China Visa for Your Tibet Tour
Brief Introduction
Tibet is part of China, any foreigners who want to travel to Tibet must have a passport valid for at least 6 months, and a China Visa before they apply for the Tibet Permit. Travelers can decide which visa to apply for based on their travel plans, itinerary arrangements, nationality, and whether there is a Chinese consulate or embassy in the living city. In addition, travelers do not need multiple or double-entry visas if they only visit Tibet and other parts of China. In any case, WindhorseTour will provide necessary suggestions and assistance to help our clients to apply for China visas.
Visa free types
Entry-free: Citizens with ordinary passports (Not Diplomatic or Official passports) from Singapore, Brunei, and Japan who come to mainland China for business, traveling, visiting relatives or friends, or transit in China who are exempted from visas, the maximum stay is 15 days.
Transit-free: At present, many Chinese ports have opened 144-hour transit visas to citizens of many countries and regions, but this type of visa does not work for going to Tibet. As the Tibet Permits are required to apply for about 20 days in advance with copies of a valid passport page and China visa page.
APEC Card: APEC Business Travel Card is equivalent to multiple visas for 3 years. With the APEC Card and a valid passport, the cardholder can enter China within the validity period of the travel card multiple times, and the maximum stay time is no more than 2 months. At present, 21 countries and regions have joined the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation. People in these countries and regions have the opportunity to apply for this card. For specific application rules, please refer to the policies of your own country.
Visa types
There are two types of China visa, individual visa for the foreign travelers entering Tibet via Mainland China and group visa for those who travel to Tibet from Nepal.
1. Individual Chinese Visa
An individual China Visa can be easily obtained from most Chinese embassies and consulates in your locality and must be obtained in advance. Below are the common types of individual visas:
| L Visa | Issued to people who come to China to travel, visit relatives, or enter China for other private matters. In order to apply for an L Visa and travel to China, in principle, you need to provide proof of sufficient travel expenses to China. If necessary, you need to provide round-way international flight tickets and invitation letters from domestic relatives or travel agencies. |
|---|---|
| F Visa | Issued to those who are invited to China for visits, inspections, lectures, business, scientific and cultural exchanges, short-term training, internships, and other activities for no more than six months. To apply for the F visa, you need to provide an invitation letter from the Chinese inviting unit or a visa notification letter from the authorized unit. |
| M Visa | Issued to people entering China for commercial or trade activities. |
| Z Visa | Issued to those who come to China for working or employment and their accompanying family members. |
| X Visa | Issued to people who come to China to study, further education, and internship for more than six months. To apply for an X visa, you must have a certificate from the receiving unit or the competent authority, such as the "Application Form for Foreign Students to China", "Admission Notice" and "Physical Examination Record for Foreigners". |
| Q1 Visa | Issued to family members of Chinese citizens who apply for entry and residence due to family reunification; and family members of foreigners who are eligible for permanent residence in China; as well as those who apply for entry and stay for reasons such as foster care. |
| Q2 Visa | Issued to apply for entry Relatives of Chinese citizens living in China and relatives of foreigners who have permanent residence status in China for short-term visits. |
| S1 Visa | Issued to spouses, parents, children under the age of 18, and parents of spouses of foreigners staying in China due to work, study, etc. applications for long-term visiting relatives entering China |
| S2 Visa | Issued to short-term visiting relatives applying for entry Family members of foreigners staying in China due to work, study, and other reasons, as well as persons who need to stay in China due to other private affairs. |
The cost and valid date of an individual China visa:
Due to your nationality and the type of visa you apply for, the cost of a standard China visa varies from $12- $120 USD.
Tourist visas may be issued for single or double entry, with a validity ranging from 30 to 90 days.
Multiple entry visas are normally issued for business or educational purposes only, such as the F Visa, X Visa, or Z Visa, etc, ranging invalidity from 6 to 12 months, and are more expensive ($ 120-250 USD).
Some more specific policies, time limitations, and visa fees can be found on the official website of the Chinese Consulate.
Tips for applying for an individual China visa:
It's better not to mention Tibet as your travel destination when you are applying for a visa to China (China Embassy in Kathmandu is exceptional). Because the application will be easily rejected, as the embassy/consulate would request your Tibet permit beforehand and then issue a China visa with it. While for your Tibet permit application, the Tibet tourist bureau office will ask for a valid passport and China visa to process. If you have any further questions, please feel free to contact us. We will provide a professional and useful suggestion based on your personal information (natality, location, etc.) and travel plan.
2. China Group Visa
If you want to enter Tibet from Nepal, you have to get your GROUP VISA in the Chinese embassy of Kathmandu, whether you already have a Chinese visa or not.
Group Visa is an A4 size sheet of paper, with all members of the tour and their passport number, date of birth, and profession listed. The dates of entry and exit are precisely mentioned.
Generally, the visa is valid for the length of the trip you have booked but it's possible to get a visa for a few additional days, for the stay in Lhasa or other parts of China. There will be two original copies of Group Visa, one for each immigration at the entry and exit. We will take care of the whole application upon your arrival in Kathmandu.
Group China visa cost and processing time:
(Updated on 02 March 2020)
|
Nationality |
Times of Entry |
Ordinary US$ 4 working days |
Urgent US$ 3 working days |
Top Urgent US$ only for exceptional cases |
|
US Citizens |
Single |
162 |
197 |
225 |
|
Canadian Citizens |
Single |
106 |
141 |
169 |
|
Israeli Citizens |
Single |
65 |
100 |
128 |
|
Romanian Citizens |
Single |
107 |
142 |
170 |
|
Serbian Citizens |
Single |
42 |
77 |
105 |
|
AlbaniaCitizens |
Single |
44 |
66 |
87 |
|
Brazilian Citizens |
Single |
154 |
189 |
217 |
|
Argentine Citizens |
Single |
74 |
109 |
137 |
|
Panamanian Citizens |
Single |
95 |
130 |
158 |
|
Uruguay Citizens |
Single |
79 |
114 |
142 |
|
Pakistan Citizens |
Single |
42 |
64 |
85 |
| Nepali Citizens | Single | 60 | 95 | 123 |
|
Maldives Citizens |
Single |
42 |
64 |
85 |
|
Other Citizens |
Single |
74 |
109 |
137 |
|
Extra Agency Handling Charge |
Single |
15 |
15 |
15 |
E.g. If you are a Spanish citizen, the Ordinary Visa fee is 89 USD (74US$+15US$) per person/Urgent Visa fee is 124 USD per person.
Tips for applying for a group China Visa from Nepal:
If you enter Tibet via Nepal, please do not apply for any individual China visa in your country. Because when you arrive at Kathmandu, you need to join a group to Tibet with a group visa, the Chinese embassy will cancel your individual china visa.
It is very difficult to get an individual china visa back or the group visa extension if you still want to travel to other places in China after Tibet, usually the PSB in China will ask you to leave China before the group visa expires.
The Group China Visa is a single entry visa, valid for a maximum of 30 days, the exceptional cases to be valid for a maximum of 60 days.
Other useful tips
- For China tourist L visa application, you are required to present your original passport, Household Register, ID, confirmed round-way international flight tickets, confirmed hotel bookings in China, job & asset certificates at the local Chinese embassy in your country. WindhourseTour will provide the visa invitation letter for our clients.
- For travelers who hold a Work visa, Business visa, or Study Visa, the support documents for those types of visas are also required to present to apply for your Tibet permit, besides the passport and China visa copies. Such as the relevant work certificates/alien employment permit, school certificates/student card, the official invitation letter sent by your invited Chinese company, organization, or association.
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