Hi everyone,

I am trying to apply for a Chinese visa online through the COVA portal. I have submitted my online application 5 times, and every single time the status changes to "Unapproved" during the online pre-review phase.

I want to ask two critical questions:

1. Since these are online pre-review rejections (before physical submission of passport and fees), do they count as an official Visa Rejection that I have to declare in future visa forms?

2. Is there a limit to how many times my online application can be marked "Unapproved" before my passport number gets flagged or locked in the COVA system?

I haven't received any clear reasons or document deficiency notes in the generic email. Has anyone faced this loop of "Unapproved" multiple times? How did you fix it?

Any advice would be highly appreciated. Thanks!

Hello everyone

I go to China for 1.5 months in January 2027.

The French Center for VISA (L) is really complicated (no answer calls, emails) and seems to require physical appointment, which is not suitable given I don’t leave here, and don’t even know there won’t be any document issue once I got there. It would cost me several hundreds euros.

BUT
It seems French Citizen have so far Visa excemption for 1 month.

Has someone already tried, without Visa L, to exit China before 1 month for like HK or Macao, and then re enter ?

Thank you everyone and wish you a great China experience.

Florian

Hi everyone! My online pre-screening for my China visa was approved today, and I’m planning to submit my documents in person tomorrow. Our trip is scheduled for October 20–28, so I’m worried about the tight timeline.

I know I should rebook my outbound flight to a later date (like Saturday), or is there a good chance the visa will be released in time? Has anyone had a similar experience with processing times. (I'm a first timer)

For context, I still have my return flight booked, so I’m only thinking about moving the departure. Also, if the visa will surely arrive after 5 days.

Any advice would be really appreciated. Thank you!

Edit: I have a Philippine Passport

Hi,

I just got rejected. They asked me to provide documents from my employer in Chinese which I already did. Later the same day I got mail which says as follows:

(…)information is incomplete.Please visit Visa Application Service Center website to check and amend as required.
Reject Reason: please upload latest Hong Kong landing slip after your entry on 13/10/2026.

I don’t get it. I went to HK on 13.10, get a slip which is valid till January, uploaded photo and then went back to mainland. Do I have to go back to HK again, simply because I modified the application and get a new slip?

My girlfriend wants to come in China to study but she has a minor drug charge from 4 years ago. It expires next year. When I applied to my school I remember I had to upload my criminal record certificate. But do you think they will even let her in with a certificate like hers?

I’m an Indian passport holder residing in Qatar with a good travel history. I applied for a China tourist visa through the https://consular.mfa.gov.cn/VISA/ portal, attached flight and hotel bookings, and mentioned that we are travelling as a family.
Within 24 hours, \*\*all our family members’ applications received the same “Review failed” status\*\*, stating: “No Business and tourist visa for Indian passport holder.”
Has anyone experienced this or found a way to resolve it?

I'm staying in HK for a week, and really want to try the Tenz Spa in Shenzhen. I've seen various things online, all a bit contradictory ngl, about a visa specifically where you take the route I put in the title. Something along the lines of needing to go to Macau after Shenzhen.
Context: I'm a US citizen.

I just want to know how and where to find accurate information on this, if it's still valid, how much it is, if anyone has experience, and roughly how long it may take?

Any help works :)

Hi, my Turkish boyfriend is visiting me in my country (PH) and the cheapest flight we can see has layovers in Guangzhou and Xiamen for around 2.5 hours. The flight is a self-transfer.

I noticed that China seems to be very strict with Turkish passport holders and even with Turkey stamps.

Just wondering if there are any Turkish passport holders who travelled recently and has layovers in China, how was it?

We just wanted to see if it's okay to book this flight or just look for other flights.

Thanks!

Hi everyone I’m planning on visiting my girlfriend in China for a week in February, but I am unsure how to go about the visa process, I am a US citizen and have never traveled before it’s all very confusing to me! Any help at all would be lovely!

I'm a Turkish passport holder living in Germany with permanent residency. I work full-time for a company that regularly does business with China and was invited to visit one of our partner companies there.

