Chinese Visa Point System 2023

Chi­na is one of the most pop­u­lar des­ti­na­tions for for­eign­ers who want to work, study, or trav­el in the coun­try. How­ev­er, get­ting a Chi­nese visa can be a com­pli­cat­ed and time-con­sum­ing process, espe­cial­ly for those who are not famil­iar with the require­ments and pro­ce­dures. In this arti­cle, we will intro­duce the Chi­nese visa point sys­tem, which is a new way of eval­u­at­ing and issu­ing work visas and work per­mits for for­eign work­ers in Chi­na. We will also explain the dif­fer­ent types of visas, the basic doc­u­ments need­ed, and some tips on how to apply for a Chi­nese visa in 2023.

What is the Chinese visa point system?

The Chi­nese visa point sys­tem is a reform plan that was launched by the Chi­nese gov­ern­ment in 2017 to stream­line and stan­dard­ize the man­age­ment of for­eign work­ers in Chi­na. The reform aims to attract more high-lev­el tal­ents and skilled pro­fes­sion­als to Chi­na, while reduc­ing the num­ber of low-skilled or ille­gal work­ers. The reform will also replace the cur­rent work per­mit book­let with a small card. Addi­tion­al­ly, it imple­ments a grad­ing sys­tem, which will rank for­eign work­ers accord­ing to their expe­ri­ence and skills.

Accord­ing to the reform plans, for­eign­ers apply­ing for a Chi­nese work per­mit will be grad­ed accord­ing to a 3‑grade point sys­tem. The points are cal­cu­lat­ed based on var­i­ous fac­tors, such as edu­ca­tion lev­el, work expe­ri­ence, salary, age, lan­guage pro­fi­cien­cy, loca­tion, etc. The high­er the points, the eas­i­er it is to get a work per­mit and enjoy more ben­e­fits in Chi­na. The three grades are:

• Class A: score over 85 points. This cat­e­go­ry is for high-lev­el tal­ents or those whose skills are urgent­ly need­ed in Chi­na. Class A appli­cants can enjoy a fast-track appli­ca­tion process, mul­ti­ple-entry visas, longer valid­i­ty peri­ods, and more flex­i­bil­i­ty in chang­ing jobs or employers.
• Class B: score over 60 points. This cat­e­go­ry is for pro­fes­sion­al or tech­ni­cal per­son­nel who meet the mar­ket demand in Chi­na. Class B appli­cants need to sub­mit more doc­u­ments and under­go a longer appli­ca­tion process than Class A appli­cants. They can also get mul­ti­ple-entry visas, but with short­er valid­i­ty peri­ods and less flex­i­bil­i­ty in chang­ing jobs or employers.
• Class C: score below 60 points. This cat­e­go­ry is for tem­po­rary or sea­son­al work­ers who are employed in ser­vice sec­tors or fields with labor short­ages in Chi­na. Class C appli­cants have the most restric­tions and lim­i­ta­tions in terms of appli­ca­tion process, visa type, valid­i­ty peri­od, and job mobility.

The Chi­nese visa point sys­tem is not applic­a­ble to all for­eign­ers who want to work in Chi­na. Some cat­e­gories of for­eign work­ers are exempt from the point sys­tem and can apply for work per­mits direct­ly with­out scor­ing points. These include:

• For­eign­ers who are invit­ed by the Chi­nese gov­ern­ment or provin­cial author­i­ties to work in key projects or fields.
• For­eign­ers who are rec­og­nized as high-lev­el tal­ents by the State Admin­is­tra­tion of For­eign Experts Affairs (SAFEA) or oth­er rel­e­vant departments.
• For­eign­ers who are employed by well-known enter­pris­es or insti­tu­tions that are encour­aged or sup­port­ed by the Chi­nese government.
• For­eign­ers who are spous­es or chil­dren of Chi­nese cit­i­zens or per­ma­nent res­i­dents and have obtained a res­i­dence per­mit for fam­i­ly reunion.
• For­eign­ers who are from Hong Kong, Macau, or Tai­wan and have obtained a res­i­dence per­mit for Hong Kong, Macau, or Tai­wan residents.

To check your eli­gi­bil­i­ty and score for the Chi­nese visa point sys­tem, you can use the online self-assess­ment tool pro­vid­ed by SAFEA: http://​fwp​.safea​.gov​.cn/. You can also con­sult with your local Chi­nese embassy or con­sulate for more details.

What are the different types of Chinese visas?

Chi­na has resumed issu­ing all types of visas since March 15, 2023, includ­ing tourist visas and Shen­zhen Visa on Arrival. The long-term 5‑year or 10-year visas sus­pend­ed because of covid-19 have also been resumed on the same day.

