Passport Visas Express is a private, third-party company, not affiliated with or endorsed by any government agency or embassy.
Serving customers nationwide through our offices for over 25 years.
You can apply directly through the official Chinese government portal,
cova.mfa.gov.cn.
Official consular fees are separate from our service fees.
We Help You Prepare and Submit Your Employment Work Z Visa Application
We review your application and submit it through the Chicago Consulate, with online chat, phone & email support.
Add Application Preparation and a specialist completes your application with you by phone.
Application Preparation – from $90.
A specialist completes your application with you by phone, and you receive a professionally prepared application to print, sign and return. Added at checkout.
Personal Concierge –
Order by phone. Your Concierge Agent creates your order, completes your application, and sends it to you for signature. Call (855) 370-4265 or
Book Phone Appointment.
$200 additional fee.
After placing your order you will be provided the mailing address of where to send your application documents for processing.
Which Visa Do You Need?
There are several different types of Visas required to travel to China.
We also offer visas for Non-US Citizens under the More Visas Types tab.
Most popular include a
Tourist Visa,
Business Visa, and
Crew C Visa.
Please click compare visas to make sure you're applying for the correct type of visa.
You are viewing Employment Work Z Visa to China application requirements for the Chicago Consulate. If you need to find which consulate or embassy is correct for your state of residence,
click here.
How it works: place your order online and follow our step-by-step instructions.
Fill out the China Online Visa Application (COVA) and upload scanned documents directly to the form.
After the application has been completed online, it will be reviewed by the Chinese embassy/consulate for pre-approval. In some cases, you may be asked to make corrections or provide additional information. The approximate time for review is 4-7 business days.
Once the Chinese Embassy/consulate pre-approves your application, ship your physical passport and pre-approval documents to us to complete the process of obtaining your visa!
IMPORTANT
- Consular preliminary review time is separate from the visa processing time.
- Processing time starts when the physical documents are submitted to the embassy or consulate.
Register a new account on the China Online Visa Application (COVA) website by entering your email and creating a password.
Start a new application and select your consular jurisdiction. Fill out your form and upload supporting document scans.
Question 2.2 Service Type - Select the appropriate option based on your order's consular fee. See COVA Navigation Tips below.
Click the [Save] button to save an unfinished form. You can continue to fill in the unfinished form within 30 days by logging in to your account.
Review your form before you click the "Submit" button. Once the application is submitted, you cannot make any changes.
Track the status of your application through the 'Track My Application' tab. If changes or additional information is required by the Embassy/Consulate, you will be able to make them through the 'Track My Application' page.
The China visa application requires a copy of this document to be uploaded to your online form. Your physical passport is also required
Must have more than 6 months of validity remaining to apply for any visa
Must contain at least 2 blank 'Visa' pages - 'Amendment' pages are not accepted for visa issuance
Your physical passport must be signed
Scan and upload the following to your online form.
Clear and legible color copy of the information pages of your passport: Passport Scan Example.
Two (2) blank visa pages from your passport
US citizens: To Qualify for 10-year validity on eligible visa types, your passport must not expire in less than 12 months from the date of application.
If you have an expired or lost Chinese visa, upload the following:
A copy of your previous Chinese visa(s)
If issued on an old passport, a copy of that passport's information page
If you no longer have record of your previous visa or passport it was issued in, a signed letter of explanation must be provided detailing why you are unable to provide it.Previous China Visa Missing (Sample Letter).
If you have a valid Chinese visa in a current/previous passport, you can only apply for a new visa if you fit one of the following situations:
You are applying for a new visa type
Your name, nationality, sex, or date of birth changed on your new passport
Your old passport with valid visa is severely damaged
Your visa expires before your upcoming trip to China
In these situations, the valid visa must be cancelled in order to receive a new one
Upload a copy of your valid visa.
If issued on an old passport, upload a copy of that passport's information page
You must send the physical current/previous passport that contains the valid China visa as well
The China visa application requires this document to be uploaded to your online form. The physical document is required as well.
If you have previously traveled to Turkey with your current passport and there are entry/exit stamps on the visa pages, or mentioned that you visited Turkey on your application, a signed statement letter detailing the trip(s) is needed.
Address letter to (Embassy/Consulate General) of P.R. China
The Chinese visa application requires documents to be uploaded to the online form. Physical documents may also be required
Your name must be typed in Chinese characters on question 1.1D "Chinese Name (in Chinese, if any)"
Select "China" on section 1.6 question "Have you ever had any other nationalities or resident status?"
If you were born in mainland China, you must upload the following documents:
Copy of your last Chinese visa and passport it was issued in, if applicable.
