Visa China
A visa is required for China. You can apply for a tourist visa from € 154.95.
How does it work?
1. Apply
Easily apply for a China visa by filling in the required information online.
2. Checkout online
You will receive an email from Traveldocs with instructions on how to send your passport and required documents.
3. Receive your visa
You can collect your passport with an official visa or have it sent back by registered courier.
Visa requirements
China
Passport
- Be valid for at least 6 months after the visa is issued for a single, 7 months for a double entry.
- Contains at least 3 blank facing visa pages.
- All covers need to be removed from the
Visa Application Form
- 1 fully filled in and signed application form
- The form must be signed twice, one signature on
Photographs
- The application requires one digital photo, which needs to be uploaded on our
website and one hard copy passport photo - We recommend to ask the photographer to provide the photo via mail as well as the hard copy, so that you will be sure that it meets the
Proof of ticket
- A copy of the flight itinerary.
- The ticket must be a roundtrip back to Europe and must state the name of the
traveler - When applying for a double entry visa, the itinerary must indicate you will be
entering and leaving the country
Hotel confirmation
- A hotel confirmation which should state the name of the traveler
- If you require a double entry visa, the confirmation should be of both visits.
- If your stay is 20 days or shorter, we only need a confirmation for the first few days. If your stay is between 20-30 days, you should provide a confirmation for the full stay in China
Employer Statement
All travelers must profide an employer statement. This statement must:
- Be written in English
- Be written on official company letter paper
- State your passport details
- State your travel date and reason for travel
- State you annual salary
- Be signed by an autorized person
We provide a copy of this statement in our document package. Please use this format in order to be sure it is filled in properly and according to the regulations.
If you do not have an employer, please check the requirements that apply to your sitiuation before submitting your applicaiton to us.
Are you planning to travel to China soon?
Dutch passport holders are required to obtain a visa in advance, with a few exceptions, such as one for a transfer. If you are traveling to China for tourism or business purposes, you must be able to present a visa upon arrival in China.
In addition to tourist and business visas, we also provide visas for students, volunteers, interns and workers.
What is a visa China application?
The visa is a sticker issued by the Chinese government and affixed to the passport. This counts as permission, which allows you to enter the Chinese borders and thereby the territory of China. This visa is usually issued by the Embassy of China or the Consulate General (Visa application Center) of China in The Hague.
The visa will be checked during passport control in China. If you arrive by plane, the first visa check will probably already take place at the airport.
Our staff will work professionally to ensure that your visa application for China is presented flawlessly at the Chinese consulate or embassy, so you can travel with confidence.
Biometrics
As of the 1st of January, 2020, all travelers must provide their biometric data before a visa China application. This applies to all the visatypes.
How does it work?
- After we have received all the required documents we will check it thoroughly. If your application is complete and in accordance with conditions, we make an appointment for you at the Chinese Visa Application Center in The Hague.
- During this appointment you have to provide your biometric data, such as your fingerprints and an irisscan. This data will be connected to your passport chip. Therefore it is important that your passport contains an electornic readable chip.
- The biometric data will be linked to your passport for 5 years. During this time you do not have to provide biometric data again after applying for the second time (if the application is within the 5 years validity). Unless you travel with a different passport than the one used during your biometrics or if you travel to China within the 5 years after giving your first biometrics, you do not have to provide new biometric data.
- After providing you biometrics we will submit your application to the Chinese Visa Application Center. If you have an interview planned at the embassy that will come first, before the actual visa processing time will start. If you didn’t receive a call for an interview, the visa application processing time will start from the moment you have submitted the biometric data.
During the biometrics appointment one of our visa specialist will be on location to guide you through it and help you out wherever help is needed.
More questions about the biometrics? Check our FAQ page or contact us!
Do I have to present a visa on arrival?
In most cases this is mandatory. However, there are some exceptions. In general, there is no visa requirement in the major airports of China for a transfer of up to 24 hours. The following exemption therefore applies in the event of a switch to a third country:
- 6 days (144 hours) in Bejing, Shanghai, Hangzhou and Nanjing
- 3 days (72 hours) in Changsha, Chengdu, Chongqing, Dalian, Guangzhou, Guilin, Harbin, Kunming, Shenyang, Tianjin, Wuhan, Xiamen and Xi’an
- 1 day (24 hours) in all other cities with an international airport.
- You may visit Zhejiang and Jiangsu provinces if you land in Shanghai, Hangzhou or Nanjing. From these airports you are therefore free to travel there. You can also explore Hunan, Guangdong and Fujian if you land in Changsha, Guangzhou and Xiamen. You are not allowed to leave the city at all other airports. It is true that the city limits often end many kilometers outside the city, so a visit to the Great Wall from Bejing airport is no problem if you are covered by the visa-free scheme.
Visa-free regime therefore only applies in the case of a switch to a third country. This may be on the outward or return journey. Do you have a flight directly from the Netherlands to China, or do you plan to visit several cities? Then you are obliged to apply for a visa in advance. Not sure if you are covered by the visa-free scheme? Then consult one of our visa specialists for advice.
Other (travel) stamps in your passport
The Chinese government has become very strict since August 2016 when it comes to issuing visas to travelers with stamps in their passports from countries such as the Middle East, Egypt and Turkey. If from 2015 you have obtained multiple stamps in your passport for one of these “risk” countries, we recommend enclosing a cover letter in English, containing:
- State when and why you visited the country
- State what your purpose of the trip has been
- Describe in as much detail as possible what you did there
- If possible, provide proof as well. Think of payments / purchase invoices, providing references such as friends / family you have visited there, any invitation letters, etc.
- There is a good chance that you will be called on interview at the embassy, keep this in mind when applying.
