After you’ve successfully applied for a place in one of our programs, you’ll need to organize your visa for China. All visitors coming to China, whether they’re coming for a holiday, to work or to study, require a visa to enter and stay in the country. It is your responsibility to apply and pay for your Chinese Visa. Visa applications are made in your country of residence. Our programs include visa advice and assistance to help you apply for the right visa.
Our team is experienced in helping applicants apply for their visa, and we stay abreast of any new changes to the visa process so we can better support you. Our team can ensure you have the right documents to apply for a Chinese Visa in your country.
Types of Visas
- The selected program is less than 90 days
- You are a late applicant (if their program at GAC starts within two weeks after applying for a visa)
- You haven’t had sufficient time to process the application and are therefore unable to get an F or X visa.
The visa type you apply for will depend on what you are coming for, how long you’ll be here for and often, how long in advance you’ve applied.
If you’re a dual citizen, you’ll need to apply with the passport you intend traveling on and using as identification for university application in China. Although our team is unable to guarantee your visa application, as the consulate and other factors determine this, we can help you decide which visa to apply for and what the best way is to apply.
Visa Application Help
Once you have been accepted into our programs and have completed your payments, our team will assist you throughout the visa application process. We advise you to contact your closest Chinese Embassy or Consulate to inquire about their Visa application process.
You’ll need to supply us with a copy of the passport you’ll be using to travel to China so that we can issue documents with the correct name and Passport number on them.
We will first issue you with a letter of invitation along with other supporting documents as required for the relevant visa. You’ll need to submit original documents to the embassy or consulate for your visa application.
Download and complete the Visa Application Forms form your nearest Chinese Visa Office, Consulate or Embassy’s website. We can help you fill in the form and ensure it is correct before you submit it.
Confirm whether you need to book an appointment for submission as you’ll need to submit your documents in person (if necessary, you can entrust someone else (without a Power of Attorney) to act on your behalf.
Usually, you’ll need a study visa (Category X) for our Learn Chinese Programs or a business visa (M and F-Visas) for our Internship Abroad Programs. Although you can get to China on a tourist Visa once you’re here, we don’t recommend this option.
Don’t compromise on your visa, always insist on getting the right one. Your visa application record stays with you and may impact future applications if you get it wrong. Your program fees cover the cost of the supporting documents needed for your visa application.
Please note that the visa process varies in length, cost and application requirement depending on your nationality. Confirm the processing time with your Visa Office.
All applicants will need to pay for their own visa application fee.
A thorough health examination is mandatory for all students applying for an X Visa, who are planning to stay in China for longer than six months. The health examination can be performed in your home country. However, if you are enrolling in a university in China, they might require you to have a medical examination in China. The fee is 400RMB (or approximately 64USD), and our staff will help you get to a clinic or medical center to do the test.
When the medical examination is completed in your home country, it will need to adhere to the following standards:
- The health certificate should be issued by a public hospital in the region where you, the applicant, reside.
- It should be signed by the practitioner and be stamped with the common seal of the hospital in which the examination was performed. If you use a private hospital, then the certificate needs to be certified by a notary office in your area.
- The Certificate of Health (medical examination certificate) must be an original copy with a photo of the examinee attached, the original laboratory sheet and original results.
The examination components must comprise of:
- Internal medical check
- Oreport on any previous surgeries
- A check of the five sense organs
- Electrocardiogram
- Chest x-ray
- A check for such diseases as AIDS
- Other venereal illnesses and infectious hepatitis.
If there is any non-conformity or discrepancy in the Medical Examination Certificate, the quarantine inspection physician in China will be entitled to demand the applicant to go through a test or take a supplementary medical examination in China.
When you complete the health examination in China, you need to be aware of the following:
- The inspection clinic will only do the examinations in the morning (8:30 am – 11:00 am)
- You need to have an empty stomach to do the exam
- You must bring a valid Passport
- You need to bring two passport-size photos
- You need to pay an examination fee of 400 RMB (at your own cost).
You can usually collect the results within three to five working days. Our staff is here to assist anyone who needs to go through the health examination process.
Go Abroad China is here to help with every step of the visa application process. Should the need arise, we can help to extend or convert the visa type, once you have arrived in China, to obtain a more suitable visa according to your program length.
Here are some helpful tips for a successful visa application:
- You need to submit original documents for valid visa application. Make sure you don’t use emailed copies.
- Your Internship company can’t provide you with a visa; they’ll only supply the invitation letter.
- Your education institution can’t provide your visa. They need to be an accredited institution to supply you with an original application letter and, for the X1 Visa a JW 201 or JW 202 form.
- You do not need a copy of an ID Card for a Chinese Citizen for a study or business visa.
- It is harder to get a visa to China, or one for the right length of stay, if you are coming from some countries. Check with your nearest Chinese Consulate before applying. In some instances organizing a double-entry visa may be a solution.
- Make sure you are applying for the right visa type. You do not need a Z Visa, for instance, unless you are coming to China for permanent full-time work. The Z Visa requires you to have a bachelors degree and at least two years of proven experience.