Foreigners intending to enter China shall apply for a visa, except the situations where there exists a visa exemption agreement or China grants a visa exemption. Foreigners intending to enter China shall apply for a visa to the overseas visa issuers in general situations. Where the port visa conditions are satisfied, the foreigners may, at the ports of entry approved by the State Council to issue port visas, apply for a port visa to the port visa offices as authorized by the Ministry of Public Security.
[Note] Entry, as referred to in Chinese laws, refers to the entry into Chinese mainland from other countries or regions, including the entry into Chinese mainland from Hong Kong Special Administrative Region or Macao Special Administrative Region, or entry into Chinese mainland from Taiwan. Exit refers to the exit from Chinese mainland to other countries or regions, including the exit from Chinese mainland to Hong Kong Special Administrative Region or Macao Special Administrative Region, or exit from Chinese mainland to Taiwan.
A foreigner applying for a visa shall fill out the application form, and submit his or her passport or other international travel credential, qualified photos, and material relating to the purpose of application. (1) To apply for the C visa, the applicant shall submit the letter of guarantee provided by a foreign transportation company or the invitation letter provided by the entity concerned in China;
(2) To apply for the D visa, the applicant shall submit the form issued by the Ministry of Public Security confirming his or her permanent residence status;
(3) To apply for the F visa, the applicant shall submit the invitation letter provided by the inviting party in China;
(4) To apply for the G visa, the applicant shall submit a through ticket (air, road, rail or sea) to another country or region with the date and seat number on it;
(5) To apply for the J1 or J2 visa, the applicant shall go through the formalities of examination and approval in accordance with the Chinese provisions on news coverage by permanent offices of foreign news agencies in China and by foreign journalists, and submit the relevant application material;
(6) To apply for the L visa, the applicant shall, as required, submit travel plans and itinerary and other material; in the case of a group tour, the applicant shall also submit the invitation letter provided by the travel agency;
(7) To apply for the M visa, the applicant shall, as required, submit the invitation letter provided by the commercial or trade partner in China;
(8) To apply for the Q1 visa, in the case of applying for residence in China for family reunion, the applicant shall submit the invitation letter provided by the Chinese citizen living in China or by the foreigner with permanent residence status in China and proof of family relationship; and in the case of applying for entry for fosterage or other purposes, the applicant shall submit such certification documents as a power of attorney; to apply for the Q2 visa, the applicant shall submit such certification documents as the letter of invitation provided by the Chinese citizen living in China or by the foreigner with permanent residence status in China;
(9) To apply for the R visa, the applicant shall meet the qualifications and requirements set by the competent authorities of the Chinese government for inviting persons of high talent or urgently needed specialists, and the applicant shall, in accordance with the relevant provisions, submit the relevant certification documents;
(10) To apply for the S1 or S2 visa, the applicant shall, as required, submit the invitation letter provided by the foreigner staying or residing in China for work, study or other purposes and proof of family relationship, or the certification documents required for dealing with personal matters in China;
(11) To apply for the X1 visa, the applicant shall, in accordance with the relevant provisions, submit the admission notice issued by the admission institution and the certification documents provided by the competent authority; to apply for the X2 visa, the applicant shall, in accordance with the relevant provisions, submit such certification documents as the admission notice issued by the admission institution; and
(12) To apply for the Z visa, the applicant shall, in accordance with the relevant provisions, submit the work permit and other certification documents.
The visa authority may, in light of specific cases, require a foreigner to submit additional application material.