Are you planning to travel to China soon?
Dutch passport holders have to apply for a visa China before departure, with a few exceptions, for example in case of a transit (72 hour visa China, which is valid for some big cities). If you want to stay in China for a longer period of time for tourist or business purposes, you will have to apply for a visa on arrival.
Besides tourist and business visa we also provide China visas for students, volunteers, interns and workers, which you can apply for by phone, email or through our contact form.
What is a visa China?
The visa China is a sticker, which you have to apply for at the relevant Chinese government authority, such as the embassy or consulate. This visa is issued by the Chinese government and is placed in the passport. It serves as a permission for you to enter the territory of China. In most cases the China visa is issued by the Consulate General of China in The Hague. You cannot apply for a visa through other authorities or cities, such as Amsterdam. You can only do this through the Consulate General of China in The Hague.
Our staff will work professionally to ensure that your visa application is presented to the Chinese consulate without any errors, so you can travel with peace of mind.
Which type of visa for China can I apply for?
China has various visa types, which Traveldocs can arrange for you.
The most common ones are:
- E-visa (group visa) China, which is intended for group travelers who travel together and who enter and leave China from the same airport. You may not stay longer than 9 consecutive days in China on an e-visa. Are you staying longer or not travelling together or from another airport than the point of entry? Then you need to apply for a regular visa China;
- Tourist visa China (L), is the standard tourist visa, meant for tourist travellers who plan to stay 30-60 days in China. In most cases only 30 days are granted, so keep this in mind!
- Business Visa China (M), intended for business travellers who plan to visit China for a short stay (30-60 days max.). On this visa you are not allowed to be employed by a Chinese company.
- Work visa China (Z), for travellers who intend to do paid work in China and have to register at the Public Security Bureau within 30 days after arrival to be able to apply for a work permit. Usually the inviting party takes care of this.
Other visa types China we can apply for:
- Student visa China (X1/X2), which is intended for travellers who plan to study for a period of time at a recognized school in China and have the right requirements for this visa type;
- Private visa China (S1/S2) is for travellers with direct family members in China. Holders of the S1 visa China must register with the Public Security Bureau in China within 30 days to apply for a residence permit and can stay in China for a longer period. S2 visa China holders can only stay in China for 30 to 90 days per visit in most cases;
- Family visa China (Q1/Q2). This visa is for foreigners who are spouses of Chinese citizens and intend to visit their Chinese relatives, whether for a longer period or not. The Q1 visa offers a long stay (with possibility to obtain a residence permit) and the Q2 visa offers a short stay (up to 120 days per visit).
- Crew visa China (C), meant for crew members of aeroplanes, trains, ships and motor vehicles who are engaged in transport activities. Any accompanying family members can also apply for this visa.
- Journalist visa China (J1/J2), this visa can be applied for by journalists who have the correct authorization letter from the Press Section of the Chinese Embassy.
Am I obliged to apply for a visa China and what does a 72 hour visa China imply?
In most cases, you are required to have the correct visa before departure, however, there are some exceptions. In general, at the major airports in China, there is no visa requirement for a transfer of up to 24 hours. In addition, you can (only in the case of a transfer to a third country) apply for a visa on arrival in China.
Visa on Arrival is possible for the following cities:
- 6 days (144 hour visa China) in Bejing, Shanghai, Hangzhou and Nanjing
- 3 days (72 hour visa China) in Changsha, Chengdu, Chongqing, Dalian, Guangzhou, Guilin, Harbin, Kunming, Shenyang, Tianjin, Wuhan, Xiamen and Xi’an
- 1 day (24 hour visa China) in all other cities with an international airport.
- You may visit the provinces of Zhejiang and Jiangsu if you land in Shanghai, Hangzhou or Nanjing. From these airports you are free to travel there. You may also explore Hunan, Guangdong and Fujian if you land in Changsha, Guangzhou and Xiamen. At all other airports, you are not allowed to leave the city.
