Chinese Visa Online Application 2023: How to Do It

If you are plan­ning to vis­it Chi­na in 2023, you may need to apply for a Chi­nese visa in advance. A Chi­nese visa is a per­mit issued by the Chi­nese author­i­ties to allow for­eign nation­als to enter, stay, or tran­sit in Chi­na for a spe­cif­ic pur­pose and peri­od. Depend­ing on your nation­al­i­ty, pur­pose, and dura­tion of your vis­it, you may need dif­fer­ent types of visas, such as tourist visa, busi­ness visa, stu­dent visa, work visa, etc.

To apply for a Chi­nese visa, you usu­al­ly need to sub­mit your appli­ca­tion to the Chi­nese embassy or con­sulate in your coun­try or region, or to the Chi­nese Visa Appli­ca­tion Ser­vice Cen­ter (CVASC) if avail­able. How­ev­er, before you sub­mit your appli­ca­tion offline, you can also com­plete some steps online to save time and has­sle. In this arti­cle, we will explain how to apply for a Chi­nese visa online in 2023, what are the ben­e­fits and require­ments of doing so, and what are the tips and tricks to make your online appli­ca­tion eas­i­er and faster.

What is Chinese Visa Online Application?

Chi­nese visa online appli­ca­tion is a way of fill­ing in the visa appli­ca­tion form and book­ing an appoint­ment online before sub­mit­ting your appli­ca­tion offline. It is not a way of obtain­ing a Chi­nese visa entire­ly through the inter­net. You still need to vis­it the des­ig­nat­ed place to sub­mit your phys­i­cal doc­u­ments and pay the visa fee.

Chi­nese visa online appli­ca­tion is avail­able for most types of visas, except for some spe­cial visas that require spe­cial forms or pro­ce­dures. You can use the online appli­ca­tion sys­tem to apply for a Chi­nese visa if you meet any of the fol­low­ing conditions:

• You are apply­ing for a Chi­nese visa in a coun­try or region where the Chi­na Online Visa Appli­ca­tion (COVA) sys­tem is avail­able. The COVA sys­tem is an online plat­form launched by the Chi­nese Min­istry of For­eign Affairs to facil­i­tate visa appli­cants to fill in the appli­ca­tion form and make an appoint­ment online. Cur­rent­ly, there are 40 coun­tries or regions where the COVA sys­tem is avail­able. You can check the list of COVA coun­tries or regions on their offi­cial web­site (https://​cova​.mfa​.gov​.cn).

If you are apply­ing for a Chi­nese visa in a coun­try or region where nei­ther the CVASC nor the COVA sys­tem is avail­able, you may not be able to use the online appli­ca­tion sys­tem. You may need to fill in a paper form and sub­mit it direct­ly to the Chi­nese embassy or con­sulate with­out mak­ing an appointment.

What are the Benefits of Chinese Visa Online Application?

By apply­ing for a Chi­nese visa online, you can enjoy the fol­low­ing benefits:

• You can fill in the visa appli­ca­tion form at your con­ve­nience and pace. You can save your progress and resume it lat­er. You can also mod­i­fy or delete your infor­ma­tion before sub­mit­ting it.
• You can avoid mak­ing mis­takes or omis­sions on the paper form. The online sys­tem will check your infor­ma­tion and prompt you if there is any error or incon­sis­ten­cy. You can also pre­view and print out your form before sub­mit­ting it.
• You can book an appoint­ment online for offline sub­mis­sion. You can choose your pre­ferred date and time slot accord­ing to the avail­abil­i­ty of the des­ig­nat­ed place. You can also change or can­cel your appoint­ment online if necessary.
• You can save time and has­sle at the des­ig­nat­ed place. You do not need to queue up for a long time or fill in anoth­er form on site. You can sim­ply show your con­fir­ma­tion page and bar­code to the staff and sub­mit your documents.

There­fore, apply­ing for a Chi­nese visa online is not only con­ve­nient but also effi­cient and reliable.

How to Apply for a Chinese Visa Online?

To apply for a Chi­nese visa online, you need to fol­low these steps:

1. Pre­pare the required doc­u­ments, such as your pass­port, pho­to, invi­ta­tion let­ter, proof of res­i­dence, etc. You can check the spe­cif­ic require­ments for dif­fer­ent types of visas on the offi­cial web­site of the Chi­nese embassy or con­sulate, the CVASC, or the COVA system.
2. Fill in the visa appli­ca­tion form online. You can access the online sys­tem through the the COVA sys­tem (https://​cova​.mfa​.gov​.cn). You need to reg­is­ter an account and log in to the sys­tem. Then, you need to choose your visa type, fill in your per­son­al and trav­el infor­ma­tion, upload your pho­to, and sub­mit your form. You can also save your form and resume it later.
3. Book an appoint­ment online for offline sub­mis­sion. After sub­mit­ting your form online, you will receive a con­fir­ma­tion page and a bar­code. You need to print out these doc­u­ments and bring them with you when you vis­it the des­ig­nat­ed place. You can also book an appoint­ment online through the same sys­tem. You can choose your pre­ferred date and time slot accord­ing to the avail­abil­i­ty of the des­ig­nat­ed place. You can also change or can­cel your appoint­ment online if necessary.
4. Sub­mit your phys­i­cal doc­u­ments and pay the visa fee offline. You need to vis­it the des­ig­nat­ed place on your appoint­ment date and time. You need to show your con­fir­ma­tion page and bar­code to the staff and sub­mit your orig­i­nal pass­port, print­ed appli­ca­tion form, pho­to, and oth­er sup­port­ing doc­u­ments. You also need to pay the visa fee by cash, cred­it card, or oth­er meth­ods accept­ed by the des­ig­nat­ed place.
5. Col­lect your pass­port and visa offline. You need to wait for the pro­cess­ing time of your visa appli­ca­tion, which may vary depend­ing on your visa type and nation­al­i­ty. You can check the sta­tus of your appli­ca­tion online through the same sys­tem. Once your visa is ready, you will receive a noti­fi­ca­tion by email or phone. You need to vis­it the des­ig­nat­ed place again and col­lect your pass­port and visa. You need to show your receipt and iden­ti­ty doc­u­ment to the staff and sign for confirmation.

If you have any ques­tions or dif­fi­cul­ties in apply­ing for a Chi­nese visa online, you can con­tact the cus­tomer ser­vice of the COVA sys­tem for assistance.

Frequently Asked Questions about Chinese Visa Online Application:

Sources:

1. 中国签证在线填表 | Chi­na Online Visa Appli­ca­tion (COVA)
2. Embassy of the Peo­ple’s Repub­lic of Chi­na in the Unit­ed States of Amer­i­ca | Require­ments for Chi­nese Visa Appli­ca­tion (Updat­ed in April, 2023)
3. Chi­na Dis­cov­ery | Apply for Chi­na Visa Online – Guide & Process­es 2023/2024