Chinese visas are categorized into diplomatic visas, courtesy visas, service visas, and ordinary visas. Among these, ordinary visas are divided into the following categories:
In addition to the applicant's name, gender, date of birth, and passport number, a Chinese visa also contains information such as the validity period, number of entries, and duration of stay.
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Visa Category
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Scope of Applicants
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C
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Crew members of international trains, aircraft, or vessels, accompanying family members of such crew, and drivers engaged in international road transport.
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D
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Personnel entering for permanent residence.
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F
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Personnel entering for exchanges, visits, study tours, and other activities.
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G
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Personnel transiting through China.
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J1
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Resident foreign journalists of foreign news organizations stationed in China (residing for more than 180 days).
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J2
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Foreign journalists entering for short-term interviews and reporting (staying for no more than 180 days).
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L
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Personnel entering for tourism.
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M
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Personnel entering for commercial and trade activities.
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Q1
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Family members of Chinese citizens or foreigners with permanent residence status in China applying for family reunion (spouses, parents, children, spouses of children, siblings, grandparents, grandchildren, and parents-in-law), as well as those applying for residence for foster care or other reasons.
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Q2
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Relatives of Chinese citizens residing in China or foreigners with permanent residence status in China entering for short-term family visits (not exceeding 180 days).
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R
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High-level foreign talents and urgently needed specialists required by the state.
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S1
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Spouses, parents, children under the age of 18, and parents-in-law of foreigners residing in China for work, study, etc., entering for long-term family visits (exceeding 180 days), as well as those needing to reside in China for other private affairs.
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S2
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Family members (spouses, parents, children, spouses of children, siblings, grandparents, grandchildren, and parents-in-law) of foreigners staying or residing in China for work, study, etc., entering for short-term family visits (not exceeding 180 days), as well as those needing to stay in China for other private affairs.
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X1
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Personnel studying in China for the long term (exceeding 180 days).
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X2
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Personnel studying in China for the short term (not exceeding 180 days).
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Z
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Personnel working in China.
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The entry validity period of a visa ("enter before") refers to the effective time range during which the visa holder may enter the country. Unless otherwise specified by the issuing authority, a visa is effective from the date of issuance and expires at 24:00 Beijing time on the expiration date. If there are unused entries remaining, the visa holder may enter the country before (and including) the expiration date.
The number of entries of a visa ("entries") refers to the number of times the visa holder is permitted to enter the country within the visa's validity period. A visa is considered invalid if the number of entries has been exhausted, or if the validity period has expired even if entries remain. If you need to travel to China, you must re-apply for a visa. If a visa holder attempts to enter China with an invalid visa, they will be denied entry.
The duration of stay of a visa ("duration of each stay") refers to the time limit permitted for each stay upon entry, calculated from the day following the date of entry.