1. General Information About Chinese Visa:

    Chinese visa is a permit issued to a foreigner by the Chinese visa authorities for entry into, exit from or transit through the Chinese territory. The Chinese visa authorities may issue a diplomatic, courtesy, service or ordinary visa to a foreigner according to his identity, purpose of visit to China and passport type.

    The ordinary visas consist of eight sub-categories, which are marked with Chinese phonetic letters (L, F, X, Z, G, C, J, and D respectively).

     (1) (L) Visa: Issued to aliens who go to China for sightseeing, visiting relatives or other private purposes. The applicants who go to China to visit relatives are required to provide invitation letters from their relatives in China. Applicants for other private purposes are required to provide competent documents. Iranian tourists are advised to refer to local travel agencies to apply for Group Visa to travel to China.

    (2) (F) Visa: Issued to an applicant who is invited to China on a visit, on a study or lecture, business tour, for scientific-technological and cultural exchanges, for short-term refresher course or for job-training, for a period of no more than six months. To apply for an F Visa, the official invitation letter from authorized Chinese departments is required.

    (3) (X) Visa: Issued to aliens who go to China for study, advanced studies or job-training for a period of six months or more. To apply for a X Visa, certificates from the receiving unit and the competent authority concerned are required, i.e., Application Form for Overseas Students to China (JW201 Form or JW202 Form), Admission Notice and Physical Examination Record for Foreigners.

    (4) (Z) Visa: Issued to aliens who are to take up posts or employment in China, and to their accompanying family members and those who will go to China to take commercial performance. With regard to working in China, applicants are required to provide an Employment License of the People's Republic of China for Foreigners (which could be obtained by the employer in China from the provincial or municipal labor authorities) or the registration certificate of Foreign Enterprises permanent representative and a visa notification letter issued by an authorized Chinese Department. For those who want to perform in China, the sanctified letter from Culture Ministry of China or from provincial level cultural bureau plus the notification letter from foreign office of the province, municipality concerned.

    (5) (G) Visa: Issued to aliens who transit through China. The applicants are required to show visa of the country of the destination and a final destination airline ticket or pass certificate overland. Visas are not required of aliens, who hold final destination tickets and have booked seats on international airliners flying directly through China, and will stay in a transit city for less than 24 hours without leaving the airport.

    (6) (C) Visa: Issued to train attendants, air crewmembers and seamen operating international services, and to their accompanying family members. To apply for a visa C, relevant documents are required to be provided in accordance with bilateral agreements or regulations of the Chinese side.

    (7) (J) Visa: Issued to pressman. Thereunto, J-1 visa is issued to foreign resident correspondents in China, J-2 visa is issued to foreign correspondents that make short trip to China on reporting tasks. The applicants for J-1 and J-2 visas are required to obtain the permission by the competent Chinese authorities regardless of the types of passports.

    (8) (D) Visa: issued to aliens who are to reside permanently in China. A permanent residence confirmation form shall be required for the application of Visa D. The applicant shall apply to obtain this form by oneself or through his/her designated relatives in China from the exit-and-entry department of the public security bureau in the city or county where he applies to reside. The Chinese visa authorities may issue to, refuse or revoke a visa complying with laws concerned and in accordance to applicant's identity, purpose of visit to China and passport type.

    Pursuant to the agreement between the government of China and Iran, Iranian citizens holding valid diplomatic or service passport shall be exempt from visa requirements to enter mainland China.

    Pursuant to the Basic Law of the Hong Kong/Macao Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China, government of Hong Kong/Macao Special Administrative Region may apply immigration controls on entry into, stay in and departure from the Regions. Iranian citizens holding valid passports of any kind to enter Hong Kong need to apply for Hong Kong visa through the Chinese Embassy. Macao visa may be obtained on arrival while document of traveling purpose is presented.

    2. In addition to providing the above-mentioned documents, an applicant is also required to answer relevant questions, if necessary, and go through the following formalities (with the exception of those stipulated otherwise by agreements):

    (1) A passport valid for more than six months before expiration and at least one blank page in it.

    (2) One complete application form (The People's Republic of China Visa Application Form) with one recent passport-size photograph (black and white or color) glued thereto.

    (3) Pay the visa fee to Bank Melli Iran in the Chinese Embassy account number 0101674439009 and pick up the visa with the bank receipt.

    3. When submitting the application, please be notice that:

    (1) Submit a complete, accurate and legible application form with signature by the applicant.

    (2) Fake and incomplete document may cause the denial of visa.

    (3) Applicant needs to answer relevant questions or providing document required by consular officials. A visa application may be refused without giving the reason.

    (4) Entry time, validity, duration and type of visa are decided by the consular officials with consideration of the applicant.

    (5) Applicant is responsible for checking the visa obtained when picking it up.

    4. Applicants should take the responsibilities for the aftermath of the followings, please try to avoid:

    (1) Fake and incomplete document may lead to denial of visa.

    (2) Unqualified passport, photo or fail to provide required document may lead to denial of visa.

    (3) Holding invalid visa or without visa may be refused to board or enter the border.

    (4) Without checking the entry time, validity of visa, duration or validity of passport may cause denial.

    5. How to read your Chinese visa:

    (1) Entries: times of entry to China within the valid period. Applicant should apply for visa again when the entry time finishes.

    (2) Validity: visa holder can enter China within the period of validity. Visa will be null over the valid period.

    (3) Duration: maximum duration of each stay after entry, please apply for extension from local public security bureau before the expiration of the visa, overstay in China will be punished. The holders of Z visa, J-1 visa, D visa and X visa and diplomatic and service passport holder who enter China without of visa are kindly reminded to go through the procedures for obtaining the residence permit for aliens in local public security bureau within 30days after entry to avoid punishment due to illegal stay.

    6. Aliens in China should obey the law and regulations of the People's Republic of China.

    (1) Check the validity and entry time of visa.

    (2) Aliens bearing animal, plant and currency should obey the Chinese law and regulations of sanitation quarantine, customs and financial supervision and administration.

    (3) Aliens are not allowed to engage in any activities beyond the declaration when applying for visa. It is forbidden to conduct illegal religious activates in China.

    (4) It is not allowed to overstay in China, aliens in China are reminded to check the validity and duration of the visa, please go through the local public security bureau to extend the visa.

    (5) Travel and permission from the local public security bureau is a must for aliens who will travel to places that are not open to aliens.

    For more Chinese laws and regulations, please refer to the fowling website:

    Customs Law:

http://www.chinalaw.gov.cn/jsp/jalor_en/disptext.jsp?recno=26&&ttlrec=27

    Rules for the Implementation of the Law on Control of Entry and Exit of Aliens:

http://www.chinalaw.gov.cn/jsp/jalor_en/disptext.jsp?recno=2&&ttlrec=6

    Regulations for the Implementation of the Law on the Entry and Exit Animal and Plant Quarantine:

http://www.chinalaw.gov.cn/jsp/jalor_en/disptext.jsp?recno=1&&ttlrec=16