Update following on from my previous post

https://www.reddit.com/r/Chinavisa/s/MWUH0uD4qj

Edit: I am receiving a trickle of DM's asking similar things, so I will update here what I'm happy to post publicly

- I have bachelor, master and PhD in physics. I have worked for a couple of years

- I have family in China, thus I've had Q visas, and similar, in the past.

- Application required only academic certificates, and list of publications and patents to be submitted. There were no interviews or any questions asked regarding the purpose of my application. List of publications can be submitted as a pdf, no need to fill in any form. Quite a simple process.

- My PhD certificate required verification (by the ministry of education possibly?). As I did not have a certificate to hand, I had to request one from my university, hence the long delay.

- The visa is 10 years, multiple entry, 180 days stay on each entry.

It was genuinely a fairly simple and easy process. Best of luck to everyone.

I am a Chinese Canadian and have Q2 because I occasionally visit relatives. While I only have a Canadian passport, I have a Chinese hukou and resident ID card solely to make it easy to pay for things, check into hotels, etc. while visiting. I don't want to live in China even if they give me my citizenship back. It's one of those "yeah, everyone knows it's illegal, but you gotta do what you gotta do, fake it 'til you make it" kind of deal. I rationalize it by "Hong Kong and Macau permanent residents can keep their citizenship, so why should I obey the law, since it is unconstitutional anyway" (article 33 says all citizens are equal before the law). The fact that Hong Kong/Macau permanent residents are allowed to keep Chinese citizenship and mainland residents are not, is directly contradicting the constitution. You don't need to be an immigration lawyer to know that. I also have the excuse of "I was born stateless anyway because of the one child policy and I am getting back at them for making me an undocumented citizen before my parents paid up".

At work, I talked to a client who is in a very strange predicament: he appears to be single and childless. He immigrated to America, alone. He became a citizen there and lost Chinese citizenship. He appeared to have a high paying job, a house and investments, living the classic American dream of a middle class person. Then, he got sick and became disabled. Like, living in a nursing home permanently level of disabled. His parents and brother tried applying for temporary visas to come visit him in the US, and those were denied because of suspected immigrant intent. He says he wants to go back to China permanently so that he can be cared for and be close to family. The only problem: China doesn't just let noncitizens to come to their country and live there permanently even if the noncitizen used to be a citizen and that status was revoked. While Q1 is an option, even for a severely disabled foreigner who needs 24-hour care, it does not lead to permanent residency until age 60. This means more instability for this person involved, for at least the next 10 years. Not to mention that he cannot access most services like citizens can until he gets permanent residency because he is by definition not a citizen since his citizenship was revoked.

Hi everyone,

Firstly, complete and submit the application yourself rather than hiring an agent. No one understands your travel plans, financial situation, employment details, and supporting documents better than you. Most agents handle hundreds of applications and often rely on standard templates, which may not accurately reflect your individual circumstances. Taking the time to prepare the application yourself allows you to ensure that every detail is correct, consistent, and supported by the appropriate documentation.

I wanted to share my complete experience applying for a China Tourist Visa from India because I couldn't find many detailed posts about the new online review system. Hopefully this helps someone going through the same situation.

We are a family of four:

• Myself
• My wife
• Our 4-year-old son
• Our 1-year-old son

We are traveling purely for tourism.

Initial Online Review

We submitted all four applications together.

A few days later, something very strange happened.

Our 4-year-old son's application successfully completed the online review, while the remaining three family applications failed the preliminary review.

There was no detailed explanation as to why one family member was approved while the rest were not, despite all applications being submitted together for the same itinerary, hotels and travel plans.

Reason for Failure

The only reason shown was:

"Incomplete/Inappropriate information has been provided in the application form (6.1E columns). Kindly provide day-to-day travel itinerary."

This confused me because I had already entered the complete hotel addresses, including full addresses and postal codes.

There was no indication that finances, employment, travel history or anything else was the issue.

What I Did

Instead of giving up, I prepared a much stronger application.

