New Chinese Visa Categories Introduced

Nimo Wanjau | Jul 24, 2013 5:00 pm | Add a comment | 9115 reads

A set of new visa categories were announced on Monday and Beijing-based lawyer Gary Chodorow's US China Visa Law Blog has an informative post comparing and contrasting the new categories, which take effect on September 1st.

Some of the more prominent additions include a new 'M' category visa for people coming here to engage in business or commerce - the 'F' category visas will still exist but, according to Chodorow's post, will be less directly tied to business, although there still seems to be some overlap with the newer category.

Other new categories include the 'J1' and 'J2' visas for journalists and foreign correspondents (the former for long-term residents, the latter for short-term stints), the Q1/Q2 visas for relatives of Chinese citizens who want to stay in China for varying lengths of time, the 'R' visa for "high level foreign talent," and 'X1' and 'X2' visas for students staying for either short or longer periods of time (the 'X2' applying to longer stays).

Z (for people working here) and L (for tourists) visas will still exist without any radical changes (for now).

Dual-nationality families should take note of the new 'S' category visas, which will allow family members of foreign expatriates working in China to come visit for both short or long durations. Spouses, young children, parents and parents-in-law will all qualify for the visa when the regulations take effect. S1 visas will allow a stay of more than six months, while S2 visas will be for shorter visits but there are no details about the S2 visa applications requirements announced.

Under the existing regulations, family members who wish to visit their relatives can only apply for an L (tourist) visa. The Legislative Affairs Office of the State Council released a statement stating that the L visa was too broad and had subdivided the visa categories to more accurately state the reason for travel. The new category make the process of getting a visa much easier for parents and parents-in-law intending to visit family members here in China. The requirements for the visas will be announced later.

In total the visa categories have been increased from eight to 12.

Here's a rundown of all the new and revised categories:

F — For travelers who arrive for exchanges and visits (previously included business visitors).
M — For travelers on trade and business missions.
Q — For overseas Chinese traveling for family reunions, including Q1 and Q2.
R — For foreign workers whose skills are urgently needed by China.
S — For foreigners who come for family reunions, including S1 and S2.
L — For general visitors (previously included the functions of the new S visa).

Here are the unchanged categories: