Getting a China visa comes down to two big steps — and most of the trouble we see happens at the first one, before anyone ever gets near a consulate. Here's how the two steps work, why people get stuck at step one, and the one lockout scenario that can quietly trap your passport.
The two steps to a China visa
Complete the China Online Visa Application (COVA). You fill out your application on the COVA system and get the status to read "passport to be submitted."
Submit your passport to the consulate. Only once step one shows passport to be submitted can the passport go in for in-person submission at the consulate that serves your state.
Step two is the part everyone pictures. But plenty of applicants never make it past step one.
Why people get stuck at step one
A few things commonly stall an application before it can be submitted:
Missing or inconsistent information that has to be corrected before COVA will let the application move forward.
A passport that's out of validity (or too close to expiring), which stops the process cold.
Losing access to the COVA account you created — the one people overlook, and the hardest to fix.
The rule most people don't know: one application per passport
Here's what catches people off guard: COVA is built around a single active application per passport. When you create an account and start an application against your passport, that account becomes the only way back into that application — your passport is effectively tied to it.
So if you can't get back into the account, you can't simply start over. The existing application is still holding your passport.
The worst case: locked out of your own COVA account
The situation we've watched trap people: they lose access to the COVA account they set up and can't get back in. Even after account-recovery attempts, sometimes there's just no way back into the original application — and because of the one-application-per-passport rule, that passport can't be used for a new application while the old one is still open.
It's a frustrating spot: the application is stuck, and so is the passport.
How we free a stuck passport
When an account truly can't be recovered, the path that's worked for us is going straight to the consulate with a formal cancellation request — a letter asking them to cancel the stuck application. In our experience, that has released the passport so a fresh application can be started.
It isn't a one-click fix and the outcome is the consulate's call, but it's a route most applicants don't know exists — and one we've navigated before.
Stuck at step one right now?
If your China visa application is stuck — missing information, a passport-validity problem, or a COVA account you can't get back into — this is exactly the kind of situation to call us about rather than fill out a form. Every locked-out case is a little different, and it's far faster to talk it through than to guess.
Call us at (708) 360-7277 and we'll figure out the quickest way to free your passport and get your application moving again. If you're just starting out, our China visa COVA guide walks through step one, and you can see all China visa options by state.
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 we can't guarantee a cancellation or any particular outcome — those decisions rest with the consulate. The above reflects our own experience and procedures can change at any time.
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FAQ
Can I have more than one China visa application per passport?
What happens if I am locked out of my COVA account?
What is the difference between the COVA application and submitting to the consulate?
