|
VISA FAQs
Every day, we
receive many phone calls from people who wish to apply for a Chinese visa,
but have some questions related to the process. Many of these
questions are very common and similar so we put them under our "Frequently
Asked Questions" section, hoping to give an answer to your question.
If your questions are not answered here, please feel free to call us at 1-800-788-1399
or 604-522-2550.
For your
convenience, here are the addresses and phone numbers of the Chinese Embassy
and Consulates in Canada. Though the phone numbers are often hard to get
through to a real person, the addresses of the Chinese Consulate in each
city are helpful in case you want to process the Chinese visa by yourselves.
Chinese Embassy in Ottawa
515 St.Patrick St.,
Ottawa, ON
K1N 5H3
Tel: (613)789-3509
Fax:(613)789-1414 |
Chinese Consulate General in Vancouver
288-1338 West Broadway,
Vancouver, BC
V6H 1H2
Tel: (604)734-0704
Fax:(604)734-0311 |
Chinese Consulate General in Toronto
240 St. George St.,
Toronto, ON
M5R 2P4
Tel: (416)964-7260
Fax:(416)324-6468 |
Chinese Consulate General in Calgary
100-1011 6th Ave. SW,
Calgary, AB
T2P 0W1
Tel: (403)264-3322
Fax:(403)264-6656 |
*
* * * * *
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
A Chinese visa is a permit issued
by Chinese visa authorities to non-Chinese citizens for entry into, exit
from and transit through China. Canadian citizens and citizens of most
countries are required to obtain a China visa before entering China. There
are eight categories of ordinary Chinese visas, which are respectively
marked with the letters C, D, F, G, J-1, J-2, L, X and Z.
Yes, a visa is required for a
Canadian citizen traveling to Mainland China, whether for business or
pleasure. It should be obtained in advance, normally within 90 days of your
travel date. Visa is exempt for Canadian citizens who travel to Hong Kong
and Macau as a tourist, if you are staying for less than 90 days.
You need to consider both the
processing time required by the Chinese Consulate and our shipping time.
General turn-around times now are 7-9 business days for regular service; 5-6
days for express service; and 2-4 days for rush service.
Normally, single entry Chinese
visas are valid for 3 months, which means you must enter China within 3
months after the visa was issued. Double entry visas are valid for 6
months and Multiple entry visas are valid for either 6 months or 12 months
and they come with different fees. The validity of a Chinese visa
starts from the date it was issued, not the date you enter China. For
example, if your visa was processed and approved by the Chinese Consulate on
January 10, you must enter China no later than April 10.
The time you could actually stay
in China, or "duration of stay after entry" is usually 30 days. However, a
maximum of 90-day duration of stay is available upon request. To get a
60- or 90-day duration of stay, you must write down such number on the
Chinese Visa Application Form. If you did not specify the number of
days on the form, you will be allowed for 30 days. Please be reminded
that the Chinese Consulate has the final say on the number of days you
receive for your visa regardless of your request.
No, you should not apply for your
visa too early. Once it's issued, your visa will be valid for 90 days
only, which means you need to enter China within the following 90 days. We
recommend that you apply for a Chinese visa 1-2 months before your travel
date.
No. The Chinese Consulate
requires a recent colored photo of yours on a clear background,
approximately 2" by 2". You can obtain this type of photo in any photo
studios. Photos must be on photo paper; Xerox copy or prints on plain paper
are not acceptable. The photo does not need to be signed by a
guarantor.
No. You must provide your actual
original passport. Chinese Embassy or Consulate requires the submission of
physical passport, together with your recent photograph and completed
application forms bearing the applicant's original signature, as well as
various supporting documents. China Visa is a sticker on a visa page inside
your passport.
Yes. Double-entry visa means you
can enter Mainland China twice. Hong Kong is a Special Administrative Region
and has its own visa policy. When you leave Mainland China for Hong
Kong, your visa is used and you need to have another visa if you wish to
come back to Mainland China for a second time. Remember, each time you
enter China from Hong Kong or Macau, you need one entry.
Total costs of visa application
include Consular Fees, Service Fees and Return Shipping Fee. Consular Fees
are fees paid to the consulate. The Service Fee is charged for the services
performed by us. Shipping Fee is for the return of your completed
documentation by FedEx, Purolator or Xpresspost. When you send in
applications for more than one person, you could send all applications in
one package. If all passports are to be returned to the same address,
you need to pay only one return shipping charge. Chinese Consulate
fees and our service fees, however, are on a per person basis.
Yes. The Chinese Consulate does not
require that you provide roundtrip air tickets now
Chinese Consulate issues
multiple-entry visas for tourist and business purposes. Please check with us
the current policies for multiple entry visas.
We highly recommend that you send
via a secured courier, such as FedEx, DHL, UPS, Purolator, Xpresspost, etc.
We normally use Purolator, FedEx, or Xpresspost to return your documents
back to you.
Yes, you are welcome to use your
own Fedex account for return shipping. To do so, you can either
include a prepaid Fedex waybill or write down your Fedex account number on
our Service Order Form.
|
