After publishing our comprehensive guide for obtaining a Chinese Visa, we received hundreds of questions and suggestions.
We updated the article several times based on the feedback and new laws. However, it appears that there is still a point that is unclear.
This article will explain what type of Visa you shall apply for and what documents you need when you want to visit (or accompany) your family members or friends in China.
Effective March 15, 2023, China will resume issuing all types of visas. Travelers may be required to provide a negative Covid-19 test taken within 48 hours prior to departure, but quarantine will not be necessary upon arrival.Differences between L, Q, and S Visa
There are three kinds of Visas that can be issued for visiting purposes: the L Visa (tourism), the S Visa (private affairs), and the Q Visa (family reunion).
This may be a bit confusing! In order to assess what Visa you shall apply for, you must look at the relationship (sister, friend, and so on) between you (that is the visitor) and the person you want to visit in China (that is the host). Moreover, you must take into account the legal status (Chinese citizen, foreigner with Chinese temporary resident permit, and so on) of the host in China.
Here are the details:
- Q Visa: Issued to family members (below you find the definition of “family member”) of Chinese citizens or foreigners with a permanent resident permit.
- S Visa: Issued to family members of foreigners with a temporary resident permit.
- L Visa: Issued to family members and friends of Chinese citizens or foreigners with a resident permit (however if you have a hotel booking you don’t need an invitation letter in order to get an L Visa).
Important: In order to be able to issue an invitation letter for you, your host should hold a resident permit (either temporary or permanent) or a Chinese passport. People that live in China with an M, F, L, X2, Z2, or J2 Visa can’t issue an invitation letter for you.
Notice that the definition of S Visa as “private affairs” leaves the door open to interpretation, and on some special occasions non-family members, such as unmarried couples, will also be able to apply.
Requirements for obtaining an L Visa
Beside the basic requirements (passport, photos, etc), you’ll also have to provide:
- An invitation letter: The invitation letter should contain your name, passport number, travel dates, itinerary, address, and your host’s name, passport and/or ID number, address in China, and telephone number.
- Copy of your host’s Passport and/or ID.
- Copy of your host’s resident permit (if he’s not a Chinese citizen).
- Copy of your host’s registration to the local police (if he’s not a Chinese citizen)
- Copy of your round-trip flight reservation (a round-trip ticket to/from Hong Kong or Macau is also accepted).
Important: Note that if you have a round-trip reservation AND a hotel booking for the whole duration of the trip (with the full names of all the people that will apply for the Visa and stay at the hotel with you) then you may apply for an L Visa without providing any additional documents (letter of invitation and so on).
The reason is that the L Visa is a standard touristic Visa. By presenting all the documents we mentioned above you won’t need any hotel reservations.
Definition of “family member”
The definition of “family member” depends on the type of Visa you’re applying for:
Q1 or S1 (long term, more than 180 days): A family member can only be your spouse, parent, parents-in-law, son, or daughter under the age of 18.
Q2 or S2 (short term, less than 180 days): Besides the previously mentioned relationship, a family member can also be your son or daughter 18+ years old, grandparent, grandson, granddaughter, or sibling.
Requirements for Q Visa and S Visa
Beside the basic requirements, you’ll also have to provide:
- A copy of the passport, registration to the local police, and/or resident permit of your family member (in case of a non-Chinese citizen) or a copy of the ID card (in the case of a Chinese citizen).
- An invitation letter from your family member indicating:
- Your personal data (name, passport number, address)
- Your family member’s personal data (name, contact, ID or passport number, address in China)
- general info about the visit (purpose, dates, relation between the host and you, itinerary, financial source for expenses)
Click on the following linka to download a sample of the invitation letter in English or Chinese.
- An original certificate (and a copy) that states the familiar relationship between you, that is the visitor, and the host (for instance a marriage certificate). Notice that additional documents or an interview might be required in order to prove your relationship.
