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FAQ China – The Most Frequently Asked Questions About the China Visa

Not earlier than 2 to max. 3 months before departure. If time is short, the visa can be issued within one working day. However, it is better to plan enough lead time in case documents are requested by the Chinese visa office or if we find that your application documents are incomplete during our review. This can cause delays, so early application is always recommended.
We offer various processing times for China visas. The range goes from one working day to 8 working days. The prerequisite for meeting the deadlines is that the documents are complete and the Chinese visa office does not request additional information. Depending on the desired speed, we check your visa application and then submit it to the visa office.

If it needs to be very quick, there is the China Express Visa. This is issued within one working day. For example, from Monday to Tuesday or from Wednesday to Thursday. Please note that Saturdays are not working days for the embassy, so a visa application submitted on a Friday will not be completed until Monday or – if Monday is a holiday – Tuesday. The prerequisite for processing within one working day is that your documents are with us by 12 noon so that we can submit them to the visa office by the given deadline.

The mandatory fingerprint submission may extend the processing time. Every 5 years (or earlier if the passport is changed), applicants older than 14 years and younger than 70 years must submit fingerprints at the visa office for their China visa. Once this is done, subsequent visas (with the same passport) can again be conveniently and quickly applied for by mail.

This depends on the type of visa. It is possible to apply for one, two, or in some cases multiple entries. For example, a tourist visa allows a maximum of two entries. Business visas can be applied for multiple entries if at least one previous China business visa can be proven.
The duration of stay also varies depending on the type of visa. For example, a tourist visa allows a maximum stay of 60 days in the country. (If the tourist visa is issued on a private invitation, it is up to 90 days.) The business visa allows a stay of up to 90 days per entry, if applied for accordingly. There are also business visas that only allow a 30-day stay.
The duration of stay is the period you are allowed to stay in China after receiving the entry stamp. The validity (indicated on the visa as "Expiry Date") indicates the date by which you must enter China. From the time of entry, the duration of stay printed on your visa applies. For example, if you enter on August 5 and the expiry date is August 8, you do not have to leave immediately but can stay for the approved duration of stay (usually at least 30 days), i.e., until September 4. However, you may not enter if the "Expiry" date on your visa has already passed. In that case, you will need a new visa.
The embassy charges a visa fee as well as a processing fee from the intermediary visa office. In addition, our service fees and shipping costs are added. A detailed cost breakdown can be found in our overview of China visa costs. A standard tourist visa can be obtained from us for around 196 Euros (incl. VAT). This price already includes our service fees as well as the fees for the embassy and the visa office. With standard processing, the visa is ready within 8 working days. The costs decrease accordingly if you choose slower processing. Faster processing incurs higher costs.

If you wish, you can also submit your visa application handwritten using our PDF application form. We will then transfer your details to the online form of the visa office for a fee, saving you time and effort.

If you need assistance with the invitation to China (e.g., for a relative or business visa), please feel free to ask us. We are happy to help – of course free of charge.

You can apply for your China visa by using our visa service. We take care of all the steps for you. As soon as we receive your application documents, we check them for completeness. Complete applications are then personally submitted to the "Chinese Visa Application Service Center". These visa offices are institutions specifically commissioned by the embassy to handle China visas. It is no longer possible to apply directly at the embassy or a consulate. Once the visa office has completed your application, we pick up your passport and send it to you with the desired shipping method after payment has been received.

If you do not need to submit fingerprints because you are...

  • ...younger than 14 and older than 69 years old, or
  • ...already have a China visa in your current passport for which you have submitted fingerprints at one of the official visa offices after December 16, 2019,

please send your application documents to Berlin. Here we process applications from all over the country that do not require fingerprints:

1a Visa Consulting Limited
Sprengelstr. 18
13353 Berlin

If you need to submit fingerprints, we process your China visa applications depending on your place of residence either in Berlin or Frankfurt am Main.

Please send your documents to our Frankfurt office if you live or work in North Rhine-Westphalia, Baden-Württemberg, Hesse, Rhineland-Palatinate, or Saarland:

1a Visa Consulting Limited
Kennedyallee 93, 5th Floor
60596 Frankfurt/Main

Applicants from all other federal states should use our Berlin address:

1a Visa Consulting Limited
Sprengelstr. 18
13353 Berlin

If you do not yet have a visa in your passport for which you had to have your fingerprints scanned within the past 5 years, you will need to submit your fingerprints. This must be done at the "Chinese Visa Center" in the city where your visa is applied for through us (Berlin or Frankfurt). The Chinese Visa Center Berlin is located at Invalidenstraße 116-119, postal code 10115. The Chinese Visa Center Frankfurt/Main is located at Bockenheimer Landstraße 51-53, postal code 60325. One of our staff members will be available on-site to guide you through the application process. During the COVID-19 pandemic, the submission of fingerprints is suspended.

The new form must be filled out directly on the homepage of the respective visa center. When filling it out, make sure you select the correct submission location. If you are applying for your China visa through our agency, it is either Berlin or Frankfurt, depending on your place of residence.

Make sure all information is accurate and complete. Especially your personal information and that of your passport must be error-free, otherwise, the application will not be accepted.

The application form is significantly more extensive than its predecessor. Allow sufficient time for the application. Filling out the online application takes about an hour. Finally, sign the cover sheet of the application and once more under point 9.1. Only if there are signatures in both places is the application complete.

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Some "standard documents" must always be submitted, others vary depending on the type of visa. You must always fill out the visa application, have a passport that is valid for at least 6 months, and attach a biometric passport photo to the application. Additional documents can be found under China Visa for the respective visa types.
For an application directly through the visa office, the application is only possible online. We provide you with an alternative PDF form to fill out by hand. For a fee, we will then transfer your data to the online system of the Chinese visa office.
The photo must be digitally inserted into the online application form. It needs a minimum size of 40kb. Otherwise, it will not be accepted by the system. The dimensions are approximately 3.5x4.5 cm, corresponding to a standard passport photo. The photo should be biometric and taken against a white background. The applicant must look straight into the camera, not wear white clothing, jewelry, or glasses (or only rimless ones). Moreover, the photo must be recent (not older than 6 months).

The online system of the visa offices is designed to automatically check the criteria for the photo and may display an error message if it does not meet these criteria 100% according to the online check. However, this does not necessarily mean that the visa office will not accept it.

You do not need a visa for a tourist stay of up to 90 days in Hong Kong and Macau. However, if you plan to visit mainland China, you will need a China visa. If you visit Hong Kong and/or Macau from mainland China and then return to mainland China, this counts as a second entry. Please note that in such cases, the visa must be applied for as a double entry. For business trips, a business visa for Hong Kong or Macau must be applied for accordingly.
To enter China, you definitely need a passport that is still valid for at least 6 months (from the date of visa issuance) and a valid visa. No entry permit is issued at the airport, and entry will be denied without the appropriate visa. Exceptions apply in certain cases for a transit stay in China.

There are no mandatory vaccinations for entry to China. However, the World Health Organization (WHO) currently recommends checking the vaccination status for measles worldwide.

If you are traveling to China from a yellow fever area, a yellow fever vaccination must be documented.

Additionally, the WHO has recommendations if you plan to stay in China for an extended period. Vaccinations against hepatitis A and B, rabies, Japanese encephalitis, and typhoid may be advisable.

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