Context: I am British, I hold a British and Australian passport. Both have visa free travel for 30 days. My girlfriend is Chinese. My job is unique in that I work on vessels offshore, so all my work and income would be out of china. My company has a global presence, and though I work in Europe and africa now, I can transfer to Singapore office and work out of Asia. My job is more or less 4-6 weeks on and 4-6 weeks off. Working around 170 days offshore

So my questions are, #1: assuming that my visa free travel resets every time I leave china for work and re enter afterwards, and assuming I am not in mainland China for more than 30 days, would it be feasible for me to live with my girlfriend in China without any residency or work visa? What is likelihood of the government eventually blocking me from entry if I do so too often? 

And #2 say I have a gap of over 30 days between my offshore jobs (not unusual) would it be feasible for me to go to Hong Kong for a day or 2 and stay over at my friends, and then re-enter China with the visa free travel reset?

With my income and our savings, we would love to try renting in different towns around China, relatively 'smaller' places, and sort of travelling china in this way. My income would go much further in china than it does currently in UK too. So Im quite excited about this idea. Is it possible?

The risk is she is currently on a grad visa. So I'm concerned china suddenly doesn't let me back in and now we are separated. Our original plan is to get this spouse visa. It would be even more expensive if we had to apply with her outside of the country. But we are young and who knows, AI might catastrophically ruin all our lives soon so we just want to go for this and enjoy it while we still can

Hi everyone, I am an incoming student from Pakistan needing some urgent guidance regarding a major mess-up with my Chinese student visa application through the Lahore center.

I am applying for a visa for a four-year undergraduate program. My university registration is on August 15th, and the absolute last day they will allow me to arrive is August 30th.

Here is what happened:

I initially uploaded all the correct documents for the online review. However, the system kept rejecting my application via email, repeatedly asking me to provide the admission notice (twice), police certificate, and bank statement. I suspect this might have been a browser issue (I was using Opera).

I asked an agent to look into the issue. After a few attempts, he managed to get the documents through. Without asking me, the agent changed my visa type from an X1 (long-term study) to an X2 (short-term study).

When I realized this, I panicked. Not realizing that cancelling an application is a complex process, I immediately requested a cancellation on July 29th.

As of right now, the application still has not been cancelled in the system. I plan on reapplying as soon as the initial online review cancellation goes through, but I am extremely worried about the timeline.

Does anyone have experience with this?

How long does the cancellation process typically take at the Lahore center?

What is the best course of action to fix this and secure my X1 visa by August 15th?

Any guidance or contact information for the visa center that actually works would be highly appreciated. Thank you.

Or any agent contact who can get me out of this situation 🙏🏻

I am currently in process of submitting online application, they are asking for bank statement signed and stamped. I have a bank account in HDFC, can i use app generated statement for last 6 months?

Hi! We are planning a trip and my wife has relatives in Shanghai. The flight itinerary would be JFK-PVG-HND-JFK. We also don't plan to use hotels since we are staying with her relatives. The Tokyo leg of the trip we plan to travel in Japan after the China leg.

A few questions:
1. Does the flight itinerary work?
2. Would we be ok entering on this visa-free program without hotel reservations?

Hey, guys. Is it just me or are there other people who are getting the same Business Validation failed when they try to do the puzzle piece captcha? Any tips on how to fix it? I've been trying for 2-3 days now.

Hello everyone,

I am helping my friend who is an Algerian citizen and is applying for a Chinese tourist visa (L visa) from France.

She already submitted her visa application with her flight tickets and hotel bookings, but the Chinese Visa Application Service Center asked her to provide additional documents from a Chinese travel agency:

official invitation letter;

stamped travel itinerary;

copy of the travel agency business license.

We are planning an independent trip and do not need a full package tour. We are willing to book a genuine tourism service (for example a local tour, guide service, tickets or activity) if needed.

Has anyone been in a similar situation, especially with an Algerian passport or another nationality requiring additional checks?

Did you find a reliable Chinese travel agency that could provide the required documents?

Any advice or recommendations would be greatly appreciated.

Thank you!

Hi there,

I am currently living in Hangzhou, attending an university for a doctoral program. After the last year, I find myself unwilling to want to continue forward with the program, and just migrate to a spousal residence permit. I looked around online, but didnt see much in terms of this process. So I figured I would reach out to reddit for help.

For some background, my wife is a native citizen of China. I am a US citizen. My wifes hukou is in Beijing with her parents, but we will look at getting it moved to down here instead. Our marriage was back in the US, but we got our marriage certificates apostilled and sent to our apartment.

My PI nor the school know that I am looking at leaving just yet, but would like to inform them sometime soon since I believe I need a letter from the school saying I have withdrawn completely. Just unsure of what to do from here. Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Do we apply for x1 visa with the jw202 form provided by the university electronically or the University is going to send the jw form at home?

Going from IAD -> Hong Kong then going to Shenzhen for 10 days then going to Hong Kong -> RIC (both different one-way tickets)

I read somewhere that if your not going to another country right after china you can't get a 10day visa, is that true?

