China Tourist Visa Requirements: A Document Checker You Can Download

Convert the passport validity rule into your own expiry date

One page checked for this page states that a passport must have six months of validity beyond the length of the visa you request, and gives the worked figure of eighteen months of validity for a twelve-month visa. [3]

A second page checked for this page states at least six months of remaining validity with available blank pages, without naming the date the six months runs from. [5]

A third page checked for this page requires at least six months of validity after you arrive, and a fourth requires six months measured from the date of your intended departure from China. [8]

A fifth page checked for this page requires validity from the date of your intended departure from China, which is the latest of the possible starting points and therefore the strictest reading. [6]

Worked example: for a twelve-month visa requested under the first rule, take the visa start and add twelve months for the visa plus six months for the margin, giving 12 + 6 = 18 months of required validity.

Where four sources give four starting points for the same six-month figure, apply the strictest one and record which source you followed, because the cost of being wrong is a refused application.

Write the converted expiry date into the table rather than the number six, because the date is the only version of the rule you can check against your own passport.

Fix your submission window before anything else

One official page checked for this page describes three stages: registering and logging in, completing the form and uploading materials, and passing an online review before submitting the passport. [2]

The same page describes nine sections in the form and notes that a saved draft can be reopened from the personal centre, which means the form can be started well before your documents are ready. [3]

A university travel office page checked for this page states that it cannot begin an application until it is within ninety days of the intended arrival date, and that applications may open only inside that window. [6]

Write both ends of your own window in the table: the earliest date the system allows and the latest date that still leaves room for the posted processing time.

Worked example: four business days from a Thursday reaches the following Wednesday once the weekend is excluded, so a submission on Thursday with a Friday flight is already too late.

Build the buffer from the slower published figure rather than the faster one, because a non-refundable flight booked against the fastest reading is a risk you created.

Match the specific documents to the post that will process you

One official page checked for this page states that since January 2024 tourist applicants in the United States no longer need to submit a round-trip booking record, hotel proof, itinerary or invitation letter. [1]

Older guides checked for this page still list round-trip tickets, hotel bookings or an invitation letter as essential for a tourist visa, which shows how a source that is only a year old can already be describing a withdrawn rule. [5]

An agent page checked for this page instead asks only that a passport meet the validity and page rules and that photographs meet the consulate specification, and treats an arrival card as a separate mandatory step. [3]

Those three lists are not in conflict about the visa; they are describing different posts at different dates, which is why the post name belongs in your table.

Write the requirement as a question you can answer yes or no against your own file, rather than as a document name you might assume you already have.

Handle the personal circumstances that add extra items

One page checked for this page states that applicants outside their country of nationality must show proof of legal stay or residence status, and another requires evidence that status itself has six months of validity remaining. [6]

A page checked for this page states that applicants with a criminal record must appear in person for biometrics, and that anyone who has ever served in the military must complete a separate declaration whose dates match the application form. [3]

A page checked for this page notes extra documents for minors, former Chinese citizens and applicants whose names have changed, which are the cases where a standard list silently fails. [10]

Two government sources checked for this page treat dual nationality differently from the applicant's expectation, and one state explicitly that a person born in China to a Chinese national parent is considered a Chinese citizen. [4]

Add a row for each circumstance that applies to you, rather than assuming the standard list covers your case, because these are the rows that cause refusals rather than delays.

Treat the photograph as a testable requirement, not a preference

One page checked for this page states that photographs face strict rules including a recent capture, an all-white background, a neutral expression and no eyeglasses, jewellery, headwear or white shirts. [3]

One official page checked for this page states that the online system can crop and automatically check the photo, and that if it still fails the check you may continue and bring a standard identity photo when you submit the passport. [2]

Worked example: a photograph rule quoted as six months runs from the date the photograph was taken rather than the date you submit it, so a photo taken in March is out of date for a September submission.

Write the date the photograph was taken in your own file, because that date is the only part of this requirement you can verify after the fact.

A final pass before you submit the file

Read the checker from the top and confirm that every requirement has a date and a named posting beside it.

Confirm that your passport passes the converted expiry date rather than the published number of months.

Check that the purpose of your trip is described identically on the form, the supporting documents and any invitation letter.

Confirm that your photo date, your form date and your appointment date are all inside their own windows.

Keep the completed checker with your submitted documents, because its value is in the date stamps rather than the document names.