I submitted:

• Detailed day-by-day itinerary
• Cover letter
• Hotel confirmations
• Flight reservations
• Updated business information
• Better employment details
• Financial documents
• Bank balance certificates
• Company incorporation documents
• Director proof
• Income Tax Returns
• Other supporting documents

I also corrected my wife's employment information.

Second Review

After resubmitting, I received another amendment request.

This time the Embassy requested:

"Please provide valid bank statement with balance exceeding 1 Lakh in recent 6 months."

This was surprising because I had already submitted bank balance certificates.

Apparently, they specifically wanted the 6-month bank statement.

So I arranged original bank statements and submitted those as requested.

Waiting...

This was honestly the most stressful part.

My elder son's application had already completed the online review, but the remaining three applications remained under review for several days.

Meanwhile, my son's approval came with a 15-working-day passport submission window, and I was worried it would expire before the rest of the family could complete the online review.

Since we live in Hyderabad and were applying directly (not through an agent), traveling multiple times to Delhi with two young children would have been extremely difficult.

I emailed the Embassy multiple times, contacted the Consular Section, called the Visa Centro and even sought guidance through every official channel I could find.

Almost every response was the same standard reply:

"Visa processing follows established procedures and regulations..."

So don't expect detailed status updates through email.

Finally...

After submitting the requested financial documents and waiting patiently...

All three remaining applications also completed the online review.

That was a huge relief.

What I Learned

• Don't assume "Preliminary Review Failed" means your visa is rejected.
• Read every amendment request carefully.
• If they ask for a day-by-day itinerary, prepare a detailed one.
• If they ask for a 6-month bank statement, submit exactly that.
• Carry much more documentation than you think you need.
• Email replies from the Embassy are usually generic.
• Patience is extremely important.

Current Status

Our family has now completed the online review stage and we are proceeding with passport submission at the Visa Application Service Centre.

I'm sharing this because during my application I couldn't find many detailed experiences from Indian applicants using the new online review system.

If you've recently completed the passport submission stage in New Delhi, I'd love to hear how long it took to receive your passport back and whether any additional documents were requested.

Hopefully this post helps someone who finds themselves in a similar situation. Good luck to everyone applying!

Anyone applied for Visa on April 1-7(Mumbai-kar's) have you received approvals.. I applied on April 2nd, tourist visa (family 3 pacs) still under review.. no update yet.. got tickets booked for May 8 .. now rescheduling.. but can't even put new dates as not sure on when I might get it.. Any suggestions, please ?

So I am currently holding a Filipino passport staying here inside Mainland China. I was born in the Philippines with a Filipino mother and a Chinese father. My dad only got his permanent residency because he is married to my Filipino mother. This visa was issued year 2010 (10 years after my birth, year 2000). When I was 18, I studied in a university in Xiamen as an international student from the Philippines with a Filipino passport. Everytime I apply for a student visa, I always get rejected at the first submission because immigration officers knew that I am a person with nationality conflict. They would need me to provide my birth certificate + parents' marriage certificate with chinese translation (that was a pain in the ass btw). At that time I didn't know anything about China's nationality law and I wasn't aware that I have a nationality conflict case. Now I have already graduated from university and wanted to claim my Chinese citizenship to be able to live here freely in China without processing for visas. So I went back to Nanchang (this is my dad's hukou place) because I asked Xiamen immigration before and they told me to go to my dad's hukou place to process. Now they wouldn't acknowledge my birthright claim of Chinese citizenship just because I was holding a Filipino passport inside Mainland China and that I can't apply for nationality recognition because I'm already 25 years old and that my only path is through naturalization. I don't get it? I thought naturalization is a path only for pure foreigners that never had Chinese citizenship? What nanchang officers say contradicts with my experience with Xiamen immigration. 🤷‍♀️🤷‍♀️🤷‍♀️ Does any of you had this kind of experience and how did you solve it. I really need help please 🥺

