China Visa Document Checklist (COVA) — What to Prepare
Exactly what a China visa application needs — and it's a two-step process: fill the COVA online form first (with uploads), then print the barcode page and hand in your passport in person. Since January 2024, US citizens applying for a tourist (L) visa no longer need flights, hotels, itinerary or invitation letters. The photo is 33 × 48 mm — not the American 2 × 2, not Schengen's 35 × 45. Verified against official embassy guidance, September 2026.
The four things everyone needs
- A valid passport — at least 6 months of validity remaining and 2 blank visa pages. You upload the bio page (and a blank-page scan) with the form, then surrender the physical passport at your drop-off appointment.
- The COVA application form, printed — fill it at consular.mfa.gov.cn/VISA/, pass the online preliminary review, then print the barcode application page and sign it. The form is locked once submitted: if it doesn't match your passport, you start over.
- One 33 × 48 mm photo — white or near-white background, glossy paper, neutral expression, ears visible. Upload a digital version in COVA (it auto-checks; if it keeps failing, bring a standard printed photo to your in-person visit instead). Build one in minutes with our free China visa photo tool → — same 33 × 48 spec as Chinese passport photos.
- Proof you legally live where you're applying — green card, US visa, I-20, or I-94 if you're not a citizen of the country you're applying from, plus proof of residence (driver's licence or utility bill).
Fees at a glance (applying in the US)
| Applicant | Fee | Note |
|---|---|---|
| US citizens | $140 flat | Same price for single-entry and every multiple-entry tier, including the 10-year visa — until the discount ends 31 Dec 2026 |
| Other nationals | $23 / $34 / $45 / $68 | Single / double / 6-month multiple / 12-month+ multiple |
| J-1 / J-2 exchange | $171 | Journalist category |
| Express processing | +$25 | 3 working days, subject to consular approval |
The $140 flat rate makes the 10-year multiple-entry visa the same price as a single-entry one — if your trip pattern could ever repeat, it costs nothing extra to apply for the longest tier (whether you get it is always the consular officer's call). Paying at pick-up, not at drop-off: bring a Visa or Mastercard. Applying from Canada instead? Regular passports must go through a CVASC centre (no appointment needed since November 2023), with fees and service charges listed separately there.
Nine COVA form traps
- Entry date window — COVA only accepts planned entry dates within 90 days. Planning a trip next spring? Wait to apply.
- Locked after submission — you cannot edit anything between submission and review. A name that doesn't exactly match your passport means a full redo.
- Company names in full — no abbreviations anywhere in the 5-year employment history; add each period separately.
- Education history — highest qualification only, each stage added as its own entry.
- "Not Applicable" needs an explanation — in the family section, leaving fields blank isn't enough.
- Same-passport companions — answer Yes only when someone literally shares your passport (children on a parent's, in the rare systems that allow it).
- Image uploads only — PDFs are rejected. Scan documents as JPG.
- Red dashed boxes = mandatory uploads — complete, clear, evenly lit.
- The declaration template — download, fill, print, sign, then re-upload. It's a loop, not a checkbox.
What you no longer need (L tourist visa, since 1 Jan 2024)
Applicants in the US no longer submit round-trip flight bookings, hotel reservations, a day-by-day itinerary, or an invitation letter. Officers can still ask case by case, so keep plans flexible — but don't pre-pay anything. Plenty of older blogs still list these as required; they're outdated. The same document-light approach applies to Canada's current checklist.
Documents by visa type
| Visa | Prepare |
|---|---|
| L — Tourism | The four core items above. Had a Chinese visa or residence permit before? Upload the most recent one. |
| M — Business | Business activity documents from your Chinese trading partner (Annex 2 contents, with official stamp). |
| F — Exchange/study tour | Invitation from the inviting Chinese organisation or individual (Annex 2 contents). |
| Q1 / Q2 — Family reunion | Invitation from a Chinese citizen or permanent resident (Annex 1), their ID copies, and proof of relationship — originals for Q1, copies for Q2. Q2 consulate requirements vary slightly; check your consulate's list. |
| S1 / S2 — Visiting workers/students | Invitation from the foreign national working or studying in China, plus their passport and residence permit copies; relationship proof originals (S1) or copies (S2). |
What NOT to do
- Don't book flights before approval — official policy removes the need; the only exception is the 240-hour (10-day) visa-free transit, which requires a through ticket with confirmed seats and dates for a third country.
- Don't rely on visa-free entry — US passports have no China visa waiver, only the 240-hour transit exemption (shared with UK and Canadian passports, at 65 designated ports).
- Don't use a 2 × 2 inch photo — 33 × 48 mm is checked, and non-compliant photos mean the application may be refused, in the regulation's own words.
- Don't upload selfies or heavily cropped photos — if COVA keeps rejecting your digital photo, stop retrying and bring a standard printed photo to your drop-off instead.
- Don't expect a refund — fees are non-refundable even on refusal (all three of the US, UK and Canada routes work this way).
- Don't count on postal return in every consular district — Los Angeles, for one, doesn't mail passports back; check your consulate's page. Someone else can collect with your original pick-up slip.
- Don't miss the 90-day entry window — apply when your trip is inside it.
- Canadian applicants, don't skip the fine print on fingerprints — CVASC collects all ten prints, but stays of 180 days or less are exempt from biometrics until 31 Dec 2026 (with age-based exemptions too).
After you submit
- Track the status online — preliminary review happens in COVA; a pass isn't a visa, and the officer can still request an interview or more documents.
- "Passport to be submitted" — that status is your cue to bring the passport, signed barcode page and originals to the visa office in person (US consular districts; no intermediary agency, no service fee).
- Pick-up — regular processing takes about 4 working days from passport submission (US; Canada is 3, UK about 4). Collect within a month of the "ready" status — issued visas unclaimed for a year are destroyed.
Before you leave home — 60-second check
- ✅ COVA form submitted, passed review, barcode page printed and signed
- ✅ Passport: 6+ months validity, 2 blank pages, bio page uploaded
- ✅ Photo: 33 × 48 mm, white background, glossy print packed (plus the digital upload)
- ✅ Residence proof and legal-status documents (green card / visa / I-20 / I-94)
- ✅ Old passports, relationship originals, previous Chinese visas if relevant
- ✅ Card for fee payment at pick-up (Visa / Mastercard)
Your consulate's own instructions always win over any checklist — including this one. Fees, photo specs and the 2024 document simplification verified against official embassy and MFA guidance, September 2026. Also on this site: the China visa photo requirements in detail, the Chinese ID photo standards, and the top photo rejection reasons.