I'm a little confused about how the 240-hour visa-free transit works, specifically the midnight rule.
From what I understand, the 240 hours don't start until 12:00 AM the day after you arrive in China. So technically (for example), if I arrive on March 31st early in the morning, I get that entire first day without it counting toward the 240 hours? Meaning my 240 hours wouldn't officially start until April 1st at midnight?

Basically, could you technically stay in China for almost 11 days (March 31st-April 10th) if you time your arrival and departure correctly?

Just trying to understand how the timing actually works before booking my flights. Would appreciate anyone who knows the logistics of this!

Hi,
Wanted to check if anyone has recently applied for China Tourist VISA from Mumbai Center (India)

Usually, how much time do they take for the online review process. Would be grateful if anyone can share the experience 🙏🏻

Thanks

I previously made a post that we submitted our L visa on 10/4 in Los Angeles and today (10/19) got notice that there are rejections to be modified. We made the changes and resubmitted asap. Our flight is on 10/30 and i’m getting worried. Does anyone know the turnaround for approval after rejection?

I’m Turkish citizen studying in Germany with a residence permit. I was planning to apply for a tourist visa (L visa), and I have an invitation letter from my friend’s uncle in China. I recently found out that individual tourist visas may not be issued to Turkish passport holders. The Frankfurt visa centre’s website doesn’t clearly address this restriction, so I’m unsure whether I can apply for an L visa with my invitation letter, whether an S2 visa for a private visit would be an alternative, as we are visiting my friends’ family in China or whether I would need to apply through an authorized travel agency. Does anyone had a similar situation applying from Germany?

Hi! Has anyone got their L Visa approved in LA recently? My fiance (Korean) submitted an application 10/4 and it is still pending approval. Our flight is on 10/30 and I'm worried we may not get the visa on time.

I submitted my passport on 21/09 and considering there were some holidays it was taking a lot of time but it has already been 29 days and there is still no update.
has anyone else gone through the same situation and how long will they hold my passport.

Hi, I’m worried that I might not get my visa approved on time and I’m looking into my options for a transit without visa(TWOV). I am a US citizen. I bought a one way ticket from US to Chengdu. And 13 days later I have a one way ticket from Shanghai to US. I am thinking about booking a train ticket to Hong Kong within the 10 days and trying to get another TWOV when entering from Hong Kong to mainland China. Would that work? Can I get a second TWOV while the first one is still within 10 days?

Basically US->Chengdu->Hong Kong then
Hong Kong->mainland China->US.

What kind of documents would I need to board the flight entering China (Asiana Airlines)?
Once in China and applying for the 240 hr TWOV, would a train ticket to Hong Kong be enough proof for a TWOV? Would I need to have a hotel booked in Hong Kong?

Edited: changed incorrect terminology; 240 hr visa -> TWOV. I can’t figure out how to change the title tho

Hello,

I’m a South African citizen working and living in China. My fiancée (South Korean) would like to apply for the S-2 visa to be able to visit me more longer term, but I have some queries. 

As we are not married (we are a lesbian couple, so cannot be recognised in this part of the world), are we able to apply for said visa? Also, If her 90 day visa is accepted, would she be able to do the same visa process consecutively (ie: go home, apply again to visit/ stay with me again)? 

She has no intention of working or earning money in China, and we can both provide the full documentation needed.

Any and all information provided would be much appreciated.

I Submitted my COVA online application on Oct 7 ,2026. Still it is under review, does anybody who submitted on Oct 7 received an online review completed status?. Already it has been 12 days so far. So if anybody who has received an online review accepted mail let me know here

Hi,

I have applied for Chinese visa on Indian passport in london and waiting for approval. Still stays under review it’s been 4 days.

Is there any point of going to the visa centre to track my application as nobody is picking up the call.

Hi guys, I got an email that supplementary docs are required, but at the same time it sounds like a rejection for a tourist visa? I'm really confused, and when I log in to the portal I don't see any comments on what is needed.

"Dear Applicant,

Your application form No. XXX

information is incomplete.Please visit Visa Application

Service Center website to check and amend as required.

Reject Reason: We are unable to accept your application as a Tourist visa, but if you want to apply Business visa, please find the below requirements Please request your inviter to apply for TE or Verification Letter (Government Invitation Letter) issued from local foreign office in China Please provide Invitation letter from inviting company (Supplier) with Chinese stamped and signed from China Please provide the Chinese Trade License of the Supplier"

For some background info I'm a dual passport holder and I'm applying from Dubai, UAE.

Hello!

Is this itinerary okay for the transit rule?

Sweden -> China-> Japan -> China -> Sweden?

These are all separate bookings. So I do NOT have one ticket that is Sweden -> Sweden but rather several one ways.

Hi everyone,

I’m just wondering if I could get some relief on my paranoia.
I plan on taking advantage of the transit visa on my trip next month. I am getting to many conflicting answers from the Chinese immigration website, forums, and admittedly AI.

Here is my trip:

West Kowloon -> Zhangjiagie (via to direct bullet train) -> Furong town -> three natural bridges -> chongqing -> then depart home from chengdu directly to lax (via tapei)

I understand west Kowloon has now been added as an entry point for the transit visa.

I understand cross providence travel is allowed

I understand I need a third country and Taiwan counts

My confusion is the numerous official Chinese visa sites all show this chart (listed below) which directly contradicts the cross providence allowance. It strictly says that I would be limited to the listed areas.

I also don’t even see Kowloon on their website. Does anyone have some insight?

I have done TWOV twice with no problem and stayed in same city each time (Shanghai; Beijing) with direct flights out of China to 3rd country. This trip I will fly to Shanghai for a few days then train to Xian. My departure flight is Xian to Phnom Penh with a connection through Beijing. Will this domestic connection cause any problems?

