China Visa going to Tibet from China

Posted in Tibet Travel Info on February 12, 2019

How to get a China Tourist Visa

Most nationalities will require a valid China Tourist Visa in their passport before they arrive to Tibet (which is part of China). Exceptions to this include people from Singapore, Brunei, Japan, Mauritius, Fiji and a small number of other countries found in the following link: Countries that do not require a China Visa. A number of nationalities can get a Transit Visa that allows them to stay in China up to 6 days, however, you cannot go to Tibet on a China Transit Visa.

When applying for your China Tourist Visa, it is very important to NOT list the word “TIBET” on any of your documents, including visa application, proof of flights and hotel bookings. If you do, you will almost certainly have your application sent back to you with instructions telling you to re-submit everything again while omitting the word “TIBET”. Though Tibet is open to foreign tourism, and has been for nearly 40 years, the term “TIBET” is a highly political term that China Embassies and Consulates don’t want to see anywhere on visa applications.

Over the past 15+ years, we have a 100% success rate in our clients getting their China Visa when following our instructions. We keep up-to-date on the China Visa regulations and get our information directly from the China Embassies in the US, Canada, UK and Australia. We are the visa experts and are here to help you thru the easy process. Read this post for step-by-step instructions on How to Get a China Tourist Visa.

This post only applies to those planning to go to Tibet from Mainland China. If you plan to go to Tibet directly from Nepal, please go to the following link:

Step 1: Valid Passport

The first thing you will need is a valid passport that has at least 6 months of validity remaining on it by the time you plan to enter China. If your passport has less than 6 months of validity remaining, you most likely will need to get a new one. Your passport will also need to have at least two BLANK pages inside of it. In addition to your valid passport, you will likely need at least 1 color photocopy of your passport as well.

Step 2: Recent Passport Sized Picture

You will need at least one recent passport picture for your China Visa. The picture should show your complete face, including ears, and have a plain white or off-white background. The picture size should be 33mm wide by 48mm tall and be taken within the past 6 months. For further specific photo requirements, go to the following link: China Visa Photo Requirements

NOTE TO AMERICANS: You will need the international sized passport picture (33mm x 48mm) and NOT the US standard size of 2 inches x 2 inches.

Step 3: Proof of Flight to/from Mainland China

Most nationalities will require a proof of flight to and from Mainland China. This can be to ANY city in Mainland China, such as Beijing, Chengdu, Shanghai, Guangzhou, Kunming, etc. It is no problem to show a one way flight to China from one international city and then a one way flight departing China to another international city. For example, you can show proof of an arriving flight from New York to Beijing along with a departure flight going from Chengdu to London (examples only).  Do NOT include flights that list Taiwan, Hong Kong or Macau as these are not considered to be “Mainland China”. Also, do not list flights showing you flying anywhere in Tibet, including Lhasa. If you include a flight going to Lhasa, you will likely have your application sent back to you with instructions to omit that flight.

Lhasa, Tibet is only connected internationally to ONE city on the planet and that is Kathmandu. This means that you will have to reach Lhasa by first going to a city in Mainland China. What you need to do is first book your international flights to/from Mainland China. You can then buy your domestic flight from Mainland China to Tibet (Lhasa) separately (remember, a flight from Beijing or Chengdu to Lhasa is a domestic flight within China and not an international flight). For your visa, you do not need to show any domestic flights within China; you only need to show proof of international flights. Do not include any flights going to/from Tibet.

If you plan to exit Tibet by flying or going overland into Nepal, then you will need to “create” a flight booking showing you leaving Mainland China. Remember, you cannot show a flight from Lhasa to Kathmandu or list that you are exiting Tibet (China) by going overland to Nepal as you cannot list the word “TIBET” anywhere on your application.

