China Visa Questions

    Do I need a Chinese visa, and how do I get it ?

    Foreign travelers to China are required to have a visa, except for travel in HongKong only. The China visa should be obtained in advance before you enter china. US citizens can stay in Hong Kong without a visa for up to 30 days.
    Visas for leisure travel to China are quite easy to get, usually granted for a one month stay. Caravan Travel Service will help you process your visa application after you have booked your trip to China with us. Detailed instructions and visa application forms will be sent to you upon receipt of your tour deposit. You can also apply directly at the Chinese embassies in Ottawa, Washington, DC, or at the consulates in the following cities. For other passport holders, please inquire at your nearest PRC embassies or consulates.

    What do you need for a visa application?

    A tourist visa requires an application form, a passport-size photo and a fee depending on visa types. It takes about seven business days for an application to be processed. For Tibet, the Chinese Embassy must get approval from the Tibet Tourism Administration before issuing a visa.
    A photo similar to the one in your passport will be requested. Chinese consulate will only accept photos which are head-only, full frontal, with a white background, approximately 1-1/2″ by 2″. You can obtain this type of photo anywhere that advertises “passport photo” service. Cut-outs from personal photographs are not acceptable.

    What type of visa do I need?

    Most people need only to apply for a single -entry visa. It is usually valid for 3 months after the issuing date. It will permit you to stay in China for a maximum of 30 days. One month is enough time for a normal tourist.

    How to obtain a Visa to China in Hong Kong?

    You may obtain your visa by yourself from the Visa Office of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of China, open from Monday to Friday.
    Documents needed to obtain a Visa in Hong Kong:

    • a. 1 recent passport photo.
    • b. Passport which needs to be valid at least more than 3 months.
    • c. Usually you can get the visa within one working day. Cost 100HK$ or more.
    • d. Fast process is available when paying 150HK$.
    • e. Please call them before going to their office. Their Address:

    Visa Office of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of The PRC

  • Address: 5th Floor, Lower Block, 26 Harbour Road, Wanchai, Hong Kong.
  • Tel: ++852-25851657 OR ++852-25851680 OR ++852-258517

    • How to get Tibet Permits in Hong Kong?

    Office of CITS Tibet in Hong Kong
    Address: the 2nd Floor of Yixing Mansion, No.118, Zhuangdun Road, Wangzi, Hong Kong
    Contact number: 00852-29221028
    Working Time: 9:00-18:00 weekdays, 9:00-13:00 Sat

    How to apply Tibet Permit?

    When you arrive in Lhasa or any city in Tibet, you will need to show Tibet travel permit at the airport or railway station. Furthermore, whenever you buy a flight or train to Lhasa you need to show this permit.
    For helping you to apply the Tibet travel permit, we need the following information.

    • full name appears on the passport;
    • gender;
    • date of birth;
    • passport number & copy of passport;
    • nationality;
    • occupation;
    • Visa No. & copy of Visa.

      • Special Note:

    • Please be sure all exactly the same as on your passport.
    • All kinds of people can get Tibet permit through a travel agency except diplomats, journalists, and government officials who should travel to Tibet under the arrangement by the Foreign Affairs Office of Tibet Government.
    • Service charge by the government to get the Tibet permit is 7 US dollars per person. This is incl. in the tour package we quoted to you.
    • You need to apply for the travel permit at least 10 days prior to your entry date. Please provide all the necessary documents to us at your earlist time. Because it is also requested to show Tibet travel permit while booking flight tickets or train tickets.
    • We don’t provide "permit-only" service. We only help the clients who book Tibet tour from Caravan Travel Service.