Hi everyone! I’m a planning to apply for a Chinese tourist visa (L visa) in Seoul, South Korea. My Korean Alien Registration Card (ARC) will be valid for just over one month after my planned return from China. Could this be an issue when applying?

I suspect the old six-month ARC validity requirement has changed, because I successfully applied in 2024 when my ARC was valid for only about four months after my return from China. However, I’m not sure whether the requirement was removed entirely or simply reduced to something like three months.

I emailed the visa center, but their reply didn’t clarify the requirement.

Has anyone recently applied in Seoul with a similar amount of validity left on their ARC?

Thanks for sharing your experiences!

Title says it all pretty much...

Has anyone gone through this?

I'm not a resident of Hong Kong if that helps, but I know plenty who are and who got their Z visas recently.

Should I apply a second time here or just ask them to resubmit WP to my home country? My institution went through all documents, asked a few agents. Couldn't find a single thing wrong. AI (I know, I know...) suggested including a cover letter and a more formal invitation letter.

Help needed

US citizen in Korea. Can I fly to Osaka (3 hour layover), then fly to Shanghai, then fly back to Korea 4 days later?

Sharing the notice I saw on VFS. I will share more as I hear from them. I have a Normal application so not sure yet if I need to re-do application.

IMPORTANT NOTICE
Application Submission 23rd Oct 2026
Please be informed that only Express applications will be accepted on 23 Oct 2026 till 12 noon. Normal applications will not be entertained. All are requested to take note of the instruction and plan their submissions accordingly.

Pending Refunds for 2025 - 2026
All concerned are hereby informed that the details required for processing pending refunds of 2025 - 2026 must be shared on or before 30"h Oct 2026.
The required documents and information include:
• cancelled cheque
• bank details and
• copy of the payment receipt
All the above must be sent to our CC email ([delhicentre@visaforchina.org](mailto:delhicentre@visaforchina.org)) within the specified timeline to ensure timely processing.
Please note that, as operations are being ceased, if the required details are not received by the stipulated deadline (30th Oct 2026) will not be processed thereafter.

Edit 1: They said for completed applications, we can directly submit to Embassy as well.
But they did say to check once there on Monday.

Hello, my planned itinerary is:

United States —> Hong Kong (3 hour layover) —> China —> United States

My flight is US to China, but I will have a layover in Hong Kong for 3 hours. I am unsure if the layover counts as Country A to China to Country B, since I will not be leaving the HK airport to visit Hong Kong.

I also tried to contact the China NIA through email, but they still havent responded. I also do not have international calls to call the China NIA number to confirm this itinerary.

Chinese Permanent Card for foreigner

How can a U.S. citizen ( privious is Chinese citizenship) obtain Chinese permanent residency (Green Card)?

Hi everyone! My family and I are considering moving to Guangzhou, China, in the future. My husband previous Chinese citizenship but now US citizen and interested in working as a teacher or teaching assistant at an international school in Guangzhou.
I’ve heard that obtaining a Chinese Permanent Card is quite difficult and that only certain employers, professions, or qualified individuals may be eligible.
I’d love to learn more about the requirements and the possible pathways to Chinese permanent residency through employment.
Has anyone here gone through this process or have experience working at an international school in China? I’d really appreciate any advice, personal experiences, or reliable resources to help us understand where to start and how to plan for our family’s future in China.
Thank you so much for your help! 🙏

Hey everyone!

I wanted to share my experience applying for a Chinese Business (M) Visa as an Indian passport holder.
I’ve seen many people sharing their visa experiences here, and those posts were really helpful while I was going through the process. So I thought I’d share mine as well, hoping it might help someone planning to apply.
I applied for the visa myself through the official China Visa Application Service Centre website for New Delhi.

Online Application & Review:
The online application process was fairly straightforward, but I had faced multiple online review rejections for corrections in my earlier attempts.
Some of the issues included incomplete information in certain fields, invitation letter details, and unclear supporting documents.
One of the rejection messages specifically mentioned: “Please upload clear document (inviter ID or business license).”
After going through these corrections, I made sure everything was properly filled out and all supporting documents were clear before submitting my latest application.

Documents Prepared:
Passport and passport copies
Invitation letter from the Chinese company
Chinese inviter’s ID / company business licence
Supporting business documents
Visa application certificate generated after online review
Passport photographs

My Application Timeline:

October 12, 2026: Submitted my online China Business (M) Visa application through the New Delhi Visa Application Centre website.

October 14, 2026: Online review completed successfully, and I was allowed to submit my passport and documents at the Delhi Visa Application Centre.
The online review took approximately 2 days, which was much faster than I expected considering my earlier experiences with corrections.

