Citizens of Australia, UK, US, EU Countries, New Zealand and Canada require a visa to visit China, but can enter Hong Kong (a Special Administrative Region of China) without a visa for periods of 90 days to six months. All other nationalities should check with the Chinese embassy or consulate in their country of residence.
Obtaining a China visa
A visa must be obtained before departing your country of residence. It can be arranged up to 6 months before your scheduled arrival date into China. A full passport is required, valid for at least 6 months beyond the date of your departure from China.
You can acquire your tourist or business visa from your nearest Chinese embassy or consulate. Travel Indochina can assist in arranging visas for Travel Indochina clients residing in Australia, UK and the US.
China visas are automatically SINGLE ENTRY unless you have specifically requested MULTIPLE ENTRYat the time of application and this is stamped into the passport. Please ensure you have a multiple entry visa if you are intending to enter China twice on other travel arrangements (Important: this includes entering China from Hong Kong). It is difficult to change the status of a tourist visa from SINGLE ENTRY toMULTIPLE ENTRY once you have arrived in China. Tourist visas are issued for 30 days unless a 60 day validity is specifically requested at the time of application.
It is your responsibility to ensure all visa and entry requirements are met prior to your arrival in China.
Tibet
Tibet is a part of China and as such the normal China tourist visa applies for Tibet. In addition to the China tourist visa, permits are required for visits to each region of Tibet. Note that permits are arranged by Travel Indochina for client travel to Tibet and thus do not need to be arranged by the client or the agent. The client however does need to arrange the China visa in advance of arrival into China and a copy of this visa will need to be faxed to the Travel Indochina office. This application process can be more complicated if the client specifies they will be visiting Tibet on their visa form. In such cases the Chinese embassy or consulate may request a “Visa Invitation Letter” to be obtained from the Tibet Tourism Bureau. Travel Indochina can assist with obtaining this at a small additional cost but it is recommended you allow a minimum of ten working days for processing.
Please note:
All information provided on this page is correct at the time of writing. Rules and regulations can change suddenly. Travel Indochina will do their utmost to advise you in ample time of any changes but cannot be held responsible for any additional charges incurred. We strongly suggest that you check with the relevant embassies in your country of residence that these guidelines are applicable to you.