Initially, I applied without a TE Letter, assuming I wouldn't need one since I live abroad. Turns out I did! My initial application was returned (not a visa refusal, as it wasn't even processed), and I was asked to reapply with a TE Letter.

Our partner company applied for the TE Letter in Shanghai and received it in about two weeks, right before Golden Week. I resubmitted my application the next day, along with the other documents: application form, invitation letter, TE Letter, flight tickets, hotel booking, and a support letter from my employer.

To my surprise, my application passed the online review in under 30 minutes! The visa center in Germany was operating during Golden Week, so the dates in their website seems accurate. I'd previously been told not to expect any movement for at least 2-3 weeks because of the holidays.

A few days later, I submitted my passport in person and received it back with the visa the very next day (I paid for urgent processing).

I'll be flying next week, and I'm curious what to expect at immigration. Is there usually additional screening, questioning, or a luggage search for Turkish passport holders? I've read a few conflicting experiences online and would appreciate hearing from anyone who's entered recently!

I applied for a Chinese work visa on September 23, but my application status is still showing as “Under Review” on the website. Has anyone else experienced a similar situation? How long did it take for your visa to be processed?

Has anyone applied for this 90 days in advance of their travel? I have read to put estimated dates and hotels are no longer required but im not planning to travel until a year from now

looking for some guidance.
i am a usa citizen passport holder. ill be going from usa -> Jpan -> Hong Kong then from land to Nanshan Shenzhen, Guangdong for nov 9 - nov 16 then flight to Bangkok Thailand for a few days then fly back to usa.

i have been looking up info trying to make sure i dont get held up for long or denied access to Shenzhen. i am thinking of taking the West Kowloon to cross the border.

i will be visiting a company for a tour like a influencer touring a company for 2 days, the rest i would like to try local food and see some sights if possible. i would have to be in Nanshan on nov 10 morning.

is this all set for my trip? just bring printed out plane and hotel reservations? or do i need to get a visa beforehand? is there anywhere i can confirm before hand?

i am leaving for Japan on oct 16 and so i would have to use the Tokyo consulate to get the visa and would be $188 usd + travel/ time and so on. so sooner i know what to do the better.
i never traveled out of the usa before so i really dont want to get denied.

I have a work event in China Oct. 27 to Nov. 8. For this event I require a J2 visa.

The company I work for received official letters of invitation from the event organizers at the start of this month. Documentation was simply not available any sooner.

I submitted my J2 visa application on Oct. 2.

it is now Oct. 14 and on the COVA website it says I am still waiting for feedback from preliminary review.

My travel date to China is Oct. 23.

I called my closest embassy and they said usually processing 3-5 days but can be longer.
It is now 7+ days longer than that estimate.
I asked if they had any info for me on the timeline, they say no. Person on phone at embassy had no information for me at all.

Am I screwed? What do I do? Why is it taking so long? Assuming the visa is approved and they move me to passport stage, I still must bring passport to embassy for stamp. That can be done in 24-48 hours.

So effectively I have maybe 4-5 more days of leeway.

Travel itinerary already booked and paid for. Company says if J2 visa is not approved in time I could go on trip as tourist since bookings already done.

Could I cancel J2 application and apply for L visa instead? Is processing that faster? Employer says I would be relieved of work duties applicable to the J2. Gift from company to vacation in China and attend work event as spectator (is media related).

Very very frustrated by delay on embassy's part!!! Looking for advice, thanks.

I am trying to apply for an L-visa from India via an agent as I live in a tier-2 city and far from the visa centres.

My agent asked me to provide hotel bookings with a printed confirmation containing hotel's (not the booking site) stamp and signature. AFAIK, any third party site provides confirmation using their logo only.

I checked booking on hotel websites directly but IHG for example provides printed confirmation with stamp and signature for non-refundable bookings only. Any help here?

Hi everyone,
I’m a Turkish citizen living in Germany, and I’m planning to apply for a Chinese M visa using an invitation letter for the upcoming Canton Fair (October 15 – November 4, 2026).
Here’s my situation:
I would like to travel to China in December 2026, not during the Canton Fair itself. I’m hoping to receive a single-entry M visa with 3 months of validity, which would allow me to enter China in December.
However, I’m unsure whether this is possible, especially as a Turkish passport holder.
My main questions are:
1. Has anyone, especially Turkish citizens applying from Germany, recently received a Chinese M visa with 3 months of validity?
2. Is it possible to enter China in December if the visa was issued based on an invitation to the Canton Fair in October?
3. Would it be a problem at immigration if I don’t actually attend the Canton Fair?
4. Is the M visa validity for 3 months or less.?