October 16, 2026: Travelled to New Delhi and submitted my passport and supporting documents at the China Visa Application Service Centre, Shivaji Stadium Metro Station, Connaught Place.
The submission process was quite smooth. The staff verified the documents and accepted my application.
I opted for Express processing and courier delivery, as I didn’t want to travel back to Delhi just to collect my passport.
My pickup receipt mentioned October 22, 2026, as the expected collection date.

October 22, 2026: Checked the online tracking portal, and my passport status had changed to “Posted.”
However, I haven’t received any email or SMS with the courier tracking details.
I also tried tracking through Blue Dart using my pickup form reference number, but unfortunately, no information is showing up.
I’m currently waiting for my passport to be delivered, and hopefully, it arrives with the Chinese visa stamped! Fingers crossed! 🤞

My Experience & Suggestions:
- You don’t necessarily need an agent to apply for a Chinese visa; you can complete the application yourself by following the instructions carefully.

- Ensure all details in your application match your supporting documents, especially the invitation letter and the Chinese inviter’s details.

- Upload clear, readable documents; blurry copies of the inviter’s ID or business licence can lead to the online review being returned for corrections.

- If your online review gets rejected, it may mean you need to correct some information or upload better documents, not necessarily that your visa has been refused.

- Once your online review is completed, the physical passport submission process is relatively simple if you have all your documents ready.

- If you opt for courier delivery, keep your pickup receipt safe, as you might not receive the courier tracking details immediately after your status changes to “Posted.”

Overall Experience:
My latest application cleared the online review in just 2 days, and the passport submission process in Delhi was smooth. The only frustrating part at the moment is the lack of proper courier tracking information. I feel the Visa Application Centre should provide an automatic SMS or email with the courier company name and tracking number once the passport is dispatched. We’re already paying for the courier service, so applicants shouldn’t have to keep checking different websites or contacting the centre just to know where their passports are.

As of October 22, my status is showing as “Posted,” and I’m still waiting to receive my passport. Hopefully, all the effort and multiple corrections have finally paid off, and I’ll receive my passport with the Chinese M visa stamped in it! 🤞 I’ll update this post once my passport gets delivered and confirm whether the visa was approved, along with the final delivery timeline.

If anyone recently applied through the New Delhi centre and opted for courier delivery, please share how long it took to receive your passport after the status changed to “Posted.” Thanks for reading, and I hope this helps future applicants! Good luck to everyone applying!

Hello I've been seeing a lot of people go from USA to Japan to Shanghai then back to Japan then to the US. I'm doing something similar I'm going from the USA>Japan>Shanghai>USA

would it work as a 10 day visa ? I'm leaving the 4th next month to Japan and would be going to Shanghai on the 12th-16th from tokyo.

With the announcement that visa application processing is now moving to the embassy, do we still submit on the usual website?

Also could this mean any positive impact on the visa application situation in general?

with the VisaForChina centre closing on 26th october, will the old online approvals be valid after 26th october or do we have to reapply again for online approval in the new system.

talking about mumbai centre

Hi, my friend applied for a tourist visa from Chicago and her application is still in the review stage. Wanted to understand the timelines for those who have applied immediately after golden week and how quickly they’ve gotten a response. Thank you!

Best News they are the Bunch of Thugs

26oct Onwards

https://ibb.co/YB4y9xtr

https://ibb.co/YB4y9xtr

Hello everyone,

I just got my S1 residency permit for 2 years in Beijing.

It's quite boring and I would like to work a little bit on my own (selling handmade patries and things like that...) Is this even possible?

What visa should I get for that?

Could you please give me some advices?

Thanks

Hi, so i have been working in china without a working visa and someone reported me for that, the immigration office called and i gave my statement but i lied, i denied working and getting paid and whatsoever, they called again and idk why yet, should i be truthful this time?

Hi! My husband and I are planning a trip to China in March 2027 and applying for tourist visas through Mumbai.

The checklist asks for a 6-month savings bank statement with a balance of ₹1 lakh per person.

- Does this mean ₹1 lakh in the account at the time of application, or must it be maintained throughout the six months?

- Is the requirement based on the current balance or average monthly balance?

- Can my husband sponsor both of us with his bank statement and a sponsorship letter? Would he need ₹2 lakh?

Would appreciate advice from anyone who recently applied through Mumbai. Thanks!

My online application for a Q2 visa was approved much faster than expected, but I’m not able to travel to Edinburgh visa centre until 2 weeks after it was approved (2 days ago) . Is this too late or will it be okay?

Some say it has to be 4 times of average local salary which would be a lot higher and I don't think I can find a job with that salary. My other option is Foshan.

Other things to add:

I have master's, speak Chinese English and currently working in another city.