If first time applying for a Chinese visa, copy of the most recentChinese passport + U.S. naturalization certificate.
Your physical Chinese passport must be sent as well
Copy of proof of name change - if your name on your current passport is different from the above mentioned documents.
If you were born in Hong Kong, Macau or Taiwan, you must upload the following:
Copy of your previous Chinese visa, if applicable.
If first time applying for a Chinese visa, provide copy of your last-issued Hong Kong or Taiwan passport data page - if you are no longer in possession of your last passport, a copy of your birth certificate must be provided.
Copy of proof of name change - if your name on your current passport is different from the above mentioned documents.
- If the above cannot be provided, visa process may take months and may be requested to apply for a Chinese Travel Document instead.
- If you still have Hong Kong, Macau or Taiwan citizenship, we cannot assist you. You may be required to apply for a Mainland Travel Permit (for Hong Kong or Macau nationals) or Taiwan Compatriot Permit (For Taiwan nationals)
The "Amount due" must match the consular fee on your order.
Valid, and signed, passport
Previous passport with still-valid Chinese visa (if applicable)
Previous Chinese passport (if applicable)
Signed statement letter regarding previous travel to Turkey (if applicable)
Other documents requested by the consulate during review
- Documents must be submitted to the Chinese consulate within 30 days of the application receiving the pre-approval status. If your application expires, a new COVA form will need to be filled out. - Online pre-approval does not guarantee visa issuance. The embassy/consulate will further review submitted documents and may request additional information.
Application Preparation – from $90.
A specialist completes your application with you by phone, and you receive a professionally prepared application to print, sign and return. Added at checkout.
Personal Concierge –
Order by phone. Your Concierge Agent creates your order, completes your application, and sends it to you for signature. Call (855) 370-4265 or
Book Phone Appointment.
$200 additional fee.
Chinese visas are typically issued for a validity of 10 years allowing for multiple entries for stays of up to 60 days per entry for U.S. citizens, but that is not always the case. If your passport will expire within 18 months, a visa with a validity of 6 months or a year is typically issued, and conference visas are typically issued for shorter durations. Visas are issued at the discretion of the Chinese Government, so validity, number of entries and length of stay can vary and are not guaranteed.
U.S. citizens do not require a Chinese visa to enter Hong Kong. China also has visa exemption arrangements with some countries for short stays; see our "Do I need a visa to China?" article for the list. For other travel to mainland China, choose the visa type that matches your trip and apply with the consulate that serves your state.
We can assist with 11 Chinese visa types, including Tourist (L, S1, S2, Q1, Q2), Business (M), Non-Business (F), Work (Z) and Student visas. The tourist L visa is for vacation, leisure, sightseeing and visiting friends and family for under 60 days. For U.S. citizens, the business M visa is generally issued as a multiple-entry 10-year visa for up to 60 or 90 days per visit.
The total is the consular fee for your consulate and visa type plus our service fee for the processing option you choose. Select your visa and consulate to see the fees. Application Preparation, where a specialist completes your application with you by phone, is optional and starts at $90, added at checkout.
Select the visa type you need, place your order online, follow our step-by-step instructions, and send your application documents for processing. If you prefer, add Application Preparation and a specialist completes your application with you by phone.
Your Chinese visa is processed through the Embassy in Washington D.C., Consulate of jurisdiction, or online.
We review your application prior to submission for visa processing.
When your Chinese visa is issued we will send it to you.
Our team reviews and submits your Chinese Employment Work Z Visa application,
keeps you informed every step of the way, and delivers your Chinese visa to you.
Read what our customers say about our service. See our customer reviews. Have any questions? Please contact us at any time for assistance.
U.S. citizens do not require a Chinese visa to enter Hong Kong.
Visa applications are only accepted within 90 days of entry to China.
If your occupation is: NGO, Non-Profit, Charity and Volunteers, processing delays are expected and an in-person interview at the Consulate may be requested.
For over 25 years, Passport Visas Express (PassportVisasExpress.com) has been a privately owned passport and visa courier,
serving customers nationwide through our offices. We are not a government agency and are not part of, or endorsed by, the U.S. Department of State, any U.S. passport agency,
or any foreign embassy or consulate.
We are a private, third-party company. You can apply directly through the official Chinese government portal,
cova.mfa.gov.cn.
Our fees are for our own application services and are charged in addition to all government, embassy and consular fees.
Whether a visa is issued, and how long it takes, is decided by the Chinese embassy or consulate.
Insurance notice: Passport Visas Express maintains liability insurance covering the passport applications in our care.
For written details of our coverage, call 1-888-596-6028 or email info@passportvisasexpress.com.