What we suggest is going to the popular online air ticket booking site of Travelocity.com. There, you can “create” a booking, print it out and then cancel it for a full refund as long as you cancel your booking within 24 hours. Make sure that under the “Details and Baggage Fees” that it states that it has  FREE CANCELLATION (almost all flights do). Be sure to print out the booking and then immediately cancel it. The China Embassy/Consulate will not check to see if you are actually booked on that flight. It is simply a formality. You only need to follow this step if you are planning to exit Tibet directly to Nepal by either flight to Kathmandu or going overland. The picture below, from the Travelocity.com site, shows what to look for:

Step 4: Proof of Hotel Bookings

Most nationalities will need to show proof of at least 5 nights of hotel bookings when applying for their China Tourist Visa. You should not need proof of any more than 5 nights. These hotel bookings need to be in Mainland China. Do not include any hotels bookings in Tibet. If you do, you will almost certainly have your application sent back to you with instructions telling you to re-submit everything again while omitting the word “TIBET”. Only include proof of hotel bookings for Mainland China. If you are not planning to be in Mainland China for 5 nights before going to Tibet then you will need to “create” a booking, print it out and then cancel it. This will be sufficient for the China Embassy/Consulate’s need for proof of hotel bookings. The China Embassy/Consulate will not check with the hotel to see if you are actually staying there. It is simply a formality.

The best place to “create” a hotel booking is from the following site: Hotel booking on Trip.com. This site will allow you to book a hotel in Mainland China, print it out and then cancel it without having to pay anything. This is only permitted on hotels that specifically say “FREE CANCELLATION”. Don’t forget to CANCEL the hotel booking immediately after printing out the hotel booking. Look at the examples below for a hotel in Beijing from the Trip.com site:

Step 5: Letter from your employer

This is NOT needed for all nationalities, but is becoming required for more and more travelers going to Tibet. If you are from the US, you almost certainly will need this letter. The letter, if needed, does not need to be long. The letter should be dated at the top of the page, be addressed to the “Government of China” and state your full name, passport number and date of birth along with the name/address of your company and your position there. The letter then needs to state that you are going to CHINA (again, do not list the word “TIBET”) for tourism along with the dates you will be gone. The bottom of the letter should be signed by a manager and “chopped” with your company’s seal, if they have one. Again, this is not needed for all nationalities, but is becoming more common. If it is needed, the China Embassy/Consulate you are using will specifically let you know.

Step 6: Fill out the China Visa Application

Look below at Step 7 to learn where you will get your China Visa Application. Please note that some visa applications, such as those in the UK, could be formatted slightly differently, but will still have the same questions. The China Visa Application for most nationalities has 4 pages, but can be easily filled out in 15 minutes or less. The application has 5 parts with many of the parts having sub-sections. Most of the application is very self explanatory. Here is how to fill out the other sections of the application:

Part 1.2: Write” N/A” as this is not applicable to you unless you have an official Chinese name

Part 1.3: Write “N/A”

Part 1.6: Write your nationality and not the country you reside in

Part 1.7: Write “N/A” unless you had a former nationality

Part 1.9: Write your local country ID number or Driver’s License Number

Part 1.10: Check the “ORDINARY” box

Part 1.15: Check the applicable box. Do not check Military/government/parliament/NGO/media or Religious boxes

Part 1.17: Write in very vague info about your work. Do not list “military” or “government worker”

Part 1.23: List ONLY your parents/spouse/children. Nothing else needs to be listed

Part 2.1. Check the “TOURISM” box only. Do not check any other box in Part 2.1.

Part 2.2 Check the “One entry valid for 3 months from date of issue” box if you only need one entry or “Two entries valid for 3 to 6 months from date of issue” if you require a double entry visa. NOTE: Tibet is part of China! So going from Mainland China to Tibet back to Mainland China does NOT count as leaving China.

Part 2.3: Express Service if you are needing your visa within the next 3 weeks.

Part 2.4: Enter the date you plan to enter China.

Part 2.5: Write the amount of total days you will be in China. Remember, Tibet is part of China so you will need to include the days you are in Tibet in the total amount of days you are in China.

Part 2.6: For this section, list only major places in MAINLAND CHINA. Do not list Tibet or any places in Tibet. You will need to list one or two hotels in Mainland China, along with the addresses of the hotel. Do NOT list any hotels in Tibet; only list hotels in Mainland China. You are free to go to other places in China, including Tibet, even though those places are not listed on your visa application.

Part 2.7: Write “I WILL PAY FOR MYSELF”

Part 2.8 Write “N/A”. This ONLY applies if you are visiting family members that live and work in China

Part 2.9: Write any previous times you have received a visa for China. Write N/A if you have never been to China before.

