• Tourist
• Business

Frequently Asked Questions

1. Who Needs A Visa To Enter Into China?
2. When should I apply for a visa?
3. Processing Time (How long does it take to get my visa?)
4. Validity (How long will my visa be good for?)
5. How do I "read" my visa?
6. What are the consular fees?
7. What is an "entry" (single entry / double entry)?
8. Why didn't I get a multiple entry visa?
9. What about jurisdiction?
10. Disclaimer

• Ordinary passport holders from Singapore, Brunei and Japan can gain access to China without applying for visas for up to 15 days for business, sightseeing, visiting relatives and friends, or transit. They can enter and exit from the ports that are open to foreigners.
• Citizens of all countries need visas to enter into China EXCEPT applicants listed above.

If you apply for the visa too late, you may not have enough time for the application. If you apply for the visa too early, the visa may become invalid before you depart for China. Single-entry visas are generally valid for 3 months from the date of issuance. Two-entry visas are generally valid for 6 months. You are suggested to apply for the visa 2 weeks before your departure date., (to see where to find the visa issue date refer to the section "How to read my visa").

China offers 3 different services for processing visas.

Visa's to China vary in the length of each stay, and in the validity of the visa. Generally single entry visas are good for 30 day stays, and you must enter within 90 days of the visa being issued. Double entry visas are generally valid for 30 day stays, and you are given 6 months to enter into the country. There are also multiple entry visas that have validities of 6 months and 1 year. For help reading your visa, please go to the section "How to read my visa". If you require a visa that allows you to stay for more than 30 days, you may explicity request one when you apply for the visa. The Chinese consulate will decide to grant or deny your request. At It's Easy we have seen them issue 30, 60, 90 and 180 day stays! Even if you are only given a 30 day stay you may apply to extend your visa at a local county level Public Security Bureau in China.

Your visa should look something like the visa below:

A	CATEGORY: L (Tourist) or F (Business)
B	ENTRIES: The number of time you can enter into China on this visa. TYPICAL VALUES: 01 (Single Entry), 02 (Double Entry) and M (Multiple Entry)
C	ENTER BEFORE: This is how long your visa is valid until. China writes dates in YEAR/MONTH/DAY format. The above visa holder must enter into China before May 3rd, 2004. The Next line shows the visa was issued February 3rd, 2004.
D	DURATION OF EACH STAY: This is the amount of time you can stay in china before you have to leave the country. TYPICAL VALUES: 030, 090, 120, 180 these values are in days. 180 means 180 days or 6 months.
The above visa holder has a Single Entry Business visa. They can go to China any time between Feburary 3rd, 2004 and May 3rd, 2004. Once in China he/she can stay for a maximum of 30 days before they must leave the country.

• Fees must be paid either in cash, money order or company check. The Chinese consulate will only accept "large" company checks. That means if you have a company check that is the same size as a personal check - it will NOT be accepted, they want an oversize check.
• You can make your money order or company check payable to "Consulate of China"
• These are the fees charged by the consulate, and does not include the It's Easy Service fee.

CHINA FEES FOR U.S. CITIZENS

CHINA VISA FEES FOR NON U.S. CITIZENS

A jurisdiction is the geographic area that a consulate expects their applicants to live in. Even though the Chinese consulate has jurisdiction, the Chinese Consulate of New York does NOT enforce there jurisdiction. We can take in applications for chinese visas on behalf of applicants in any state. Just make sure the New York visa application form is filled out. (See the instruction page to get the application form).

Single entry visas allow you to travel into China ONE time. Double entry visas allow you to travel into mainland China TWO times. That means you can go into mainland China, then out of China - say back to the United States or over to Hong Kong, and then you may re-enter into mainland China a second time. Your two entries must occur within the time constraints listed on your visa. For help reading your visa, please go to the section "How to read my visa". There are also multiple entry visas available to busines travelers, those visas allow you to enter in and out of mainland china an unlimited number of times during the dates specified on your visa.

Even if you provide all the required documents to obtain a multiple entry visa, you may not get one. The Chinese consulate makes the ultimate decision on who will or will not be granted multiple entries into China. If you do not get a multiple entry visa, they will default you do either a double entry or single entry visa. You will be given the difference in fees for the visa. It's Easy has no control over what type of visa you will be give, but we can advise you on how to increase your chances of getting the visa you want.