How to transform my Q or S Visa into a resident permit
If you get a Q1 or S1 Visa you’ll have thirty days after entering China to change it to a resident permit (or the Visa will expire). Besides the basic requirements (passport, registration at the local police station, photos, and application form), you’ll have to provide:
- A copy of your family member’s passport or Chinese ID (and a copy of your family member’s resident permit in case of your family member isn’t a Chinese citizen).
- A proof of relationship issued by the Chinese government, authenticated by a Chinese consulate in the country where you got your Visa or issued by a foreign consulate in China.
The following additional documents might also be required:
- Depending on where you apply, you may need a copy of your family member’s unit business license, an enterprise code certificate (组织机构代码证), an official invitation letter. Click here to download sample invitation letter.
- If you entered China with a different Visa than a Q1 or S1 Visa, you may need a letter from your family member as a guarantee for your economical independence and compliance with Chinese laws. Notice that this is an “exceptional” situation: if you entered China with a different type of Visa, it will be difficult to get a resident permit.
Important: you must require your resident permit at the PSB (that is the Public Security Bureau) where your family member has its residence (hukou or local police registration). As an example, if your family member’s hukou is in Hubei province, it doesn’t matter if both of you live in Shanghai: you must apply in Hubei.
How to apply for an S or Q Visa if my partner isn’t living in China yet
- Q visa: The law isn’t clear whether a “family member” of a Chinese citizen that lives outside China can apply for a Q visa or not. However, in our experience, you can easily get a Q2 visa showing a marriage certificate and a Chinese citizen ID. Additional documents such as financial proof or a work contract might be required for a Q1 visa.
- S visa: You can apply for an S Visa at the same time as your family member is applying for the X1 or Z1 Visa (long term student and work Visa, respectively). The requirements are the same; the only difference is that, instead of the resident permit, you’ll have to provide a copy of all the documents of your family member’s Visa application.
How to apply for an S visa (for unmarried people)
Most Chinese laws offer a lot of space for interpretation in order to be adapted to specific circumstances. In this sense, Visa laws aren’t an exception. The S1 Visa normative states the following:
“Issued to those who intend to go to China to visit the foreigners working or studying in China to whom they are spouses, parents, sons or daughters under the age of 18 or parents-in-law, or to those who intend to go to China for other private affairs”
This vague definition allows certain flexibility to whom can apply. If you want to get an S Visa with your unmarried partner you should be in one of these two situations:
- Unmarried couples that have a biological son or daughter in common.
- Unmarried couples that have a relationship certificate indicating the partners live together as they were a married couple.
Important: Especially in the second case, the PSB or consulate officer will decide whether grant you a Visa or not case by case and at its sole discretion. Also, the rules might be different depending on where you apply and on the Visa owned by your partner.
Notice that same-sex partners with a marriage certificate might also be allowed to apply for an S Visa. Again, it depends on the circumstances.
I hope you found this article useful! If you have any questions or you want to share your experience you can leave a comment in the section below.
Photo Credits: 
Chinese Visa by Brett Wilms
staying with a friend
If I have a Chinese tourist visa, and i want to go to china for tourism but would rather stay with my friend then spend money on hotel, am i allowed to do that? Also in the application for my L visa i handed in a letter from my friend along side a copy of their Chinese id card and other info that they may want. so in this case when i arrive at china would this be allowed or do i still need to pay for a hotel?
Hi,
if they sent to you an invitation letter and you get the visa this way, you can stay at their house. Just make sure to register yourself at the local PSB (go there with your friend)
Good day! My fiance is holding an M visa. Me and my son are planning to visit him in China. He will be in and out of China so he got a place to stay. Do I still need to book a hotel if he has a place already? Hotel reservation is one of the requiremen’s in applying an L visa but what if you have a place to stay already unfortunately he’s just holding an M visa.
Hello Jett,
since he only got an M visa, I’m afraid he can’t write an invitation letter for you; so the answer shall be yes, you still need hotel reservation in order to get an L visa.