Part 2.10: Write any countries you have visited the past 12 months. Don’t not go beyond the past 12 months.

Part 3.1 thru 3.5: Write “NO” unless it applies to you (mostly likely doesn’t apply to you)

Part 3.7 :Write “N/A”

Part 3.8: Write “N/A” unless you come from a country where a child shares a passport with a parent or guardian.

Part 4.1, 4.2 and 4.3: Sign and date your application

Part 5.1: Leave this area BLANK unless you are filling it out on behalf of another person

Step 7: Submit Your China Visa Application

The final step is to submit Steps 1 thru 5 to the China Embassy/Consulate nearest to you. For those in Canada, UK, Western Europe, Singapore, Thailand, Malaysia, India, Indonesia, South Africa and a few other countries,  go to the following link and click on your nation’s flag: Visa For China. Be sure to choose a TOURIST VISA, which is category L. You can then choose if you want to use a mail-in service or if you wish to apply in person. The China visa application will be in the link listed above. The steps are very easy to follow. Follow the instructions in Step 6 in filling out your application.

FOR US CITIZENS AND RESIDENTS: If you are in the United States, you will have to either go to the China Embassy/Consulate in person OR use a visa service company. Because of the ease and convenience, we strongly recommend using a visa service company. The China Embassy is located in Washington, DC with consulates in New York City, Chicago, San Francisco, Los Angeles and Houston. Be advised that if you apply in person, it will likely take 5 to 10 business days for your visa to be issued. For a visa service company, we highly recommend our friends at Visa Rite (click link). Their website has the China visa application on it. Follow the instructions in Step 5 in filling out your application. They offer a convenient mail-in service, are experts in getting China visas and serve all 50 states. If you reside in the US with a Green Card or hold a US Residency Visa (Class L, H, F and TN), you can also use Visa Rite to obtain your China Tourist Visa. You cannot use Visa Rite if you hold a B1 or B2 visa.

If you are from a country not listed on the Visa For China website and do not live in the United States, you will need to do a Google search for the China Embassy/Consulate nearest to you and read what the process is. Usually, you can apply at any China Embassies/Consulates across the globe and not just at the embassy/consulate in the country that you are from. Follow the instructions in Step 6 in filling out your application.

Step 8: Fingerprinting

This step is not needed by all nationalities, but is required for some including those in the UK. For those in the UK, you get your fingerprinting done at the China Embassy/Consulate. If it is needed, the China Embassy/Consulate you are using will specifically let you know. If the China Embassy/Consulate does not mention fingerprinting, don’t worry about it. It means that you do not require it.

Step 9: When to Apply

Processing times for a China Tourist Visa is between 6 and 10 business days for most nationalities. China recommends that you apply for your China visa between 6 weeks and 3 months before you plan to enter China. If you apply more than 3 months in advance, your application will likely be returned to you with instructions telling you to apply closer to your arrival date to China. Because we need your China Visa in order to obtain your required Tibet Travel Permit, we recommend applying for your visa 2 to 3 months before you plan to arrive to China.

Step 10: Finalize

Once you have your China visa, you will need to email us a clear, high resolution image of the full page of your China Visa, including the bar code at the bottom of the visa. We will also need for you to email us a clear image of your passport (picture/information page). We will need both of these to obtain your travel permits for Tibet. Normally, we will need these to be emailed to us 5 to 7 weeks BEFORE your journey begins.

Step 11: China Visa Invitation Letter or Group Visa Needed?

Many people ask if a China Visa Invitation Letter is needed. The answer is NO. When going from Mainland China to Tibet, you do not require this letter of invitation. You can easily get your visa by following the steps above. You also do not need a Group Visa. This special visa is ONLY needed when going to Tibet directly from Nepal.

China Tourist Visa Summary

A China Tourist Visa may sound complicated to get, but actually it is extremely easy. We know that some of the requirements sound strange, but we assure you that you will have no problem getting a visa. The only way you can really be denied a visa is if you have a serious criminal record. Follow our instructions and we are sure you will be fine. Again, our clients have a 100% success rate the past 15+ years in getting their China Tourist Visa. Still need assistance? No problem! We are here to help. Simply email or call us and we can walk you thru the process: info@himalayajourney.com