Applying for Visas
Since 2013, citizens of 51 countries, including Australia,
France, Germany, the UK and the USA, are allowed to stay for up
to 72 hours in Běijīng without a visa. However, if you are
staying longer, citizens of every country, bar Japan, SIngapore
and Brunei, require a visa. Note that visas do not allow you to
travel in areas of China, such as Tibet, that require special
permits to visit.
Your passport must be valid for at least six months after the
expiry date of your visa and you’ll need at least one entire
blank page in your passport for the visa. You may be required to
show proof of hotel reservations and onward travel from China,
as well as a bank statement showing you have $100 in your
account for every day you plan to spend in China.
At the time of writing, prices for a single-entry 30-day visa
were as follows:
£30 for UK citizens
US$140 for US citizens
US$30 for citizens of other nations
Double-entry visas:
£45 for UK citizens
US$140 for US citizens
US$45 for all other nationals
Six-month multiple-entry visas:
£90 for UK citizens
US$140 for US citizens
US$60 for all other nationals
A standard 30-day single-entry visa can be
issued from most Chinese embassies abroad in three to five
working days. Express visas cost twice the usual fee. In some
countries (eg the UK and the US) the visa service has been
outsourced from the Chinese embassy to a Chinese Visa
Application Service Centre, which levies an extra administration
fee. In the case of the UK, a single-entry visa costs £30, but
the standard administration charge levied by the centre is a
further £36.
A standard 30-day visa is activated on the date you enter China,
and must be used within three months of the date of issue.
60-day and 90-day tourist visas are reasonably easy to obtain in
your home country but difficult elsewhere. To stay longer, you
can extend your visa in China at least once, sometimes twice.
Visa applications require a completed application form
(available at the embassy or downloaded from its website) and at
least one photo (normally 51mm x 51mm). You normally pay for
your visa when you collect it. A visa mailed to you will take up
to three weeks. In the US and Canada, mailed visa applications
have to go via a visa agent, at extra cost. In the US, many
people use the China Visa
Service Center, which offers prompt service. The procedure
takes around 10 to 14 days.
Hong Kong is a good place to pick up a China visa. However, at
the time of writing only Hong Kong residents were able to obtain
them direct from the Visa
Office of the People’s Republic of China. Single-entry visas
processed here cost HK$200, double-entry visas HK$300, while
six-month/one-year multiple-entry visas are HK$500. But China
Travel Service (CTS) and many travel agencies in Hong Kong can
get you a visa in two to three working days. Expect to pay
HK$650 for a single-entry visa and HK$750 for a double-entry.
Both American and UK passport holders must pay considerably more
for their visas.
Be aware that political events can suddenly make visas more
difficult to procure or renew.
Residence Permits
Residence permits are available – normally issued for a period
of one year at a time as a sticker in your passport – to people
resident in China for work, who are married to Chinese citizens
(although that doesn't guarantee you will be allowed to work
while in China) and long-term students. Requirements are
stringent; you will need to be sponsored by a Chinese company or
university, or a foreign company with an office in China, and
undergo a health check. Long-term residency permits, valid for
five years and known as 'green cards', are available but are
issued under even more stringent conditions.
Passports
Chinese law requires foreign visitors to carry their passport
with them at all times; it is the most basic travel document and
all hotels (and internet cafes) will insist on seeing it. You
also need it to buy train tickets or to get into some tourist
sights, particularly those which are free.
It’s a good idea to bring an ID card with your photo in case you
lose your passport. Even better, make photocopies, or take
digital photos of your passport – your embassy may need these
before issuing a new one. You should also report the loss to the
local Public Security Bureau (PSB). Be careful who you pass your
passport to, as you may never see it again.
Customs Regulations
Chinese customs generally pay tourists little attention. There
are clearly marked ‘green channels’ (nothing to declare) and
‘red channels’ (something to declare) at the airport.
Duty Free You’re allowed to import 400 cigarettes or the
equivalent in tobacco products and 1.5L of alcohol. Importation
of fresh fruit and meat is prohibited. There are no restrictions
on foreign currency; however, you should declare any cash that
exceeds US$5000 (or its equivalent in another currency).
DVDs Pirated DVDs and CDs are illegal exports from China as well
as illegal imports into most other countries. If they are found,
they will be confiscated.
Antiques Objects considered antiques require a certificate and
red seal to clear customs. To get the proper certificate and
seal, your antiques must be inspected by the
Relics Bureau, where no English is spoken. Anything made
before 1949 is considered an antique and needs a certificate,
and if it was made before 1795 it cannot legally be taken out of
the country.