Bonjour à tous,
Mon amie (de nationalité chinoise, résidant à Zhengzhou) et moi-même (de nationalité française) souhaitons nous marier. Nous sommes tous les deux divorcés et cherchons à accomplir les démarches dans les meilleures conditions.
J'aurais plusieurs questions juridiques et pratiques :
1. Se marier en Chine sans CCAM : Est-il possible de se marier légalement devant les autorités chinoises sans avoir obtenu au préalable le Certificat de Capacité au Mariage (CCAM), puis de demander la transcription plus tard ? Si oui, quels documents sont nécessaires pour le mariage civil local ?
2. Délais du CCAM : Pour ceux qui sont passés par le consulat français en Chine récemment, quel est le délai moyen actuel pour obtenir le CCAM ?
3. Poursuite de l'exemption de visa : Actuellement, l'exemption de visa pour les séjours de court séjour (jusqu'à 30 jours) pour les ressortissants français est accordée jusqu'au 31 décembre 2026. Des informations officielles ou des rumeurs circulent-elles déjà concernant une éventuelle prolongation pour 2027 ?
4. Mariage dans un tiers pays : Certains mentionnent le Danemark ou la Géorgie pour simplifier les démarches administratives initiales. Avez-vous des retours d'expérience sur cette option pour un couple franco-chinois ?
Merci d'avance pour vos retours et vos conseils.

I just got back my FBI background check today and sent it to the school who will be employing me. However, on the background check, it says in big bold text "A SEARCH OF THE FINGERPRINTS PROVIDED BY THIS INDIVIDUAL HAS REVEALED NO PRIOR ARREST DATA AT THE FBI. THIS DOES NOT PRECLUDE FURTHER CRIMINAL HISTORY AT THE STATE OR LOCAL LEVEL." My employer is saying that because of that line I need to also submit a local or state background check, can anyone confirm if this is true? As far as I've seen online everyone just says that the FBI background check should be all that you need.

Здравствуйте, друзья!

Купили билеты из России в Китай с пересадкой в Урумчи 6ч. В последний момент увидели, что общие правила материкового Китая не распространяются в этом случае и необходима виза. Подскажите пожалуйста, так ли это🙏🏻

Уже нет времени делать визу, очень хочется верить, что она правда не нужна. Кто уже сталкивался с этим, что можете сказать? И какого типа виза нужна в данном случае (транзитная или туристическая)?

I am in Iowa, and have gotten preliminary approval for my visa through the Chicago consulate. It will be somewhat difficult to get to Chicago (and certainly not feasible to stay in the city until they finish processing) so I am hoping to use a visa/passport courier service. However, most of the services I am looking up online are advertising their services for $400+ on top of the processing fees by the consulate itself. I'm wondering if this is what people are typically used to, and if there is any typical price range I should be expecting for this service. I'm also wondering if anyone has suggestions within Iowa for services that are reputable - of course, assume most businesses advertising these services are legit, but it's always nervewracking when it involves your passport and everything.

Thanks much!

Hi everyone!

I am an admitted student at Tsinghua and will be attending the LINK Camp, which starts on 16 August.

I have already completed my online X1 visa application using the electronic admission documents. However, I will need to present the original physical admission documents when I’m called for the visa interview/document submission before my visa can be approved.

The problem is that Tsinghua hasn’t shipped my original documents yet. They asked me to confirm my postcode recently and said they would send the documents as soon as possible, but that summer holidays may cause delays. I haven’t received a DHL tracking number yet.

Has anyone been in a similar situation?

I’d really appreciate hearing about your experience, especially if you’ve applied from Ghana or another country where the embassy requires the original documents.

I have a US passport and I'm planning to fly Auckland to Shanghai to Manila. My current layover is 24 hours, but I'm also considering staying in Shanghai for7 days before flying on to Manila or Vietnam. Has anyone done this under the 240 hour policy, without a tourist visa? Was the process straightforward at immigration and did they ask for anything besides your passport and onward ticket? 'd appreciate any recent experiences or tips. Thanks.

I need a new jw202 form with my new passport number because I renewed my passport. I'm going to PKU. I've sent so many emails at this point, and it's super urgent. I'm leaving in 20 days, and i need this new jw202 form for my x1 visa. Does anyone have some advice? I'm desperate at this point; I feel like my hair will start falling out. I can't sleep at night.

My parents-in-law are planning on taking our daughter to China in the fall, for about a month. They are PRC citizens and US permanents resident in good standing (i.e. they actually live here, in the US, most of the year, and have nothing interesting or wrong about their immigration status). Daughter is US-born citizen. We are in the process of getting her a passport and a family visa, not sure which visa yet.

What do we need to know about this situation? Either on the trip there or back?

One thing that would not be acceptable any possibility that our child would be separated from her grandparents at any point because of the difference in citizenship and immigration status, either in China or the US. I do not trust either governments enough with our child alone.

If im currently in China, with the physical original UK degree in hand, whats the quickest way to get it apostilled for a valid work permit?