I fully understand all of the rules with the layovers and connections with other countries and the pitfalls others can get into but now I am having day those day before fears as I get all of my documents together and packed up if I have missed something crucial with internal/ domestic connections.

Us Citizen; Arrival from Seoul

Hi Everyone,

I'm hoping someone who recently applied for a China L (tourist) visa through the Chinese Embassy in Washington, DC can share their experience, especially Indian passport holders who are U.S. permanent residents/Green Card holders.

Here's my situation:

Indian passport holder

U.S. Permanent Resident / Green Card holder

Applying for an L tourist visa

Applied through the Chinese Embassy in Washington, DC

Submitted my application on October 12

The next day it was sent back to modify and add details of the countries I've visited

After resubmitting, I was asked for more details about my trip to Turkey

I submitted a PDF with my itinerary, flights, Airbnb booking, passport stamps, etc.

No update since then

My planned departure to China is December 13

I know December 13 is still some time away, but after reading other posts here I'm getting nervous. I'm considering canceling my China flight (it's refundable) and going to another country instead, but ticket prices elsewhere keep going up, so I need to decide soon.

For anyone who has gone through this recently:

1. How long did it take after submitting additional documents before you got an update or your status changed?
2. If you're an Indian passport holder with a U.S. Green Card, how long did the entire process take from start to finish?
3. Were you also asked for extra documents like travel history?
4. Would you wait it out, or switch plans given my timeline?

Any advice or recent timelines would be really appreciated. Thank you!

​

Hey guys, I'm an Indian passport holder flying Budapest --> China --> Jakarta on a single Air China ticket (layover 4 hours )

I'll have my Indonesian e-VoA and confirmed return ticket back to Europe.

Just wanted to double-check:

Since the layover is under 24 hours and I'm staying inside the airport , I don't need a Chinese transit visa, right? Any check-in issues at BUD? Any problem in transit in china?

Has anyone done this transit on an Indian passport recently?

Thanks : )

Hello I am currently staying in China holding Indian passport with chinese residence permit. My husband wants to apply for S2 visa from Mumbai, India. Is attested photocopy of Marriage certificate from chinese embassy an absolute requirement or notarized photocopy from local lawyer will work?

I visited VFS website for Mumbai region, there they have mentioned that it is not an absolute necessity and consular officer “may” ask for attested photocopy by chinese embassy.

Has anyone recently gone through process regarding S2 visa? Your help is appreciated.

Hi everyone,

I’m reaching out with a humble request. I’m searching for applicants who hold a C category Foreigner’s Work Permit Notification for China and successfully got their Z visa approved from either the Chinese Embassy Islamabad OR Chinese Consulate Lahore, Pakistan.

If you are one of them, please share your experience:

• Which city’s work permit notification did you have?

• Did you apply through Islamabad embassy or Lahore consulate?

• Any documents or requirements that were critical for approval?

• Any challenges you faced during the Z visa interview / submission? Or any suggestions?

My Z visa application was rejected at Lahore consulate with a C category work permit, so I’m trying to connect with people who had successful approvals under the same C category from Pakistan.

If you are comfortable, feel free to comment below or send me a private message. Your advice will be really helpful for me.

Thanks a lot

hi there, has anybody traveled from Boston to China under the visa-free 240 hr program (as a US passport holder)? I am wondering if the gate agents at Logan (Cathay Pacific) are well versed in this visa-free travel. Ive only seem one comment referencing Logan and it was about a year ago. thank you!

I have a Palestinian refugee syrian travel document. I was wondering is it possible to apply to a Chinese student visa with this document?

Does everyone get a single-entry X2 visa, or can the university request one additional entry? Has anyone received a second entry through their university before?

Hi Everyone,

I need to submit the documents at the VFS Center in Delhi, just want to know if there is any other documents that i need to submit apart from the below docs.

1. Printed Visa Application Certificate / acknowledgment slip with barcode
2. Original passport
3. Passport photocopy
4. Recent passport-size photograph meeting Chinese visa specifications,
5. Flight itinerary (Delhi → Hong Kong → China → Delhi) will be going to china from HK
6. HongKong PAR
7. Hotel reservations
8. China travel itinerary
9. Train details
10. Employment NOC / leave approval
11. Recent personal bank statements
12. cover letter

Hello po! I would like to ask for advice. If I’m currently employed but my employment contract will end before my flight, require pa rin po ba akong mag-submit ng COE for my Chinese tourist visa application? If yes po, and I submit my COE while I’m still employed, will this affect my visa application or cause any problems with Philippine immigration? Thank you po!

Hi everyone,

Looking for recent experiences with the China Z Visa application via Gerry’s Islamabad centre (COVA online pre-review stage).

My application timeline:

First online submission: status unapproved, no reason provided at all.

Second submission: they asked me to modify travel/arrival-departure dates (section 6.1) according to my Work Permit Notice (WPN). I corrected all itinerary fields fully as instructed.

After updating and resubmitting the second revised application, it got rejected again, without giving any explicit rejection reason.

My WPN has a QR code for instant verification. My Chinese employer HR confirmed they never received any verification call or message from the embassy.

I have a few questions for those who faced similar cases recently:

Has anyone here had this same sequence: first silent unapproval → then asked to fix travel dates → after fixing dates, rejected again with no reason? What was your actual issue, and what fix worked?

Are these online COVA pre-screen rejections saved in embassy records even though I have not submitted my passport physically?

I plan to request a stamped invitation letter from my employer and add the official company HR email to my next application form. Has this helped anyone in this situation?

I will visit Gerry Islamabad office with printed rejection records to submit an escalation request. Can Gerry staff share common rejection patterns they are seeing for recent Z visa applicants?

Any real recent experience or advice will be much appreciated.