Depend­ing on the pur­pose and dura­tion of your vis­it, you can apply for dif­fer­ent types of Chi­nese visas. Here is a brief intro­duc­tion of the main visa types and their requirements:

Visa Types	Descrip­tion
C	Issued to for­eign crew mem­bers of inter­na­tion­al air­craft, trains and ships, or motor vehi­cle dri­vers engaged in cross-bor­der trans­port activ­i­ties, or to the accom­pa­ny­ing fam­i­ly mem­bers of crew of the above-men­tioned ships.
D	Issued to those who intend to reside in Chi­na permanently.
F	Issued to those who intend to go to Chi­na for exchanges, vis­its, study tours and oth­er activities.
G	Issued to those who intend to tran­sit through China.
J1	Issued to res­i­dent for­eign jour­nal­ists of for­eign news orga­ni­za­tions sta­tioned in Chi­na. The intend­ed dura­tion of stay in Chi­na exceeds 180 days.
J2	Issued to for­eign jour­nal­ists who intend to go to Chi­na for short-term news cov­er­age. The intend­ed dura­tion of stay in Chi­na is no more than 180 days.
L	Issued to those who intend to go to Chi­na as a tourist.
M	Issued to those who intend to go to Chi­na for com­mer­cial and trade activities.
Q1	Issued to those who are fam­i­ly mem­bers of Chi­nese cit­i­zens or of for­eign­ers with Chi­nese per­ma­nent res­i­dence and intend to go to Chi­na for fam­i­ly reunion, or to those who intend to go to Chi­na for the pur­pose of fos­ter care. The intend­ed dura­tion of stay in Chi­na exceeds 180 days.
Q2	Issued to those who intend to vis­it their rel­a­tives who are Chi­nese cit­i­zens resid­ing in Chi­na or for­eign­ers with per­ma­nent res­i­dence in Chi­na. The intend­ed dura­tion of stay in Chi­na is no more than 180 days.
R	Issued to those who are high-lev­el tal­ents or whose skills are urgent­ly need­ed in China.
S1	Issued to those who intend to go to Chi­na to vis­it the for­eign­ers work­ing or study­ing in Chi­na to whom they are spous­es, par­ents, sons or daugh­ters under the age of 18 or par­ents-in-law, or to those who intend to go to Chi­na for oth­er pri­vate affairs. The intend­ed dura­tion of stay in Chi­na exceeds 180 days.
S2	Issued to those who intend to vis­it their fam­i­ly mem­bers who are for­eign­ers work­ing or study­ing in Chi­na, or to those who intend to go to Chi­na for oth­er pri­vate mat­ters. The intend­ed dura­tion of stay in Chi­na is no more than 180 days.
X1	Issued to those who intend to study in Chi­na for a peri­od of more than 180 days.
X2	Issued to those who intend to study in Chi­na for a peri­od of no more than 180 days.
Z	Issued to those who intend to work in China.

For more infor­ma­tion on each visa type, please vis­it the offi­cial web­site of the Chi­nese embassy or con­sulate in your country.

What are the basic documents needed for a Chinese visa application?

The basic doc­u­ments that you need to pre­pare for a Chi­nese visa appli­ca­tion are:

• Visa Appli­ca­tion Form and Con­fir­ma­tion Form of Online Visa Appli­ca­tion.
  Chi­na Online Visa Appli­ca­tion (COVA) is a web­site where you can fill in the visa appli­ca­tion form online and print out the con­fir­ma­tion form. You need to sign the con­fir­ma­tion form and sub­mit it togeth­er with the visa appli­ca­tion form. For under­age appli­cants, the forms can be filled by par­ents on behalf of the children.
• Pass­port.
  Orig­i­nal pass­port with at least six months of remain­ing valid­i­ty and blank visa pages, and a pho­to­copy of bio-data page of the passport.
• Pho­to.
  A recent­ly-tak­en col­or pho­to (bare-head, full face) against a light back­ground (size: 48mm x 33mm). The pho­to should be attached to the visa appli­ca­tion form. For more details on pho­to require­ments, please vis­it Chi­nese Visa Pho­to Require­ments.
• Proof of legal stay or res­i­dence sta­tus (applic­a­ble to those not apply­ing for the visa in their coun­try of cit­i­zen­ship).
  If you are not apply­ing for the visa in the coun­try of your cit­i­zen­ship, you must pro­vide the orig­i­nal and pho­to­copy of your valid visa or res­i­dence per­mit of that country.
• Oth­er sup­port­ing doc­u­ments depend­ing on your visa type.
  You may need to pro­vide addi­tion­al doc­u­ments such as an invi­ta­tion let­ter, a proof of hotel reser­va­tion, a flight itin­er­ary, a health dec­la­ra­tion form, etc., depend­ing on the pur­pose and dura­tion of your vis­it. Please refer to the spe­cif­ic require­ments for each visa type on the offi­cial web­site of the Chi­nese embassy or con­sulate in your country.

