Revision as of 09:21, 10 July 2008

Visa Procedures to join the 2008 Annual OpenOffice.org Conference in Beijing/China

One of the main issues for everybody willing to attend this years OOoCon in Beijing is getting the appropriate visa to enter China. The information we provide from within China will be of very general nature. From my point of view, it would be great, if those of you, who accomplish the procedures first, could provide your experience to your fellow countrymen. For this purpose I created this wiki page, where everybody is free to volunteer and add important information about Chinese visa for her/his country. Please help to fill this page.

Best regards, Peter

Common Remarks and Requirements

Do you want guidance in getting a visa?

Join the OOoCon pre-registration survey!

Chinese Visa Application Requirements

Official guide, Version:2008/04/14 - Irrelevant content was removed, indicated by [...]

1. The applicant must fill out the "Visa Application Form of the People's Republic of China" accurately, seriously, and carefully. The application for a visa may be declined or the trip may be delayed if the applicant fails to provide true and complete information, or if the writing is illegible. Therefore the applicant shall bear on his or her own responsibility. The consular officers will consider issuing visas in accordance with the Chinese laws and regulations. The consular officers are entitled to refuse an application or to alter or revoke an issued visa without disclosure of the reason.
2. General Requirements for all Types of Visa
   • An original passport must have at least six months of remaining validity with enough blank visa pages.
   • One complete Visa Application Form signed by the actual applicant. Applicants under the age of 18 whose Visa Application Form can be filled by their parents. For the Visa Application Form filled by travel agency, both the actual applicant's signature and the agency's seal must be seen on the form.
   • One recent 2” inch passport-size photo, color with white background, showing a full front view of the applicant's head and shoulders without head covering. (Organizers note: Both ears should be visible.)
   • After the applicant enters China, if his/her actual length of stay is longer than the visa given, he/she must apply for extension of stay at the local public security bureau before his/her visa expires. The applicant will be fined or subjected to other penalties if he/she stays beyond the specified date.
   • [...]
3. Specific Requirements for different kinds of visas and for visitors with different purposes
   1. The specific requirements for tourists are as follows:
      •  Hotel reservation
      • Round-trip tickets
      • (Organizers note: When visiting several places in China, providing a brief travel schedule might be useful.)
   2. [...]
   3. Business Visas are issued to applicants who are invited to China for business, research, lecture, scientific-technological and cultural exchanges, or to applicants who intend to visit China for a short-term study course (less than 6 months). The specific requirements for applying a Business Visa are as follows:
      • An original visa confirmation letter from the relevant authority or the relevant provincial (municipal or autonomous regional) government or its foreign affairs office or trade departments (Organizers note: This is done for you by the OOoCon organizational team and will be provided along with the invitation letter)
      • Hotel reservation
      • Round-trip tickets
   4. [...]
   5. [...]
   6. [...]
   7. [...]
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   9. [...]
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   11. Group Visa
       • A group visa is issued to a tourist group of five or more who are planning on entering and exiting China at the same time and through the same Chinese border check-points. Please submit the following documents when applying for a group visa through local travel services:
         • The official confirmation letter issued by an authorized Chinese travel agency
         • The List of Tourist Group in triplicate with each item being printed clearly and accurately including the names, dates of birth, passport numbers etc
         • The original passports of the group members

Organizers adds to the official visa guide

We are expecting, that a significant number of attendees is planning to visit Beijing and China for a longer term around the OOoCon. Unfortunately, there is no multi-purpose visa available for such a combined trip with business and touristic purpose. In this case we are recommending to apply for a tourist visa and just 'drop in' at the OOoCon. We have been talking to local authorities in Beijing and they stated, this solution is perfectly OK for them. Nevertheless, they also emphasized, that issuing or refusing visa is solely a claim of the appropriate embassy or consulate; they may have a different point of view or not. For a trip to several locations in China a hotel booking for each place planed visiting should be issued with the visa application. For those, who only want to visit the OooCon, we recommend to get a business visa. We will contact anyone and offer help for the visa process, who takes our OOoCon pre-registration survey or takes the official registration later.

To our knowledge, visa applications cannot be filed earlier than 50 days before the entry in China. We would kindly like to ask you, to apply for your visa right after this period begins. We are not expecting to many problems with the visa offices. However, the earlier you apply, the more time we will have to solve any problem.

