Chinese visas are classified as: Diplomatic visas, Courtesy visas, Business visas, and general visas. Classified by the purpose of visiting China, general visas issued to foreign nationals are further classified into eight types: Residency visas, Professional visas, Study visas, Visit visas, Tourist visas, Transit visas, Crew-member visas, and Journalist visas. Each type of visa is  designated by the first phonetic letter of its Hanyu Pinyin, plus a combination of letters and numbers for certain types of visas, such as the: D, Z, X, F, L, G, C, J-1 and J-2 classes. General visas are issued to the following foreign nationals:

1. D Visas are issued to foreign nationals granted permanent residency in China.

2. Z Visas are issued to foreign nationals taking up employment in China and are also issued to their accompanying family.

3. X Visas are issued to foreign nationals who will stay in China for education, advanced studies or internship for more than six months.

4. F Visas are issued to foreign nationals who are invited to China for visits, inspection tours, lectures, business, science and technology exchanges, short-term advanced studies or internships for periods of not more than six months.

5. L Visas are issued to foreign nationals who are coming to China for sightseeing, visiting family or for other private business. A tourist group with more than nine members may be granted a group visa.

6. G Visas are issued to foreign nationals who are transiting through China.

7. C Visas are issued to crew members of trains, aircraft and ships on international travels, flights or voyages and may be issued to their accompanying family members.

8. J-1 Visas are issued to foreign journalists to be posted in China, and J-2 Visas are issued to foreign journalists on specific reporting assignments to China.

Foreign nationals in China are only allowed to engage in activities that match the type of visas that they have been granted.

Documents Required for Visa Applications

To obtain a visa to China, a foreign national is required to provide a valid passport or an alternative identification document, respond to the relevant questions asked, fill out the visa application form, submit 2X2 inch recent photos (full view without hat), and provide a certificate attesting to the purpose of entry or transit.

A foreign national who intends to reside in China permanently or stay in China for more than one year should provide a health certificate (valid for six months) of a kind which is satisfactory to Chinese authorities when applying for an entry visa.

Visa Exempted Personnel

To facilitate international travel, many countries exempt each other's citizens from visa requirements. The following foreign nationals are granted visa-free entry into mainland China.

1. Holders of passports issued by countries which have entered into a mutual visa exemption agreement with the Chinese government. At present, China has mutual visa exemption agreements with 53 countries, including Cuba, Mexico and Venezuela. Under such agreements, holders of passports other than ordinary passports, such as diplomatic and service passports, are allowed to enter mainland China without visas.

2. International passengers who hold a ticket for a connecting flight and are transiting directly through China on an international flight are exempted from transit visas, if they stay in the city of transit for not more than 24 hours and do not leave the airport. To leave the airport, an international passenger must obtain permission from the border inspection station at the airport.

3. Foreign crews of vessels on international voyages and their accompanying family who wish to come ashore during the vessel's call at a Chinese port and who will not travel beyond the city where the port is located may apply for a landing permit from the border inspection station. And those who wish to stay ashore overnight should obtain an overnight stay permit (this rule is not applicable to those planning to travel beyond the city or those who are unable to exit onboard their original vessel).

4. Citizens of Russia, Byelorussia, Turkmenistan and Moldova who are visiting China as part of a tour group are exempted from visas.

5. Citizens of Japan, Singapore and Brunei holding a regular passport are granted visa-free stay in China for up to 15 days.