Quick answer: The L visa covers sightseeing, visiting friends, and personal travel, and for U.S. citizens it is usually issued as a 10-year, multiple-entry visa at the same $140 fee as a single entry. You can stay up to 60 days per visit. Since 2024, tourist applicants no longer need an invitation letter or confirmed flight and hotel bookings.
The tourist visa (L) is the one most U.S. travelers need — for sightseeing, visiting friends, or any personal trip to China. The good news: for U.S. citizens, it's usually issued as a 10-year, multiple-entry visa, and the requirements got simpler in 2024.
What you need for a China tourist visa
A passport valid for at least six more months, with a blank visa page
For the L visa you’ll need either confirmed bookings or a letter from someone hosting you — our China visa invitation letter guide covers exactly what it must say, with free templates.
A recent white-background photo (China has specific specs)
Your completed COVA application
Basic trip information
Two things you no longer need for a tourist visa, as of 2024: an invitation letter, and flight or hotel bookings. That's a real simplification from a few years ago.
The 10-year multiple-entry default
Under the U.S.-China reciprocity arrangement, most U.S. citizens receive a 10-year, multiple-entry L visa — even first-timers — at the same $140 consulate fee as a single-entry. You can stay up to 60 days per visit, with unlimited entries over the decade. Read more about the 10-year visa.
How to apply
Complete the COVA application, then your passport is submitted in person at the Chinese consulate that serves your state — we handle that part. Start your application, see what it costs, or compare all visa types.
Get My Passports is a private company that provides China visa application assistance. We're not affiliated with or endorsed by any government agency, and all visa decisions — type, validity, entries, and approval — are made solely by the Chinese consulate. Requirements can vary by consulate and change over time; confirm the current rules before you apply.
