All nationalities traveling to China, except Japan, need a visa for China. The situation does change with national policy – which can change quickly in China – and also the local working process at different embassies. In some cases, and only for some nationalities, Visas on Arrival are also issued at the Beijing airport, but this is not certain and might lead to problems when boarding the plane abroad; we therefore do not recommend it.
We have a lot of experience in assisting students to obtain the right visa for China, so if you have any questions or need help, please contact us any time at info@livethelanguage.cn
Sample Tourist (L) Visa
Short-Term Visas:
Any nationality can apply for a 30 (minimum) to 90 (maximum) day tourist visa (L-Visa) at any Chinese embassy or consulate, requiring only a passport, two pictures and the application form. This is what almost all language students apply for when first coming to China, independently of where or how long they want to study. It is not necessary to apply for or pick up the visa in person.
We recommend to always apply for the maximum 90 days, as if they are not approved, still 60 or 30 will be given. It is up to the visa officer to decide to grant how many days. This depends mainly on the nationality of the applicant, local embassy customs and how well the case is argued when applying.
An important part to highlight to the visa officer is that the application is for 90 consecutive days. In some cases a 90 day tourist visa is issued with only 30 days per stay, which means that the visa holder has to leave the country every 30 days, which is not practical. If such a visa is issued, we recommend converting it in China after the first 30 days have passed, which is possible.
Note: Consulates in the USA issue tourist visas for up to 360 days, with 180 days per stay. Similar visas have been issued in other countries too, but not as frequently. It never hurts to ask for more; if it doesn’t get approved, you still get the shorter period.
Pay Attention to: When applying for a tourist visa, you should always enter “tourism” as the reason for your stay.
Tip: In most countries there are visa agencies that allow you to just mail them your passport and you get it back with the visa for a fee, which usually is much cheaper than traveling to the consulate yourself and saves a lot of time.
For a List of Chinese Embassy please visit this site: Ministry of Foreign Affairs
Visa Extensions:
An L-visa can be extended twice for 30 days in Beijing. The necessary documents for this are provided by LtL and the student can apply for this by himself or use the LtL visa support package (price: 500RMB, aprox. 56 Euro). The 30 days start to count from the day you apply and processing time usually is about five working days.
What is needed for an L-Visa Extension:
1) Prove of Finances – this is provided by LTL for current LTL students. Please contact reception to have one issued at least 3 days before you want to extend your visa
2) Police Registration Form. You have to register your current place of residence in China with the police, who will issue the form for you.
3) Your passport, valid for at least 6 more months
4) A recent 2 inch photograph of yourself
5) The application form (available at the Public Security Buero)
You cann apply for the extension at the Beijing Public Security Buero
Opening Hours: Mon – Fri, 09:00 – 17:00
Address:
2 Andingmen Avenue (East), Dongcheng District, Beijing
(Southeast of BeiXiaoJie Bridge, 2nd Ring Road)
Tel: 86 – 10 – 8402 0101
Subway: Lama Temple Station by Underground Line 2 \ Line 5
For longer term stays our LTL visa partner agency issues a Short Term Study or Business Visa (F-Visa), which is valid for 3 or 6 months and can be extended for up to 1.5 years in Beijing. The applicant does this directly with the partner agency, which will charge a special discounted price for LTL students between 2000 – 5000RMB (approx. 220 – 560 Euro) for the service, depending on nationality. The procedure is usually very simple, with the agency picking up the passport and returning it with the visa.
Please note that these visas are issued by the Chinese government via the respective agency. LTL cannot issue or apply for visas on your behalf and therefore cannot guarantee a successful visa application.
LTL Support
Regulations and working processes at specific embassies do change. We as a school are quite experienced in handling these and quickly become aware of changes in policy or regulations. LtL offers full support during the whole visa application process to its agents and applicants, and LtL can proudly say that to this day we have managed to obtain visas for all applicants.
Disclaimer: The information above is to the best knowledge of its author and LtL Mandarin School. However no legal responsibility can be assumed for the information provided or decisions made on its behalf.
