Entry rule for your passport
Tourist L visa: passport valid over 6 months with 2 blank pages. Qualifying 24-hour or 240-hour transit is separate and depends on your onward journey, passport, ports, permitted area and border approval.
Official sources: Embassy of the People's Republic of China in the United States.
Who this covers: Ordinary US passports for a tourist trip to the Chinese mainland, applying in the United States. Hong Kong and Macao, work, study and Chinese dual nationality need separate checks.
Check your circumstances
Read these conditions alongside the entry rule. Where official guidance does not state a condition, that is not confirmation that no condition applies.
- Passport type Conditions to check
- For an L visa application, your ordinary passport needs more than 6 months of validity and at least 2 blank visa pages. Transit has separate conditions below.
Official sources: Embassy of the People's Republic of China in the United States.
- Trip purpose Confirmed for this scope
- The L visa is issued to people going to China for tourism. Business, exchanges, work, study and family visits use other visa types.
Official sources: Embassy of the People's Republic of China in the United States.
- Age Conditions to check
- No age limit is stated for the L visa. Minors of Chinese origin born in the US follow separate guidance from the embassy.
Official sources: Embassy of the People's Republic of China in the United States.
- Residence Conditions to check
- Apply at the embassy or consulate whose district covers the state where you live, and upload proof of residence such as a driver's license or utility bill.
Official sources: Embassy of the People's Republic of China in the United States.
- Other visas or residence permits Conditions to check
- A visa or residence permit from another country is not an L-visa substitute in these instructions. Applicants applying outside their country of citizenship must check local residence evidence.
Official sources: Embassy of the People's Republic of China in the United States.
- Carrier and arrival route Conditions to check
- An L visa is separate from transit permission. Qualifying 24-hour or 240-hour transit needs confirmed onward travel to a third country or region; the longer route uses designated ports and areas.
Official sources: National Immigration Administration of China.
- Stay and visa validity Not stated in the cited guidance
- The embassy page does not state how long an L visa lets you stay. Check the visa you receive before you plan your dates.
Official sources: Embassy of the People's Republic of China in the United States.
How to apply
Fill in the form and upload your documents on the China Online Visa Application system (consular.mfa.gov.cn/VISA). When the status shows "Passport to be submitted", you or an agent take the passport, the application page with its barcode and any originals to the visa office.
The embassy lists about 4 business days for regular processing after passport submission and about 3 for express; some cases take longer. Follow the office serving your state for its procedure and timing. Fees are paid when you collect the visa.
Official sources: Embassy of the People's Republic of China in the United States.
Documents
Upload the passport bio page and a blank visa page, your latest Chinese visa or residence permit if you have one, and proof of residence. Bring the original passport, the application page and any old passport holding a still-valid Chinese visa.
Since 1 Jan 2024, tourist applicants in the US no longer need to submit flight bookings, hotel reservations, an itinerary or an invitation letter. Applications are assessed individually, and extra documents may be requested. Former Chinese citizens and minors of Chinese origin must check the embassy's additional nationality and family-document instructions.
Official sources: Embassy of the People's Republic of China in the United States.
Transit without a visa
Direct transit of up to 24 hours is available to all nationalities with valid international travel documents and confirmed onward flight, ship or train seats to a third country or region. Stay in the restricted port area; leaving it requires a temporary entry permit from border inspection. Permission is not automatic.
US ordinary-passport holders are also on the 240-hour list. This route needs at least three months of passport validity, confirmed onward seats and departure date to a third country or region, and entry through a designated port. Remain within the permitted areas and follow the period granted by border officers; the 240-hour clock starts at midnight after arrival. Returning directly to the country you arrived from does not qualify. Work, study and news reporting need the appropriate prior approval and visa.
Official sources: National Immigration Administration of China; Shanghai Municipal Government.
Fill in the arrival card
Since 20 Nov 2025, foreigners can fill in China's arrival card online before travel, through the National Immigration Administration website, its NIA 12367 app or WeChat and Alipay mini programs. The official address is s.nia.gov.cn/ArrivalCardFillingPC.
If you cannot do it in advance, scan the QR code or use the machines at the border, or fill in a paper card. Direct 24-hour transit passengers who remain in the restricted port area are exempt; other exemptions include Chinese permanent-resident card holders and travelers on group visas.
Official sources: Embassy of the People's Republic of China in Singapore.
Check the linked authorities again before travel; China makes the final entry decision.
Approved by TravPa Editors.