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China · Official Resources

Government portals

Banks

  • Bank of China — One of China's Big Four, top choice for cross-border remittance
  • ICBC — One of the world's largest banks with comprehensive international services
  • CCB — Big Four bank, leading in mortgage and personal finance
  • China Merchants Bank — Best retail banking reputation, leading mobile experience
  • Bank of Communications — Established state bank with mature international settlement services

Embassies in China

Official forms

  • China Visa Application Form — Visa application form for foreigners visiting China (COVA)
    Checked against the official page on 2026-08-09
    How to file
    1. Pick the visa category by your main purpose — L for tourism, M for trade and business, F for exchanges and visits, Z for work, X1 and X2 for study over and under 180 days, Q1 and Q2 for family of Chinese citizens and permanent residents, S1 and S2 for family of foreigners living in China, G for transit, C for crew, J1 and J2 for journalists, R for high-level talent, D for permanent residence
    2. Complete the application form online in the China Online Visa Application system and follow its visa guide section, or the site of the Chinese embassy or consulate where you will apply
    3. Submit your passport and a photo, proof that you are lawfully staying or residing where you apply, and any previous Chinese passport or Chinese visa
    4. Add the supporting document for your category: hotel and round-trip flight bookings or an invitation for L; a business invitation or trade-fair invitation from your Chinese partner for M; an invitation from the host organisation or individual for F; a through ticket with a confirmed date and seat for G
    5. An invitation letter must carry the applicant's personal details, the visit details — purpose, arrival and departure dates, places, relationship with the inviter and who bears the costs — and the inviter's name, phone, address, and seal or signature
    6. Journalists on J1 or J2 contact the mission's press office first and obtain the notification letter from the MFA Information Department, plus an official letter from their media organisation
    7. D and J1 holders, and the other long-stay categories, must apply for a residence permit at the exit-entry administration of the county-level or higher public security organ where they will live, within 30 days of entry
    8. Requirements differ by mission, so check the local Chinese embassy or consulate's website before you apply
  • China Passport/Travel Document Application — Passport renewal, replacement and travel documents (China nationals)
    Checked against the official page on 2026-08-09
    How to file
    1. In China, apply in person to the exit-entry administration of the public security organ at county level or above where your household registration is held
    2. Bring a recent bare-headed photograph and the completed Application Form for Chinese Citizens Travelling Abroad on Private Affairs, plus your resident identity card and household register with copies — a temporary identity card is accepted while the permanent one is being issued or replaced
    3. Applicants under 16 must be accompanied by a parent or other legal guardian, who provides written consent to the trip and their own identity card or household register and passport with copies
    4. State employees also submit the exit approval issued by their employer or supervising authority under personnel-management rules
    5. Abroad, apply at the Chinese embassy or consulate where you live: a passport or travel document cannot be separated from its holder, so you cannot have relatives apply in China and post it to you, or the reverse
    6. If you have moved country since the document was issued, apply to the Chinese mission where you are now — you do not have to return to the issuing country
    7. You can renew early if the visa pages are full, or for local residence, a visa extension, a work permit or another justified reason you can explain
    8. Renewal gives a new passport number and cancels the old passport, though the new one carries an endorsement recording the old number. Whether foreign visas in the old passport remain usable varies by country — ask that country's embassy or immigration authority
    9. A passport you reported lost cannot be used again even if you find it, and using it will cause problems at the border
    10. Lost or expired passport and you must return to China urgently? Apply at the Chinese mission for a travel document instead — it is issued faster than a replacement passport
    11. A damaged page is reason enough to replace the passport, to avoid trouble at borders