What the China visa is
China grants visa free entry to a specific list of countries, on terms that vary between them. Most of the world's nationalities are not covered and need a visa before travelling.
Some travellers are covered. Thailand and China have a mutual exemption, so Thai passport holders can enter for tourism for up to 30 days per entry, capped at 90 days within any 180 day period. Both limits are firm, and the second one catches people out, because the days accumulate across a rolling window rather than resetting with each trip. On any given day, count back 180 days and add up the days you were in China; that total must stay within 90.
Where a visa is needed, the category matters more than anything else. A tourist visa (L) has a different checklist from a family visit visa (Q) or a business visa (M), and getting the category right at the outset is the single thing that keeps a Chinese application moving predictably.
Visa free entry does not cover work or paid activity, cannot be extended after you arrive, does not guarantee entry, and does not reset with each trip. If any of those matter to your plans, a visa is the answer.
Who needs one
- Anyone whose nationality is not covered by a Chinese visa exemption. This is the largest group we serve. The exemption follows your passport, not your residence in Thailand, so many long term residents of Bangkok need a visa regardless of how long they have been here.
- Anyone making a single trip longer than their exemption allows. For a Thai passport that is anything past 30 days in one visit.
- Anyone close to their 90 day allowance. Frequent travellers, and people with business or family in China, reach the 180 day cap regularly.
- Anyone travelling for study, work, journalism, longer term business or a documented family visit. Each has its own category.
Documents required
The requirements vary substantially by category, so we establish which one fits your purpose before you gather anything. In outline:
Everyone
- Passport with sufficient validity and blank pages.
- Photograph to Chinese specification.
- Completed application form.
- Confirmed flights and accommodation.
- Day by day itinerary.
- Bank statements showing funds consistent with the trip.
Proof of occupation
- Employees. Employment certificate with your position, salary and approved leave dates.
- Business owners. Company registration and evidence the business is trading.
- Students. Enrolment certificate, plus the documents of whoever supports you financially.
- Retired applicants. Pension or investment income evidence.
- No standard certificate available. A written explanation of your occupation and income. We prepare this with you.
Additional by category
- Family visit (Q). Invitation documents from your relatives in China, which have their own required contents, plus evidence of the relationship and of their status.
- Business (M). An invitation from the Chinese company, with the specific details the category requires.
- For foreign residents of Thailand, your Thai visa, employment and local documents.
Financial requirements
China publishes no minimum balance. What is assessed is whether your funds are consistent with the trip you have described and with the income you have declared, alongside the invitation documents where the category requires them.
For family visit and business categories, the invitation from the party in China does a large part of the work that bank statements do in a tourist application, which is another reason the category choice matters. Where a relative or a company in China is covering your costs, that is documented through their invitation rather than left to be inferred.
What this costs
- Our fee: 4,500 THB. This covers identifying the right category, document preparation, the forms, your contacts in China briefed where relevant, submission and tracking through to the decision.
- Visa fee is set by the Chinese authorities and varies substantially by nationality and category under reciprocity, paid separately along with the service charge. We confirm yours before you commit to anything.
- Express processing is available in some categories at an additional charge.
How we help
You are not buying information, you are buying execution. We start by confirming where you actually stand: whether your passport needs a visa at all, and if you are exempt, how many of your 90 days remain across the rolling window, which is the thing exempt travellers most often lose track of. Then we establish which category fits what you are genuinely trying to do in China and for how long, because a tourist visa where a family visit or business category was the right answer is the most common way a Chinese application becomes slow and awkward. We go through your documents against that category's checklist and give you one list built for your circumstances rather than the full one, telling you precisely what else to obtain and where. Where relatives or a company in China are inviting you, we deal with them directly and tell them exactly what their invitation has to contain, because those documents have prescribed contents and a vague letter comes back. Then we file the application, track it, and check the validity and permitted stay when the visa is issued.
FAQ
1. Does my passport need a Chinese visa?
Most nationalities do. Send us your passport details and we will confirm, then prepare the right category if you need one.
2. I am a foreigner living in Thailand. Am I covered by the exemption?
Only if your own nationality has an arrangement with China. Living in Thailand does not extend the Thailand China exemption to you. Applying from Bangkok, where your employer, bank and documents are, is the natural place to do it, and this is one of the most common cases we handle.
3. How does the 90 day rule work exactly?
It is a rolling window. On any given day, count back 180 days and add up the days you were in China. That total must stay within 90. It is not a calendar year or a calendar half year, which is why people miscount it. We can work your count out with you.
4. I want to go for 45 days. Can you get me that?
Yes. A trip beyond a 30 day exemption needs a visa, and we prepare and file it. Send us your dates and purpose and we will confirm the category.
5. I have nearly used my 90 days. What now?
A good moment to move onto a visa. Tell us your travel history and what you need next, and we will prepare the right application.
6. Can I extend a visa free stay once I am in China?
Plan on arranging the visa before you travel instead. It gives you a clear permitted stay from the day you land.
7. I want to visit my Chinese spouse's family. Which route?
For longer visits, or where you want the family relationship formally recorded, the family visit category is the one. It needs invitation documents from your relatives in China, and we tell them exactly what to prepare.
8. Can I work or run a business from China during a visa free stay?
No. Visa free entry is granted for short visits. If China is going to be a working base for you, there is a category for that and we will look at which one fits.
9. How long does a Chinese visa take to process?
Standard processing is usually a matter of working days once a complete application is lodged, with express options in some categories.
10. Can I be refused entry even with a visa?
Yes. A visa gives you permission to travel to China and request entry, and the border officer makes the final decision. We prepare a pack with your return ticket, accommodation and itinerary so you arrive ready.
11. What if I do not have every document on the list?
Most applicants do not, and the list changes by category. Send us what you have and we will work out what is genuinely needed and what can be evidenced another way.
12. What if I was refused before?
Send us the details. The decision belongs to the Chinese authorities and no one can promise an outcome, but we build the new file around whatever was not established last time.
Whether your passport needs a Chinese visa outright, or you simply want more time than an exemption allows, send us your passport details and your plans. We will confirm where you stand and what is needed for your case.