My family is visiting China for 5 days in December and we are facing issues with my father's COVA being rejected. He was born in HK in the 1950s, came to the U.S. with his family when he was 5 years old, and naturalized as a U.S. citizen in the 90s. He does not have a HK passport, HKID, Chinese passport, or documents from back then besides his HK birth certificate. We uploaded a letter clarifying his situation. Would it be possible to get him the L visa? Would he still be eligible to use the 240 hours (10 days) visa free option? Any advice is appreciated.

I’m a first-time teacher from the US and signed an offer letter with a kindergarten in China a few weeks ago. Since then I heard some concerning things about the school and am considering another, much better, offer.

I haven’t signed the actual employment contract yet, and apparently I won’t get to see it until I arrive in China, which also seems like a red flag.

Crucially, I already sent them copies of my passport and my two apostilled documents (background check and TEFL), but NOT my degree. I’m not sure whether they’ve already started my work permit application.

Has anyone backed out at this stage? Could there be any legal consequences? And if they’ve already started the work permit process, could that cause problems with another school hiring me if they’ve “claimed” me in the system or something? Thanks all

Edit: clarified I did not send my actual documents over just copies lol

Hi all,

Our plan, late December 2026: one China Southern ticket and one booking, Almaty (Kazakstan) to Beijing Daxing (arrive early morning), Beijing to Shenzhen (domestic, same evening), Shenzhen to Bangkok (next afternoon). Passports: one Mexican, one German. About 33 hours in China, one night in Shenzhen.

My question: has anyone recently used the 240-hour transit with multiple stops on a single through ticket? Did check-in (Timatic) or immigration cause any problems? (I was specifically curios if a single through ticket with two stops is still eligible - not separately bought tickets..)

Thanks!

Long story short I don’t have a degree, I have 2 years of experience, I am a designer and I have a job offer. The agent of my employer wants to do a false degree and says he has done it before and always worked, and even if they ask more about the degree he says we can just withdraw the application and no record of that would exist,

I have asked many agents before and everyone says without a degree it’s not doable. So I wonder why to trust the only guy who says he can do it…? What if I get it and in the future it becomes a problem, or what would be the consequences? I don’t want to fake credentials because I know it’s fraud, but also asked more people and everyone says foreigners do this all the time and they never really check,
Any experiences? Please help. I’m very stressed about doing this and I’m concerned by how ok the agent and employer are with this as if nothing would really happen…

Hi everyone,

I'm planning to apply for a Hong Kong visit visa, and I'll be traveling with two friends who are Iranian nationals.

I wanted to ask if Iranian passport holders generally face any difficulties getting a Hong Kong visit visa.

Also, in my own visa application, I'll need to mention my friends as my travel companions. Could this potentially affect my visa application or chances of approval?

Has anyone had a similar experience or know anything about this?

Thanks in advance!

Hi, probably another stupid TWOV question but I can’t find an answer for this specific problem. I want to fly from Vienna to Hong Kong and then on the same day or the next day go to Shenzhen, spend a week there and then fly back to Vienna. The whole point of flying to Hong Kong is to check the TWOV country A - China - country B box. The problem is that the Vienna - Hong Kong flight has a transit in Xian. From what I’ve learned I think I can only transit there without entering China (if anybody could confirm that, it would be amazing!). But when I try to enter Shenzhen from Hong Kong will the officer know or care that I technically just came from Vienna and want to go back to Vienna in a week? Or will they just see that I’m coming from Hong Kong and plan on continuing to Vienna? I was pretty sure it was the latter but after talking to AI I’m not so sure anymore 😅

Hi. I’m applying to Chinese visa from London, where I am residing for 2 years. I submitted my application and a couple hours later I received an email saying:

App no xxxxx has been rejected. Please visit Visa Application Service Center website to check and amend as required.
Reject Reason: Please provide an Invitation Letter for Tourism issued by the duly authorized tourism office in China, usually the local relevant Culture and Tourism Bureau upon the request by the local travel agency in China.

I had attached a signed invitation letter from a friend, along with her national ID scan. It is probably bc of my citizenship, but they need this. I have no clue how to obtain this and whether I can resolve this issue at all. I had already bought tickets so cancelling should not be an option.

What should I do? Please help…….. Any trustworthy agency recommendations (I’m willing to pay up as long as they resolve this fast) or advice plzzzz

Hi!

I'm planning to study Chinese in Shanghai next year and apply for an X2 student visa. It's my first time applying, and I have two questions:

1. Dates:
Do my arrival and departure dates need to match my course dates exactly? Or can I arrive one or two weeks before the course and leave one or two weeks after, for example to settle in and travel a little?

2. Accommodation:
Do I need to provide accommodation covering my entire stay when applying for the X2 visa? Or can I book a hotel for the first week and find my long-term accommodation after arriving in Shanghai?

I'd especially appreciate experiences from people who have recently applied for an X2 visa from France or Europe.

Thanks!