Please note that the above doc­u­ments are only for ref­er­ence. The Chi­nese embassy or con­sulate may require oth­er doc­u­ments or infor­ma­tion as deemed nec­es­sary. You should pre­pare all the doc­u­ments in advance and make sure they are com­plete, accu­rate, and authen­tic. Any false or mis­lead­ing infor­ma­tion may result in visa refusal or cancellation.

What is the Chinese visa application process?

The Chi­nese visa appli­ca­tion process con­sists of the fol­low­ing steps:

1. Find out whether you are eli­gi­ble to apply for a Chi­na Visa. You should check if you need a visa to enter Chi­na based on your nation­al­i­ty, pur­pose of vis­it, and dura­tion of stay. You should also check if you are exempt from a visa or eli­gi­ble for a visa-free tran­sit arrange­ment. You can use the online tool pro­vid­ed by the Chi­nese embassy or con­sulate in your coun­try to find out if you need a visa: Require­ments and Pro­ce­dures for Chi­nese Visa Appli­ca­tion (Updat­ed in March, 2023).
2. Choose which type of visa you need to apply for. You should select the visa type that match­es your pur­pose and dura­tion of vis­it. You should also check the spe­cif­ic require­ments and doc­u­ments for each visa type on the offi­cial web­site of the Chi­nese embassy or con­sulate in your country.
3. Book an appoint­ment with the Chi­nese embassy or con­sulate. You should make an online appoint­ment through the web­site of the Chi­nese embassy or con­sulate in your coun­try. You should choose a suit­able date and time slot for your visa inter­view. You should also print out the appoint­ment con­fir­ma­tion page and bring it with you on the day of your appointment.
4. Com­plete the appli­ca­tion form. You should fill in the visa appli­ca­tion form online through Chi­na Online Visa Appli­ca­tion web­site (https://​cova​.mfa​.gov​.cn). You should pro­vide accu­rate and com­plete infor­ma­tion and upload a dig­i­tal pho­to that meets the require­ments. You should also print out the con­fir­ma­tion form of online visa appli­ca­tion and sign it.
5. Col­lect the required doc­u­ments. You should pre­pare all the doc­u­ments that are required for your visa type, such as your pass­port, pho­to, invi­ta­tion let­ter, flight itin­er­ary, etc. You should also make pho­to­copies of all the orig­i­nal doc­u­ments and keep them for your own records.
6. Attend the visa appoint­ment. You should go to the Chi­nese embassy or con­sulate or the visa cen­ter on the date and time of your appoint­ment. You should bring your pass­port, visa appli­ca­tion form, con­fir­ma­tion form, appoint­ment con­fir­ma­tion page, and all the required doc­u­ments. You should sub­mit all the doc­u­ments at the counter and answer any ques­tions that the visa offi­cer may ask you. You should also pay the appli­ca­tion fee and col­lect a pay­ment receipt.
7. Wait for a deci­sion from the embassy or con­sulate. You should wait for a deci­sion from the embassy or con­sulate on whether your visa is approved or not. The pro­cess­ing time may vary depend­ing on your visa type, nation­al­i­ty, and appli­ca­tion sea­son. Gen­er­al­ly, it takes about 4 work­ing days for reg­u­lar ser­vice, 2–3 work­ing days for express ser­vice, and 1 work­ing day for rush ser­vice. You can check the sta­tus of your appli­ca­tion online through Chi­na Online Visa Appli­ca­tion (COVA) or by call­ing or email­ing the embassy or consulate.
8. Col­lect your pass­port and visa. You should col­lect your pass­port and visa from the Chi­nese embassy or con­sulate or the visa cen­ter on the date indi­cat­ed on your pay­ment receipt. You should check if your visa is cor­rect and valid before leav­ing. If you find any errors or prob­lems with your visa, you should con­tact the embassy or con­sulate immediately.

Please note that the above steps are only for ref­er­ence. The actu­al process may vary depend­ing on your coun­try of appli­ca­tion, visa type, and indi­vid­ual cir­cum­stances. You should fol­low the instruc­tions and guid­ance from the Chi­nese embassy or con­sulate in your coun­try care­ful­ly and com­ply with all the rules and regulations.

What are some tips on how to apply for a Chinese visa in 2023?