I understand that visa validity and permitted duration of stay are different, and that the final decision is made by the Chinese authorities.
I’d really appreciate any recent experiences or advice, especially from Turkish passport holders.
Thanks in advance!

Hello, i have X1 visa and residence permit that will end around july 2027. I didn’t feel like i want to pursue my study in china for 1 year, so i tend to finish my study just for 6 months and will go back to my hometown on january 2027. With my residence permit, should i go to the immigration to change and cancel my residence permit to T visa? Or will my university can help with that?
(I search on gemini that said i should change my visa to T visa and revoke my residence permit so i didn’t get blacklist by the immigration)
Thank you for the reply. Have a great day guys 🥹🥹

Hi all, I submitted my China tourist visa application online through the Dubai visa centre on Oct 3, and it’s still showing “Under Review”. My flight is on Oct 29, so I’m getting a bit nervous.
Indian passport, UAE golden visa holder.
For anyone who’s applied recently:
1. How long did your online review take before you got the approval email?
2. Did calling or walking in to the WAFI Mall centre help speed things up? ( I called but didn't go through)
I’ve emailed them and visit again. Any experiences would really help. Thank you!

Hi everyone!

I’m travelling from Australia to Tokyo via Guangzhou with China Southern Airlines, and I have a 14-hour layover in Guangzhou. I hold a Sri Lankan passport, have a valid Australian visa, and have a valid Japanese visa for my onward trip.

China Southern Airlines provides a complimentary transit hotel, which I’ve already booked. However, I’m also hoping to visit Canton Tower during my layover if time permits.

I understand that eligible international transit passengers may be able to obtain a temporary entry permit at immigration, but I’m unsure whether I would qualify with my passport and itinerary.

Has anyone with a Sri Lankan or other passports which do not qualify for visa on arrival recently transited through Guangzhou and successfully obtained a temporary entry permit for 24 hours to leave the airport?

A few questions:

• Am I eligible to leave the airport under the current transit policies?
• Is the temporary entry permit generally granted at the airport, or is approval uncertain?
• Does staying at the complimentary transit hotel affect the process?

I’d really appreciate hearing from anyone with first-hand experience, particularly Sri Lankan passport holders or travellers who have used China Southern’s transit hotel service.

Thanks in advance for your help!

Dfw > hong Kong

Hong Kong > Shanghai

Shanghai > dfw (with a layover in Hong Kong)

I'm applying to study at KEATS but the visa application has gotten very confusing as I've been getting conflicting information.

I'm a Libyan national currently living in Libya and I was planning on applying for my visa through the Chinese embassy located in Tunis, Tunisia as according to every Libyan I know (personally or just from seeing them online) the embassy in Tripoli Libya is not functional currently.

When I mentioned this to KEATS earlier today I was told this "Are you applying for a student visa in Tunisia or in Libya? Different countries have different requirements. If you apply in Tunisia, we will not be able to accept you."

I don't understand how the location of the embassy affects my application and don't know where to go from here.

And I know if you look up the Chinese embassy in Tripoli online it will say it is operational. This is not the case as I have emailed them repeatedly, called them on both listed numbers on their website repeatedly, gone to the physical locations listed in their website and on Google maps, which were two separate locations. I've even headed to their office in Tripoli tower and they were at none of this locations. I haven't seen a single Chinese flag let alone anyone that works at the embassy.

Hello,

Am a Tunisian living in Spain and going to china for the first time to visit my cousin living there next month, I used a tourist visa L but got asked to have a PU/TE invitation letter, and am not sure how can I get it as am traveling by myself.

Anyone has an idea please help, thank you

Really need to travel (not Canton Fair). Strictly business purposes. Got my last VISA denied at stamping, in August. Have travelled there earlier, once in 2024.

Any update is appreciated.