- However, the city limits often end many kilometres outside the city so a visit to the Great Wall of China, if you are under visa-free regime, is not a problem from Beijing airport.
In this case, you have to travel on to China from the Netherlands and then travel on to another country, or depart from the Netherlands and change trains in a third country in order to travel on to China. The transfer may be on the outward journey or on the return journey. Do you have a direct flight from the Netherlands to China, or do you plan to visit several cities? Then you are obliged to apply for a visa in advance. Not sure whether you fall under the visa-free regime? Please consult our staff for advice.
Visa China costs, validity and procedure
A tourist visa for China costs from € 247.95 per person. This visa is valid for 3 months and allows you to stay in China for 30 days. You can apply for a business visa from € 247.95 per person. This type of visa is valid for 3 months (single or double entry) and allows you to stay in China for 30 to 60 days. The above-mentioned visa fee for China includes our agency fee, the consular fee and VAT. If you wish to have documents collected or returned by our courier service, additional costs will be charged. These can be found on our fees page.
Procedure
After you have applied for your visa, you will receive an explanation about the visa requirements and the photograph requirements. At the top, under supplies, you can find these requirements. As soon as you have received this package, you can prepare your visa application and submit all necessary documents to us (by mail or not). You may also bring your passport and passport photo to the biometrics appointment (only if you have not previously submitted biometric data to the consulate in The Hague or if you are travelling with a different or new passport). We will also be present to assist you during this process. Then you can leave and we will take care of the rest.
As soon as your passport with visa China is ready, we will pick it up for you and return it to you in the desired manner. Of course it is also possible to pick it up at our office free of charge, or to have the passport ready at Schiphol Airport for a fee of €99,95-.
Emergency visa application for China
Do you want to apply for a visa China urgently? For this you pay a surcharge, which depends on the chosen procedure. Below you can see the surcharges per procedure for your Express Visa China:
- 4 days procedure has a surcharge of €52,- incl. VAT
- 3 days procedure has a surcharge of €77 euro incl. VAT
- 2 days procedure has a surcharge of €128 euro incl. VAT
Biometrics
China has a new regulation from December 2019 that all travellers between the ages of 14 and 70 must provide their biometrics before applying for a visa. This means that, after receiving your documents, we will contact you by phone to schedule an appointment at the Chinese visa application centre in The Hague where your fingerprints and an iris scan will be taken. Our service includes this standard appointment which is allocated in order of entry. You can also apply for a visa China urgently. For this we charge a surcharge for each urgent procedure required.
Other (travel) stamps in your passport
Since August 2016, the Chinese government has become very strict when it comes to issuing visas to travellers with stamps in their passports from some Middle Eastern countries, Egypt and Turkey. If you have obtained multiple stamps in your passport for any of these “risk” countries since 2015, we recommend that you attach a cover letter in English that includes:
- State when and why you visited the country,
- State what your purpose of travel was,
- Describe in as much detail as possible what you did there,
- Also provide proof. Provide evidence, such as payments/invoices, references such as friends/family you visited, letters of invitation, etc.
There is a big chance that you will still be called in for an interview to explain this in person. Please take this into account.
Why apply for your Visa China at Traveldocs?
Are you going to apply for a visa to China? Then you can count on Traveldocs for professional, correct, swift and reliable service.
Our experienced experts will check your application before it is submitted to the Consulate of China. This way you can be 100% sure that your application is correct and safe.
You will also be kept informed of the status of your application by email or phone. In addition, you can follow your application at all times via the Tracking function on our website.
Traveldocs is a Dutch company with years of experience and the right connections to process your request correctly. We work together with various tour operators, top clubs and large (international) companies. Your documents are therefore in safe hands with us at all times.
Are you planning to visit other countries besides China?
Then take a look at the visa countries below, so you can be well prepared and equipped with the right documents for your trip.
Apply for your visa to China now
Do you want to apply for your visa directly? Then go directly to the online application form. Want to know more about the visa and the procedure? Please read our FAQ China page, or contact us via the online contact form.