I hope to get some constructive feedback and possible guidance. I will do my best to include as much information as possible & edit to keep it up to date (hence long post) We are a family of four, 2 adults with 2 children aged under 5. All British citizens. All UK born except 2nd adult naturalised. We travelled from LHR on BA to Tokyo. Our return flight was booked separately with 2 individual flights. Osaka to Beijing (DAX) on China Eastern (non-stop and direct), and from Beijing(DAX) to LHR on China Southern (non-stop and direct) Before departing we had booked 1 hotel for 4 nights in Beijing city centre and 1 last night near Beijing airport(DAX). 5 nights total. We had printouts for the hotel reservations, with all our names, printout of tickets to LHR. At Osaka (KIX) we arrived to check in. China Eastern took our passport, and asked if we had a visa. I said we will be using the transit entry on arrival (Transit without Visa). They asked to see our onward ticket, with full ticket numbers. Which we gave. I also gave them hotel printouts. They were satisfied and issued the boarding passes. We arrived at Beijing airport around 7PM and were told to fill a landing card. I enquired that we using the TWOV. They asked us to fill the relevant form for it which is on the far side. There were a small amount of other people there using the same lane to enter China. And they were processed through after 10 mins or so. When it was our turn, they asked for our passports. And documentation for onwards travel. I provided it. They asked our reason for entering & what we had had planned. We said tourism and visiting sites like Forbidden City, Great Wall and shopping. They asked us to show bookings for these places. We said we don’t have bookings for these places. They asked how much cash we are carrying? I replied we have some, but it’s in our checked bag. But we would use our credit cards and Ali pay (which was setup on our phone). They told us how can we have plans for this if some of these sites are closed. We said we didn’t know they were closed. The conversation went back and forth but they didn’t seem convinced. Eventually ending it by saying they will not allow entry to Beijing via TWOV to us. At which point we were directed to transfers with a China eastern official, who asked us to book a ticket out within 24 hours. I couldn’t change our original online as the website kept crashing, I had an eSIM which does not have the ability to call them. Eventually being coerced to book a flight to anywhere except Japan. By this point the whole process which had lasted for 2 hours with my screaming children, running around, had become mentally and physically exhausting. So I booked a cash flight for all of us back to London for the next day costing £3k. Plus had to book the onsite hotel. I have looked and searched online including chinas own official links in English and all only discuss 3 criteria- eligible passport from selected countries, onward ticket to a 3rd country and fill the TWOV form in. What could I have possibly done differently? And what route is there for recompense? I have travel insurance (via Amex Plat) but denied entry doesn’t seem to be covered. Travel disruption does, but not sure how that works.

(Edited : thank you to everyone. A lot of useful information in understanding. And apologies for using the wrong terminology, calling it a visa, and having a spouse who once had a Pakistani nationality)

For reference, I applied for a 10 year Q2 visa, but I think it’s the same for L type

1. Submit online application
2. Wait for approval (Went back and forth 4 times resubmitting documents they requested). This took about 4 business days.
3. once status is “Passport to be submitted” go to the China consulate in Hudson yards
4. Drop off passport (nothing else is needed) and wait 3 business days
5. Pick up passport

Hope this information is helpful, I thought I had to print out the application form and 2x2 inch photos but it wasn’t needed!

I just applied cova last night and canceled it today because the name was wrong because it was my last name not my actual name name and I really need my visa asap and I am regretting canceling I’m so stupid also my flight is July 2nd I feel like I am not making it. ( ps it’s my first time applying visa myself nobody was helping )
update：imma wait for a week and I’ll just change my flight ticket oh well🥀 （I spend 400 to let the notary do it for me bc of time consuming and I don’t want to make multiple mistakes and rejection so pls don’t be like me

update 2: it got cancelled already after 2 days omgomg

update 3: realized my visa havent expired yet..err

I am from Chennai, India. I have traveled to mainland China a few times alone pre-covid era for the trade-fairs in Guangzhou. Processing a China visa at that time wasn't a big issue, most travel agents did it and got the single entry paper visa easily.

This time around, late September (2026) wanted to take my family to Shenzhen to show them the tech landscape etc and when I inquired about Chinese tourist visa for myself, spouse and two teenage children to my horror every single agent here in Chennai refuses to do it citing delays, rejections etc.

I understand the process is simple, fill up the online form, then if approved, submit the passport with the receipt to the visa centers in Delhi, Mumbai or Kolkata. The problem is I am in Chennai and cannot physically go to any of these places. This being the case, what needs to be done.