Vaccinations

There are no mandatory vaccinations for visiting Beijing. However, tetanus, diphtheria and hepatitis A+B are strongly recommended. People who may want to visit southern parts of China should consult an institute for tropical medicine.

Detailed Procedures by Country

A

B

C

Canada

Information about travel to China from the Canadian Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade

Chinese Visa application requirements can be found on the website for the Embassy of the People's Republic of China in Canada. The basic requirements for touris and business Visas are:

• An original passport valid for least six months
• A complete Visa Application Form signed by the actual applicant
• A recent passport-size photo
• A hotel reservation
• Return/round trip tickets

Processing time is estimated at 4 days, and costs $50.00 CDN for a Single Entry Visa, or $75.00 CAD for a Double Entry Visa.

D

E

F

G

Germany

• Information given by the German Department for Foreign Affairs (Important travel and security information)
• Information given by the chinese embassy in Germany (Important visa information)
  • Passport (valid at least 6 months)
  • Visa application form Hints
  • Foto
  • For the purpose to do business or attend a meeting or conference, single or double entry are required. The original version of invitation letter from an authorized Chinese Government Department or Government-authorized Company, the two-way flight ticket, and hotel booking confirmation are required.
  • 20 € cash (+20 € for 48 hour service or +30 € for 24 hour service)
  • Application not earlier than 50 days before your trip. Allow one week processing time for your visa.
  • In your visa application you must specify your date of arrival, the duration of your stay in China and all the locations you are going to visit in their correct order.
  • You can apply at the consulate general in Berlin, Frankfurt, Hamburg or Munich, each open monday to friday from 9 to 12 am.
• Check vaccinations, consult your doctor now (Gelbfieber, Malaria, Tetanus, Diphtherie, Polio, Hepatitis A+B, Tollwut, Japanische Enzephalitis, Typhus, ...)

H

I

J

K

L

M

N

O

P

Philippines

GUIDELINES FOR CHINESE VISA

Brief Introduction to Chinese Visa

A Chinese visa is a permit issued by the Chinese visa authorities to an alien for entry into, exit from or transit through China's territory in accordance with Chinese laws. The Chinese visa authorities shall have the power to issue visas, to refuse visa applications, or to revoke visas.

China's diplomatic missions, consular offices and other resident agencies abroad authorized by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs shall be the Chinese Government's agencies abroad to handle aliens' applications for Chinese visas. They also handle overseas applications for visa or entry permit to Hong Kong (SAR). Please refer to GUIDELINES FOR HONG KONG SAR VISA/ENTRY PERMIT.

Different categories of visa, such as diplomatic visa, courtesy visa, service visa, and ordinary visa, shall be issued to different aliens in accordance with the different capacities in which they visit China and also with the different categories of passport they hold. In accordance with aliens' reasons for coming to China, the ordinary visas to be issued shall be marked with the following Chinese phonetic letters: C, D, F, G, J-1, J-2, L, X and Z.

Introductions to Tourist /Family Visit Visa (L), Business Visa (F), Employment Visa (Z), Student Visa (X/F) and Transit Visa (G) continue as follows. For information of other visas, please contact China's diplomatic missions, consular offices and other resident agencies abroad authorized by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the People's Republic of China.

Details at http://www.fmprc.gov.cn/ce/ceph/eng/lsfw/hzqz/t171818.htm

Other Consular Service information at http://www.fmprc.gov.cn/ce/ceph/eng/lsfw/hzqz/default.htm

Embassy information at http://www.china-embassy.org.ph

Q

R

S

T

U

UK

The procedure of applying China Visa is described here: How to apply China Visa in UK. The article will tell you the application procedure and what kind of documents are required for your application(depends on the Visa type you are applying for). L or F Visa might be considered for the visit.

1. L Visa: Issued to an applicant who comes to China for tourist purposes, family visiting or other personal affairs.
2. F Visa: Issued to an applicant who is invited to China for conference, research, lecture, business, scientific-technological and cultural exchanges or short-term studies or intern practice for a period of no more than six months. （Visa Notification Form is required，which is issued by the relevant department of Chinese government, companies or institutions, under the authorization of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of China. Detailed information can be obtained from the Foreign Affairs Office of the relevant province, autonomous region and municipality where the inviting party resides.)

More Visa Information would be found at Embassy of the People's Republic of China in the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland website - Visa section.

V

W

X

Y

Z