If you hold a U.S. passport, you need a visa to visit mainland China — there's no visa-free entry for tourism (with one transit exception we'll cover). Below is the full 2026 requirements list, decoded in plain English from the Chinese Embassy's own September 2025 notice — every visa type, every document, and whether it gets uploaded online or handed over as an original.
Rather skip the paperwork and the trip? apply for a China visa from the USA, and we handle the submission for you from start to finish.
That list is long, and it’s the reason many applicants hand the process off. If that’s you, start with our guide to the best China visa service in the USA.
Wondering how long each stage actually takes? We measured the COVA review across 128 of our own filings — see the current China visa processing times.
Yes. Americans aren't on China's visa-free list, so you must obtain a visa before you travel. The one exception is the 240-hour visa-free transit policy — but that only applies if you're passing through China to a third country, not if China is your destination. (More on transit and layovers here.)
Since the new COVA system launched in late 2025, every application happens in two distinct stages:
Step 1 — everything online. You fill out the application in COVA (China's online visa application system) and upload your documents there. A consular officer runs a preliminary review — your status shows "Preliminary review in progress" while that happens.
Step 2 — originals in person. When your status flips to "Passport to be submitted," your physical passport, the application info-page with its barcode, and certain original documents must be handed in at your consulate's visa office. Consulates don't accept mailed applications from individuals — this in-person leg is exactly what a courier service handles for you.
The embassy's notice splits every document list by text color: black text means upload it online in COVA; red text means present the original when the passport is submitted. If you've ever squinted at that page wondering which is which — that's the entire system. Below, we've simply written it out: "upload" means it goes into COVA in step 1, and "original" means the physical document travels with your passport in step 2.
Your passport bio-page and a blank visa page — the passport must have 6+ months of validity left and at least two blank visa pages.
Your most recent Chinese visa or residence permit, if you've had one.
Proof of residence — a driver's license, utility bill, or bank statement showing your U.S. address (this is what routes you to the right consulate).
If you're not a U.S. citizen: your green card, U.S. visa, I-20, or I-94 proving legal status. (Full guide for green card holders and non-citizens.)
If you're a former Chinese citizen applying for the first time since naturalizing: the bio-page of your old Chinese passport plus your naturalization certificate.
If your name has changed since your last Chinese visa: the name-change document.
The passport itself.
The application info-page showing "Passport to be submitted" status, with its barcode.
Any old passport containing a still-valid Chinese visa or residence permit.
Former Chinese citizens: your latest Chinese passport.
Q1 and S1 applicants: the original relationship certificate (marriage or birth certificate — see below).
Anything else a consular officer specifically requests.
L — Tourist. The good news: since January 1, 2024, tourist applicants in the U.S. no longer submit flight bookings, hotel reservations, an itinerary, or an invitation letter. The basic uploads above are the whole list — though the embassy adds that applications are reviewed case-by-case, so an officer can still ask for more. (Full L visa guide.)
M — Business. Documents on the commercial activity from your trade partner in China — in practice, an invitation letter containing your details, the visit's purpose and dates, and the inviting company's information with its seal and a signature. (M visa guide · free invitation letter templates.)
F — Exchange & study tours. An invitation letter from the relevant organization or individual in China, with the same required contents as the business letter.
Z — Work. The Notice for the Work Permit for Foreigners (your Chinese employer obtains this). (Z visa guide.)
Q1 — Family of Chinese citizens, staying over 180 days. An invitation letter from your relative (a Chinese citizen, or a foreigner with Chinese permanent residence), photocopies of their Chinese ID front and back (or passport bio-page plus PR permit), and the original marriage or birth certificate proving the relationship — with a photocopy also uploaded. (Q1/Q2 guide.)
Q2 — Family visit, 180 days or less. Same invitation letter and inviter-ID photocopies; no original certificate demanded.
S1 — Family of a foreigner working or studying in China, over 180 days. Invitation letter from the person you're visiting, photocopies of their passport bio-page and residence permit, and the original relationship certificate. Watch the trap: for S1, "family member" means only spouses, parents, children under 18, and parents-in-law. An adult child or a sibling doesn't qualify for S1 — they'd apply for S2 instead, where the definition widens to siblings, grandparents, grandchildren, and children's spouses.
S2 — Same visit, 180 days or less. Invitation letter plus photocopies of the inviter's passport and residence permit or visa, and a photocopy of the relationship certificate.
X1 / X2 — Study. Over 180 days (X1): the JW201 or JW202 confirmation form plus a photocopy of your admission letter. 180 days or less (X2): the admission notice, plus Form DQ if you have one. (Student visa guide.)
R, C, D, G — the rare ones. R (high-level talent): a confirmation letter for high-level foreign talents. C (crew): a guarantee letter from the transport company. D (permanent residence): the permanent-residence confirmation form. G (transit): an onward ticket with a confirmed date and seat. Journalists (J1/J2) go through China's press authorities separately.
Not sure which type fits your trip? Our plain-English guide to every China visa type sorts it out in two minutes.
COVA — China's online visa application system, where the whole step-1 process happens. (Our field-by-field walkthrough.)
Visa Application Statement — a newer declaration confirming which state you're applying from, your visa history, and your ties to the U.S. It's easy to miss inside the system.
JW201 / JW202 — study-confirmation forms for X1 students. Your Chinese university obtains and sends these; you don't create them yourself (JW201 for government-scholarship students, JW202 for self-funded).
Form DQ — an information form for short-term (X2) students; only needed if your program issued one.
Invitation letters — two different specs. Family letters (Q/S visas) come from an individual and must include the inviter's ID or passport number, address in China, contact details, your details, dates, and the relationship. Business and exchange letters (M/F) come from an organization and must add the company's seal and a signature from its legal representative. Copy-paste templates for both are here.
The government visa fee is a flat $140 for U.S. citizens in 2026 — the same for single-entry or a 10-year multiple-entry visa, which is why most applicants request the 10-year. (Fees are set by the authorities and can change.)
Fingerprinting is waived for most short-term visitor visas through December 31, 2026 — which is what makes a mail-in service possible for most applicants.
The embassy lists 4 business days for regular service and 3 for express, counted from the day the passport is submitted — and notes those times are averages for reference, not commitments. Processing can run longer; the authorities control the timeline.
Fees are paid at pickup — Visa or Mastercard, money order, or cashier's check. No cash, no American Express.
China assigns your application to one of five posts by your state of residence — Washington, D.C., New York, Chicago, San Francisco, or Los Angeles. The D.C. embassy alone covers 18 states and territories, from Texas and Florida up through Delaware and out to Puerto Rico; each consulate publishes its own version of these requirements, but the document lists above are essentially the same nationwide. Send your application to the wrong post and it's returned unprocessed. See your state's consulate and how we handle it.
We provide private application assistance: we review your documents, complete the COVA form, format your photo, and coordinate the in-person consulate submission — by mail, from any U.S. state — so you don't travel or risk avoidable errors.
Get My Passports is a private company that provides passport and visa application assistance and courier coordination where available. We're not affiliated with or endorsed by any government agency. Government authorities make all approval decisions and control official processing times. Our service fees are separate from government fees.
Complete the quick intake form at chinavisa.getmypassports.com and choose your service. We'll review it and send you a prepaid FedEx label to ship us your passport — then we submit it in person at the consulate (they don't accept mailed applications — that's what you're hiring us for).
It’s set by your home state — not the nearest city, and not your choice.
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