How to Travel to China — Application and Arrival Worksheet

Complete the tables in order. Record the date and the source for every rule you rely on, because the rules on this topic are quoted differently by different sources and change between editions. Print or save this file before you start the application.

Table 1 — Decide your route into the country

Question	What to look up	Source type
Is your passport nationality currently on a visa-free list?	Current visa-free arrangement and the period it covers	Official immigration or foreign-affairs source
If not, would a transit-only allowance cover your trip?	Whether China is a stopover to a third country rather than your destination	Official transit-allowance list
If neither applies, which visa category fits your purpose?	Tourist, business, family visit, study, work or transit category	The visa office serving your jurisdiction
Which office accepts your application?	Whether your address sits inside a specific consular jurisdiction	The visa office's own jurisdiction list
What is the earliest you can book flights?	Published processing time plus your own buffer	The same visa office page

Table 2 — Build the application file

Document	What it must show	Kept where
Passport	Remaining validity measured against your intended exit date, plus blank pages	Original, carried by you
Application form	The same purpose of travel that appears on every other document	Printed copy plus the online reference
Photographs	The size and background the destination office specifies, not the ones a different office accepts	With the application
Proof of residence	That you are applying where you are legally resident	Photocopy plus original
Invitation or sponsor letter	Only if your category requires it, with every field the office lists	With the application
Insurance policy	Cover that starts before you land and includes the activities you actually plan	Copy on your phone, copy in your bag

Table 3 — First 24 hours after landing

Step	What to do	Written in what language
1	Activate the data option you tested before departure and confirm one payment app works	Your own notes
2	Show your accommodation's name and address from a written copy	Local characters
3	Complete any arrival declaration your route requires, before the deadline rather than at the counter	Local characters or English form
4	Confirm your registration step is done, or note what your host still owes	Local characters
5	Write down your onward transport reference and the date you booked it	Your own notes
6	Record the emergency numbers and your own embassy's contact details offline	Your own notes

Converting quoted figures into your own dates

1. A window quoted in hours: divide by 24 to get days. A 240-hour allowance gives 240 ÷ 24 = 10 days.

2. A validity margin quoted in months: add the months to your intended exit date and compare the result with your passport expiry date.

3. A processing time quoted in business days: count working days only, then add your own buffer before you book a non-refundable flight.

4. A distance quoted in kilometres: divide by 1.609 to read it in miles, or multiply miles by 1.609 to read kilometres.

Personal planning worksheet; blank cells contain no destination data and no rule claims. Every entry rule, allowance period and fee must be confirmed against the official source that applies to your nationality and your region, and the date you checked it recorded above.