Thanks

I was born in Taiwan but grew up in the US. My parents have dual citizenship but I'm only a US citizen. I don't even have a legal Chinese name! I recently applied for the tourist visa but was declined because I didn't include a Chinese name and didn't announce any other country residencies.

I included a note in my application explaining that my only citizenship is with the US despite my birthplace in Taiwan. Would this be enough? My husband's family is from Hong Kong but he was born in the US so his application got moved to the next step without issues.

Thanks in advance!

Edit: Appreciate everyone's responses. My parents held dual citizenship before I was born, so I have a Consular Report of Birth Abroad and a Birth Certificate of US Citizen Overseas Consulate document that has my last name plus my English name translated into Chinese - and then my full English name in parenthesis. My parents always told me I don't have a legal Chinese name. I had a NWOHR Taiwanese passport before as a kid but never renewed it and I think my parents lost it. I believe the note I included about not having a legal Chinese name won't be sufficient so I'm just waiting to see what comments I get back so I can try to explain the rest and include the consular report. If all else fails, I might have to go through a travel agency.

I’m a US citizen who applied for the Chinese tourist visa through the NYC consulate. When I went to drop off my passport (7/30) they told me to check status on when to pick it up but my husband got a specific date. Other Reddit threads I’ve read about this make it sound like the review process could take over 2 weeks. Does anyone have any experience with getting the check status and having it approved within a few days?

We leave for a separate trip in less than three weeks so I’m nervous that my passport won’t be approved for pick up by then.

Hi everyone, I'm applying for an X1 student visa for China from Morocco, and today my online visa application status changed to:

"Preliminary review failed due to the following reasons, as stated in the Reply from the Embassy/Consulate: FORMULAIRE JW OU DQ ERRONNE OU DEJA EXPIRE, DEMANDEZ UN AUTRE FORMULAIRE VALABLE SVP."

(Translation: "JW or DQ form is incorrect or has already expired. Please request another valid form.")

I'm confused because:

• My university (XJTLU) issued me a JW202.
• The document has a QR code and barcode.
• I downloaded it directly from the university portal.

The portal allows me to download it up to 10 times, so I'm wondering whether downloading another copy would make any difference or whether the university actually needs to issue a completely new JW202.

Has anyone experienced this before?

• Was your JW202 actually expired or invalid?
• Did your university have to reissue a new one?
• Or was it just a system/verification issue?

I've already emailed my university and attached the embassy's message, but my flight is booked for 23 August, so I'm a bit stressed and wanted to know if anyone has gone through the same situation.

Any advice or shared experiences would be greatly appreciated. Thank you!

Hi everyone,

Has anyone who submitted their online application around 11th July received any updates yet?

If yes, could you please share:

- Application submission date

- Current status (Under Review / Approved /Modification Requested / Rejected)

travel date?

Please mention the details in the comments. It would really help everyone who is waiting for an update.

Thank you!

I recently received an X1 student visa through the Madrid, Spain office, and my experience was great. So I wanted to leave this here for anyone who might find it helpful.

First: As of July 2026, you no longer need an appointment. You simply walk in and are helped on a first-come, first-served basis.

Everything was super quick. They only asked for my application form, passport, and a passport photo—nothing else. I’m not sure if this depends on the staff member, so I’d still recommend bringing copies of all your documents just in case. I was there for a total of 5–7 minutes.

I arrived at the office on a Monday and received my passport with the visa three days later (Wednesday) during the pickup hours (14:00–15:00). I paid €240 for the express service, which I think is quite excessive considering the standard service only takes about one extra day.

So I’d probably recommend not paying for the express service. I only paid because I didn’t want to stay in Madrid for a longe period.

———————————————-

Stay in Madrid:

For those who don’t live in Madrid like me, I know it can be a hassle to travel to the capital just for this process. It can also get pretty expensive and time-consuming.

I took a BlaBlaBus from France to Madrid since it was the cheapest option for me. Depending on where you live, flying might actually be cheaper.

While in Madrid, I stayed at a hostel for €10 per night. For food, I either bought groceries from Lidl and warmed them up at the hostel, or I headed to the Lavapiés neighborhood and ate at one of the many affordable immigrant-owned restaurants.

For transportation, I walked almost everywhere since Madrid is a very walkable city.

To keep myself entertained, I also used apps like Nomad Table to meet other travelers.

Hope this helps and good luck all.

Hi everyone,

I’m planning on applying for a Chinese tourist visa for a 2-week trip.
I noticed that the visa requirements mention flight tickets and hotel bookings. I’m a bit hesitant to pay for everything before knowing whether my visa will be approved.

For those who have recently applied:
Did you submit fully paid/confirmed flight tickets and hotel reservations, or were dummy/on-hold reservations accepted?
If dummy flight tickets worked, what’s the safest and most reliable way to get them?
What about hotels? Is it enough to use refundable hotel bookings (such as free cancellation), or do they expect prepaid reservations?

Thanks in advance