Hello,
Is it possible for an American to get a Q1 visa in Hong Kong? Or does it need to be in your home country? I am married to a mainland Chinese woman. I am currently on an L visa. If my wife is in China, can I go without her?
Thanks
It’s possible but not sure!
Hi,
I and my wife (who is a Chinese citizen) are planing to go to China for about 6 month for mixed purposes: a family visit, mostly traveling, maybe some voluntary work.
I checked with the consulate, and apparently my wife can – in principle – invite me for a Q2/Q1 visa, independently from her family.
We now just wonder if all our plans are within the limits of the Q visa? Mainly: does traveling with my spouse still counts as family reunion in my case?
And how precise do we have to be regarding our itinerary and address in the invitation letter? (A bit tricky, since we don’t really have a itinerary yet and wanted to adapt our plans to circumstances…)
Any advice would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!
Hello,
for what you say I think that a Q2 visa shall do the trick as it’s 180 days. As for the invitation letter, in this article you find more precise info on how to draft it: http://www.saporedicina.com/english/chinese-visa-application/
As for travel itinerary, I suggest that you do a rough itinerary. I never heard of somebody having problems with not sticking 100% to the itinerary (although we can’t offer any guarantee of course – we can only suggest based on the experience shared by our readers).
Thank you! :)
Hi, I’m a UK citizen living with my wife in UK. My wife is Chinese and we got married in China when I was living there a few years back. We are planning a mixed touristic/visit friends trip to China. Should I apply for Q2 visa or L visa?
Thanks
If you plan to stay less than 30 days, an L Visa is way easier to get
Thanks Furio!
Hi, I’m a UK citizen and I’m engaged to my Chinese fiancé who is living in the UK, we are planning to get married at some point in the next year or two. Which visa would I need to apply for to marry my fiancé in China? Thanks
Hello,
I think that initially a L visa it’s easiest way. Once you re married, if you want to stay in china you can get a Q Visa and a resident permit
Question, am going to china for business and a friend will join but he is going just for tourism. I will get a business visa, what visa should he get?
L VISA (tourist VISA)
so, is there a possibility that if my spouse is on M visa with invitation from hi employer, I’ll be granted S1 visa?
No, you can only require an S1 visa if the invitant has a resident permit. And an M visa doesn’t grant you a resident permit!
Hi, I am a US citizen and have a 10year multiple entry S2 visa. I got this last year when my brother was living in Shanghai. My brother no longer lives in China. Now I want to travel to China mainly for tourism and do not have a family member living there. Do I need to get a new L visa or my existing S2 is good enough. I appreciate any advice.
Hello Rakesh,
I dont know the answer for sure. However it seems logical to me that, if your brother is not there anymore, then you need a new VISA
Hi,
I have some queation about same sex couples who are expact, how to apply for temporary residency?
I am working in Shanghai with temporry work visa for last 1 year and i have more 2 more years remain in my contract. I am planing to get married in Oslo soon with my boyfriend, now he is here for 30 days turist visa. My boyfriend is worried about how to apply for resedency as me? Please advice.
Hello Jani, all we know about same sex couples is on the article. I know it’s not much, but there are no standard protocols, they will decide case by case
Do you have any recommendations of any visa agencies that specialize in dependent visas?
Hello, I dont think there is an agency that specialize on this particular kind of visa. At the moment we recommend visaHQ (see form on the sidebar). you could try to talk with them and see what they say
I have a question. What visa do I apply to visit my girlfriend in Guanzhou. Also I never traveled before ,so I’m new to this. Can anyone kindly help me.
L visa shall be ok
hello everyone; i came to china with my fiance both holding X visa; his visa is for 3years while mine expires within a month (in march 2016); I am considering changing my Visa into S visa so I can stay longer but i have been told that the Chinese government provides s visa only for married couples. For now we are already in china renting a house together and the rental contract has both of our names.
could it be a proof that we are living together as a married couple?
if not do I have to go back to my country to get S visa?
Hello,
I don’t think you can get an S Visa from your fiancé. All we know it’s on the article!
Good day, im marcela from philippines. You think its possible that i can get a tourist visa if my chinese boyfriend will sponsor my trip going to china? By the way we are not yet married and not living together so we dont have proof of relationship or something. Thanks in advance
If your boyfriend is Chinese or has a resident permit, then the answer is yes.
Hey,
Great job done there!
My wife is Chinese and I’ve just applied my Q2/ 1-year multiple entry visa.
Just wonder if I able to apply the Q2 visa for my Parents and Siblings?
Thanks again for the information. Thumbs up!!
Hello, I dont think so, probably S2 would be better
Hi. My family and I were granted Z and S1 visas. Do we need to book a return flight or will a one way ticket suffice? Thanks in advance.
Hello Maureen, for this kind of visa I dont think you need a return flight… Moreover, if you already have the visa there shall be no problem, as the flight usually is required to get the visa!
Hi! I want to apply for a Q2 visa but can you write an invitation that you want to visit your uncle? Because it only says spouses, parents, sons, daughters, sisters, grandparents, grandsons/daughter and parents-in-law.
I don’t think uncle is allowed
Hey! Great article and very informative! I will be applying for my Z visa soon and judging by your information provided my partner of five years will be applying for his S visa I have no idea where we can apply for a proof of relationship certificat. If we provide multiple written and signed affidavits from friends and family from within and outside China will this be enough proof of our relationship?
The proof of relationship should be a oficial document from your government or embassy in China, I don’t think affidavits from friends and family are enough proof.
Hi,
I am a British citizen and I have just obtained a Q2 double-entry visa to visit my relatives in China mid-December 2015.
I plan on visiting HK end of January 2016 from London (I know I don’t need a visa to enter HK) and will be making a one-day trip to Guangdong province – can I use my second entry of my Q2 visa for the Guangdong day trip even though it is not for family reunion purpose? Or will I need to apply for an extra tourist visa?
Thanks!
I guess you can use it.
Hi there,
I am a UK passport holder and currently have a Q2 Visa and staying in Shanghai (my grandparents are in Guangzhou China) I need to renew my Visa by the end of this year (approx. 4 weeks time)
I was thinking to upgrade this to a Q1 (in Guangzhou or Hong Kong) which allows a maximum of 1 year validity and multiple entries.
If I were to apply for a resident permit what would be the maximum stay for this? (I understand I would need to apply for the resident permit in Guangzhou)
Am I able to apply for a resident permit on a Q2 Visa?
Please help! I’ve tried calling travel agencies to help with this Visa question but they just tell me to go to Guangzhou or Hong Kong but I want to be sure before I re-apply.
Any response would be much appreciated.
Jenny
I suppose my main question here is:
How long does a resident permit allow me to stay in China for?
It depends! Let’s say you have a job and they keep you indefinetely. Then you can renew the resident permit every year, no problem. But let’s say they fire you tomorrow (or you choose to leave the job tomorrow): then you resident permit expires tomorrow.
For Q1 visa it shall be 1 year and then you need to renew.
The law states you shall get a Q1 visa in UK and then apply for a new resident permit.
However, there are two other possibility:
1. convert a Q2 visa on a resident permit (possible in Guangzhou, but it’s not sure you ll get it)
2. Go to HK, apply for a Q1 visa and then convert in a resident permit, which must be renewed every year (same as point 1, some people did this, but it’s not sure they will allow this to everybody as the law says you must go back to your country and reapply)
Thanks for your quick response.
You have been most helpful!
So if I lived 2.5 months together with my girlfriend in Shanghai (she’s Chinese citizen) can I get some kind of paper saying we lived together and then apply for S visa? And if so is it the S1 visa? What’s the max duration?