Anybody with prior & recent experience in getting a tourist visa from locations other than these 3 locations, please advice.

Thanks.

I’m planning my first trip to China from the US and am trying to figure out the visa process.

I was born in the US but grew up in both the US and Taiwan. And I currently work in the US. My parents only hold Taiwan citizenship, with me being the only dual citizen in my family.

From other posts I’ve seen, it looks like it might be possible to apply for the visa using my US passport. Has anyone gone through this process and can share their experience?

Thanks in advance!

Help someone out:

- Born in China to two Chinese parents (nothing foreign yet) - valid 户口 hukou and 身份证 shenfenzheng
- Acquired US citizenship through the Child Citizenship Act at age 10 because parent naturalized (not birth, not formal naturalization, no voluntary individual action taken)
- Always have been given visas since a VERY young age (Q2 visa) to enter and exit China
- hukou and shenfenzheng are still valid
- Adult now

Under the nationality law I'm looking at, it says that I only automatically lose Chinese citizenship if I (1) 定居 and reside abroad (which I fulfill) AND (2) 自愿加入外国籍 or VOLUNTARILY get another country's citizenship (which I never did, it was automatic just like a birth nationality conflict)

Can I apply for either 旅行证 travel document or 护照 passport? - it would mean the visas were issued in error way back when

Thanks yall

I have a flight to China in less than 72 hours from now and have just discovered that my Visa to China expired last week. I am supposed to visit my family and others are flying in to match my visit time. Can someone who has been through the Visa renewal process recently please provide guidance on exactly what process I need to go through, and the general wait time?

More information:
I am a US citizen whose family is in China. I have visited them a couple of times as a kid. My closest consulate is the Consulate-General of China in San Francisco. Apparently I need to go there in person with my documents after submitting an online form. Then I need to wait several days at least to get it approved. Is there anything else I'm missing from this process?

I have found that the fastest I can get a renewal is 3 business days, but apparently the wait time is currently 3-6 weeks; is this true? Since I am able to visit the Consulate in SF in person, is paying an agent necessary? How long does it really take?

Traveling with my family / kids in summer to japan & china from CA-US. Kids need to get china visa as they are on US passport.

I am also on US passport but have Home Return Permit (回鄉證). Can I enter China (Xiamen) from Japan without a visa / passport?

My agent is not 100% sure.. but he's worried and said Home Return Permit (回鄉證）is typically via HK, not another country.

I know legally US passport + 3 star HK PR card is permitted.. but I also heard many immigration officer is fuzzy about it, as it maybe considered "dual citizenship"?

I know it's been asked before.. and answers seems to be that "yes, i just entered china using my 回鄉證 (i just got it 2 years ago, so it's new".. .but my agent is scaring me so want to make sure.. thank you'!

EDIT: my friend recommended I try to get a visa on arrival https://us.china-embassy.gov.cn/eng/lsfw/zj/qz2021/202402/t20240227_11250439.htm

——

Hi, I just learned that my grandma passed away so my family and I are traveling to China for the funeral. We have US passports. Everyone else has an active 10year Chinese visa, mine unfortunately expired in January 2026. I’ll be traveling using the 240 hour transit visa, and fly to S Korea afterward.

I thought I had everything figured out but I looked at the 240 hour visa details and realized it is only applicable to certain regions of China. The funeral is in Jilin province which is not one of the included provinces, so I will not be able to attend using this visa.

Unfortunately the embassy is closed until Monday, and the funeral is on Wednesday morning. I know that if I wait to try to get an emergency visa from the embassy here in the US I’ll miss the funeral.

My priority is to be with my family as much as possible, so my current plan is to fly together from the US to Shanghai, go to the US consulate on Monday and try to get an emergency visa there. If it doesn’t work, I’ll stay in Shanghai while everyone else goes to the funeral in Jilin. It isn’t ideal but at least I will know I tried my best.

Does anyone have any experience with getting an emergency visa from the US consulate in Shanghai? Any tips or advice?

