Many travelers going to China have often wondered if they can get a 10 year visa to China. For some it seems as a wild rumor that has been passed around between business travelers and friends. We have had some clients come in saying “No way does the consulate of China issue a 10 year visa and if so, how come I didn’t get it when I went XX number of years ago.” Some often wonder what special information they must turn in to submit a request for a 10 year business visa to China or a 10 year tourist visa to China.
The answer is really quite simple. In 2014, our government and the government of China agreed a new policy that would see U.S. citizens get a 10 year visa for business or tourist purposes. The following article is a great read and illustrates why both sides thought it to be a good idea. https://www.cnn.com/2014/11/10/politics/visa-10-years-obama-announces/index.html
The 10 year visas for China began to be issued to travelers in 2015. While the Chinese consulates maintain the issuance of the visa is at their discretion, the 10 year visa is issued with regularity. As long as your passport is not within 2 years of expiring you will be in line to get a 10 year visa unless the consulate feels that what you are going there for isn’t related to business or tourism.
There are still some conditions where a 10 year China visa is not applicable. Public speaking or speaking at a conference for example, are not considered business and therefore does not fall under the 10 year visa category. The reason is because public speaking in China is not considered a business visa. It’s a different type of visa altogether. Granted the consulate can make a mistake and issue a 10 year Business visa for public speaking but that is very, very rare. For most tourist and business China visas, as long as your passport is valid for more than 2 years past your return to the States you should have no problem getting a 10 year China Tourist or Business Visa. Granted the consulate can make a mistake in this instance as well but again, it is highly unlikely.
While most China business and China tourist visa are for 10 years in a majority of cases, it does not mean the Chinese consulates are being lenient on some of their requirements. China continues to hold fast to the visa requirement that your passport must be valid for more than 6 months and have no plans to change that just yet. So, if your passport has less than 2 years validity but more than 6 months remaining upon your return to the States you can still obtain a tourist visa or business visa. You just will more than likely not get the 10 year Tourist or Business visa. Also, if your passport is not in good condition or has water damage, the consulate can deny your application and force you to obtain a new passport.
We can help you apply for the Chinese Tourist or Business visa. We have offices in Orlando and Miami that would be happy to assist with the applications and the process. Please call us at 888-336-0683 or visit our site at www.passportsvisasandmore.com.
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