Here are some tips that may help you with your Chi­nese visa appli­ca­tion in 2023:

• Plan ahead.
  You should plan your trip to Chi­na well in advance and apply for your visa as ear­ly as pos­si­ble. You should avoid apply­ing dur­ing peak sea­sons such as hol­i­days, fes­ti­vals, or sum­mer vaca­tions, as there may be more appli­cants and longer pro­cess­ing times.
• Check eli­gi­bil­i­ty.
  You should check if you are eli­gi­ble to apply for a Chi­na Visa based on your nation­al­i­ty, pur­pose of vis­it, and dura­tion of stay. You should also check if you are exempt from a visa or eli­gi­ble for a visa-free tran­sit arrangement.
• Choose visa type.
  You should choose the visa type that match­es your pur­pose and dura­tion of vis­it. You should also check the spe­cif­ic require­ments and doc­u­ments for each visa type on the offi­cial web­site of the Chi­nese embassy or con­sulate in your country.
• Fill in appli­ca­tion form.
  You should fill in the visa appli­ca­tion form online through Chi­na Online Visa Appli­ca­tion web­site (https://​cova​.mfa​.gov​.cn). You should pro­vide accu­rate and com­plete infor­ma­tion and upload a dig­i­tal pho­to that meets the require­ments. You should also print out the con­fir­ma­tion form of online visa appli­ca­tion and sign it.
• Pre­pare doc­u­ments.
  You should pre­pare all the doc­u­ments that are required for your visa type, such as your pass­port, pho­to, invi­ta­tion let­ter, flight itin­er­ary, etc. You should also make pho­to­copies of all the orig­i­nal doc­u­ments and keep them for your own records.
• Book appoint­ment.
  You should book an appoint­ment with the Chi­nese embassy or con­sulate or the visa cen­ter through the web­site of the Chi­nese embassy or con­sulate in your coun­try. You should choose a suit­able date and time slot for your visa inter­view. You should also print out the appoint­ment con­fir­ma­tion page and bring it with you on the day of your appointment.
• Attend inter­view.
  You should attend the visa inter­view at the Chi­nese embassy or con­sulate or the visa cen­ter on the date and time of your appoint­ment. You should bring your pass­port, visa appli­ca­tion form, con­fir­ma­tion form, appoint­ment con­fir­ma­tion page, and all the required doc­u­ments. You should sub­mit all the doc­u­ments at the counter and answer any ques­tions that the visa offi­cer may ask you. You should also pay the appli­ca­tion fee and col­lect a pay­ment receipt.
• Wait for deci­sion.
  You should wait for a deci­sion from the embassy or con­sulate on whether your visa is approved or not. The pro­cess­ing time may vary depend­ing on your visa type, nation­al­i­ty, and appli­ca­tion sea­son. Gen­er­al­ly, it takes about 4 work­ing days for reg­u­lar ser­vice, 2–3 work­ing days for express ser­vice, and 1 work­ing day for rush ser­vice. You can check the sta­tus of your appli­ca­tion online through Chi­na Online Visa Appli­ca­tion (COVA) or by call­ing or email­ing the embassy or consulate.
• Col­lect pass­port and visa.
  You should col­lect your pass­port and visa from the Chi­nese embassy or con­sulate or the visa cen­ter on the date indi­cat­ed on your pay­ment receipt. You should check if your visa is cor­rect and valid before leav­ing. If you find any errors or prob­lems with your visa, you should con­tact the embassy or con­sulate immediately.

We hope this arti­cle has been help­ful for you to under­stand the Chi­nese visa point sys­tem, the dif­fer­ent types of visas, the basic doc­u­ments need­ed, and the appli­ca­tion process. If you have any ques­tions or need any assis­tance with your Chi­nese visa appli­ca­tion, please feel free to con­tact us at info@​youwinconsulting.​com. We are a pro­fes­sion­al con­sult­ing agency that pro­vides visa, account­ing, and busi­ness ser­vices for for­eign­ers in Chi­na. We have a team of expe­ri­enced and qual­i­fied experts who can help you with your visa appli­ca­tion and oth­er relat­ed mat­ters. We look for­ward to hear­ing from you soon.

Frequently Asked Questions

Sources:

1. Eco­vis Focus Chi­na | Chi­na’s New Point Sys­tem for Work Visa and Work Permit
2. AmCham Chi­na | 2023 Chi­nese Visa Appli­ca­tion Guidelines
3. Embassy of the Peo­ple’s Repub­lic of Chi­na in the Unit­ed States of Amer­i­ca | Require­ments and Pro­ce­dures for Chi­nese Visa Appli­ca­tion (Updat­ed in March, 2023)
4. Chi­na Online Visa Appli­ca­tion (COVA)
5. Vis​aGuide​.World | The Appli­ca­tion Process for Chi­na Visa
6. Trav​elChi​naGuide​.com | Chi­na Visa: Chi­nese Visa Appli­ca­tion, Types, Forms, Service
7. Mul­ti­pli­er | Work Per­mit In Chi­na – A Com­plete Guide
8. Trav­el + Leisure Asia | A Step-By-Step Guide To Apply Visa For China
9. Chi­na Online Visas | Chi­na Visa Appli­ca­tion Online | Apply for Chi­na Visas