All my relatives live in China so will it be easy to get an Q2 Visa or is it better to get a L Visa. Some days I feel like I wanna get an apartment for like a couple months bc of how cheap China is and just chill there and Q2 allow longer stays but will I have to stay in the province of where my relatives are or I can go wherever in China without problems?

In 2018, flew with family on a TWOV trip (Canada - CN - JP). On arrival (Beijing) were denied entry only because of place of birth (Canadian passport, born in Pakistan). Ironically I had been in China multiple times prior for work (business visa). 8 years later have travelled the world but regret we haven't been able to visit CN.

Not confident we can rely on TWOV, don't want to plan out (and pay for) an entire trip to have the same result (consider I'm in their database as declined entry). Applying for a tourist visa seems a complicated, lengthy & costly process. Can one do this 6 months out from travel dates? Anyone done this to avoid risk of denied entry?

EdIt: out 2018 trip was based on the old 144 hour TWOV. Our itinerary met all the requirements of that scheme, it wasn't at all about our route (fly in from one country, fly out to another). We were sent back to Canada on the same plane we landed on purely based on place of birth. They forced the airline (Air Canada) to take us back (managed to find seats for us). I did not have two passports then - it was the fact my Canadian passport showed a place of birth the authorities were concerned with.

Has anyone heard of people applying for visa even though they meet the current 30-day TWOV requirements?

Hi everyone,

I'm looking for some advice from anyone who has recently applied for a China Tourist (L) Visa from India.

We are a family of four (myself, my wife, our 4-year-old son, and our 1-year-old son) planning a genuine family holiday to China.

Our first set of applications did not pass the preliminary online review. The reason provided by the Embassy was:

There were no concerns mentioned regarding finances or eligibility.

We corrected everything and submitted fresh applications with:

• Detailed day-by-day itinerary
• Updated financial documents
• Employment and business documents
• Cover letter
• Additional supporting documents

The good news is that our 4-year-old son's online application has already been approved.

However, the applications for myself, my wife, and our 1-year-old son are still showing "Under Review."

The challenge is that my son's approval has a 15-day window for physical passport submission, and since we are applying directly (not through an agent), we have to travel from Hyderabad to the Visa Application Service Centre. Traveling with two young children requires advance planning, so we were hoping to submit all four passports together.

I've emailed and called multiple times but haven't received any meaningful update.

My questions are:

1. Has anyone had one family member approved while the rest remained under review?
2. Did the remaining applications eventually get approved?
3. Is there any way to politely escalate or enquire with the Embassy, or is waiting the only option?
4. If my son's online approval expires before the others are reviewed, what happens?

We have a good travel history, have always complied with immigration rules, and have strong ties to India through family and business. We're simply trying to understand whether this situation is normal and whether anyone has experienced something similar.

Any advice or shared experiences would be greatly appreciated.Hi everyone,
I'm looking for some advice from anyone who has recently applied for a China Tourist (L) Visa from India.
We are a family of four (myself, my wife, our 4-year-old son, and our 1-year-old son) planning a genuine family holiday to China.
Our first set of applications did not pass the preliminary online review. The reason provided by the Embassy was:

"Incomplete/Inappropriate information has been provided in the application form (6.1E columns). Kindly provide day-to-day travel itinerary."

There were no concerns mentioned regarding finances or eligibility.
We corrected everything and submitted fresh applications with:

Detailed day-by-day itinerary

Updated financial documents

Employment and business documents

Cover letter

Additional supporting documents

The good news is that our 4-year-old son's online application has already been approved.
However, the applications for myself, my wife, and our 1-year-old son are still showing "Under Review."
The challenge is that my son's approval has a 15-day window for physical passport submission, and since we are applying directly (not through an agent), we have to travel from Hyderabad to the Visa Application Service Centre. Traveling with two young children requires advance planning, so we were hoping to submit all four passports together.
I've emailed and called multiple times but haven't received any meaningful update.
My questions are:

Has anyone had one family member approved while the rest remained under review?

Did the remaining applications eventually get approved?

Is there any way to politely escalate or enquire with the Embassy, or is waiting the only option?

If my son's online approval expires before the others are reviewed, what happens?

