30 days. US citizens may be eligible for a 10-year multiple entry visa.

The tourism visa requires your passport to be valid for at least 6 months and it must have at least two blank pages. You must also have an invitation letter from a china travel agency or an individual or round-trip tickets and a hotel booking.

Regular service fee per visa:

$349

The China Embassy has suspended visa services for Tourist visas. Please contact the embassy directly for guidance on visa requirements.

• Requirements
• Fees

Passport

You must provide your actual signed passport, including one copy of the personal information page of your passport. Your passport must:

• Be valid for six months beyond the length of your requested visa (for example, if you are requesting a 12 month visa your passport must be valid for 18 months )
• Contain at least two blank visa pages for the visa stamp (amendments and endorsement pages cannot be used to fulfill this requirement)
• If requesting multiple entries, the passport must contain at least two blank facing visa pages, there can be no stamps or amendment endorsement type on the pages 
• Not be frayed, torn, separating, or altered in any other way

If your passport does not meet these requirements, please contact China Visa Service Center at 1-800-799-6560 for further details.

Photograph(s)

The Chinese Consulate requires a photograph that meets very strict requirements. We strongly recommend that you submit your photograph electronically to China Visa Service Center so we can ensure it meets the stringent characteristics mandated by the Chinese Consulate. Follow https://www.mychinavisa.com/photo-service to upload your photo.

All electronic photo submissions must be taken within the last six months against an all-white background. It must show a full frontal view of your head, face centered in the middle, the tops of your shoulders, and display a neutral (non-smiling) expression with eyes open, mouth closed, and ears visible. No background light or shadows are permitted. You may not wear eyeglasses, jewelry, or headwear except for religious purposes. Do not wear a white shirt. 

Should you elect to submit an actual photograph then it must meet all of the above criteria and:

• Be exactly 48 mm tall by 33 mm wide 
• Be printed on high-quality photo paper
• Not be affixed to your application, with no evidence of adhesive tape or staples

Note that most passport photo vendors produce photos that are 2 inches by 2 inches and are not acceptable. China Visa Service Center cannot submit applications with incorrectly formatted photographs.

Letter of Invitation

CET Academic Programs will advise you how the Invitation Letter requirement will be fulfilled for participants from your program.  Please contact CET Academic Programs if you have any questions on what you should submit to meet this requirement.

To fulfill the tourist visa invite requirement, you must select one of the following options:

• A copy of your round trip airline ticket, or
• Itinerary and airline confirmation: A copy of your day-by-day cruise itinerary, or if on a tour, your tour itinerary. In addition you must provide a copy of your confirmed airline reservations showing all segments of your flights from state of residence in the U.S. to China and returning to the U.S. to your state of residence. Your itinerary and flight information must include your full name as it appears on your passport, or 
• A copy of an official letter of invitation from a governmental agency or individual sponsor.  If you obtain a letter of invitation from an individual sponsor in China, the invitation must include the following:
  • Your name, gender, date of birth
  • Purpose of applicant’s visit
  • Date of arrival and departure
  • Places to visit, specific names of cities required
  • Details of your flight itinerary and hotel reservation