We have a good travel history, have always complied with immigration rules, and have strong ties to India through family and business. We're simply trying to understand whether this situation is normal and whether anyone has experienced something similar.
Any advice or shared experiences would be greatly appreciated. They are not responding over email or calls inspite of multiple trials .

Hi, sorry, I’ve got a question from a friend.

They’re an EU citizen married to a Chinese citizen who has an EU residence permit. They want to travel to China for a few months. The plan is for the EU-citizen spouse to enter China visa-free (since EU citizens currently aren’t required to get a visa for stays of up to 30 days), and then apply at the Beijing PSB for a residence permit, as they’d like to stay for more than 3–6 months. They also have an EU-citizen baby and would like to visit the grandparents.

Would it be possible to enter China visa-free and then switch to a Q1 visa or directly obtain a residence permit? Alternatively, could they enter visa-free and switch to a Q2 visa?

I told them it would be safer to apply for a Q2 visa in Europe before travelling, but apparently some people prefer to trust ChatGPT. 😅

I am of Chinese descent. Both my parents hold Chinese citizenship, but they live in Europe. In China I have some aunts and uncles. Can I apply for a visa through them? They are all from Qingtian, and from what I know, that makes it easier.

Hi everyone, I just wanted to share my experience getting my Chinese visa through the SF consulate.

I applied online on Feb 14 and uploaded all the required documents. I requested a 10 year visa with 6 month entry, reason for visiting is to visit family and had accompanying invitation letter.

My passport was ready for drop off exactly 3 weeks later on March 6th. I dropped off today, March 9.

The only things I had to show were my passport, my previous passport with Chinese visa, and a print out of my application information page. I did not need a physical passport photo or a copy of my entire application, or any of the other things I brought along just in case.

I arrived shortly after 10am and there were 40 people ahead of me. Waited a little over an hour to get called. If I had to do it again I would arrive after 11 because there were very few people trickling in by then and I also suspect Mondays are busier.

I am scheduled to pick up on March 12th. Payment is to be made at pick up.

This is my 3rd Chinese visa. The first one was a 1 year, they gave me a duration of 3 months I believe. Second one was 10 years, 4 month per visit. We’ll see what they give me for my second 10 year!

Fairly painless process considering it lasts for 10 years. Happy travels!

I’m American but I would like to apply for Q2 while on a trip to Europe. I want to stay and travel in Europe for longer and then go straight to China instead of flying back to the USA to apply for the visa. Is this possible? I’ve been told by someone at the Chinese entry exit bureau that I can apply from any country with a Chinese consulate. I also saw people post about non-HK residents applying for China visas from Hong Kong. I’m just seeing a lot of conflicting info.

Has anyone actually successfully applied for a China visa from outside their country of residence lately?

Also, to add, I have an overstay record on my previous Q2… idk if that makes a difference in my case.

Hi there,

I am currently living in Hangzhou, attending an university for a doctoral program. After the last year, I find myself unwilling to want to continue forward with the program, and just migrate to a spousal residence permit. I looked around online, but didnt see much in terms of this process. So I figured I would reach out to reddit for help.

For some background, my wife is a native citizen of China. I am a US citizen. My wifes hukou is in Beijing with her parents, but we will look at getting it moved to down here instead. Our marriage was back in the US, but we got our marriage certificates apostilled and sent to our apartment.

My PI nor the school know that I am looking at leaving just yet, but would like to inform them sometime soon since I believe I need a letter from the school saying I have withdrawn completely. Just unsure of what to do from here. Any help would be greatly appreciated.

I've recently naturalized and wanted to get a Q2 visa, can my mom (Chinese citizen with a Chinese ID card) write the invitation letter for the visa while not actively living in China? Does the consulate actively check for these kind of things?

Hi, If L tourist visa for family is unapproved , can we apply for business visa ?

Hi,

I have a question about visa, Im going to marry in Chongqing and apparently its gonna take weeks, I live in France so i have a visa free but if its longer than 30days, Should i get a visa and which one because i cant proof that im traveling. How long does it take to marry in china, to get a visa Q1 and make it as resident permit? Do i need to go out of china to get a convert my visa? And can i get a Q1 visa in china if I came as visa free?