Anyone in the same boat?

I'm a Dutch passport holder planning a trip from 11 September to 16 October.

My current plan is:
- Arrive in Hong Kong
- Spend a few days in Hong Kong
- Enter mainland China
- Travel through mainland China
- Return to Hong Kong for a few days before flying home

From what I've read, Dutch citizens can currently stay in mainland China visa-free for up to 30 days. I also noticed that Hongkong and mainland China seem to have separate entry rules/visa requirements.

My idea would be to spend a few days in Hong Kong at the start and end of the trip, so that my total time in mainland China stays below 30 days.

Has anyone done this recently under the current visa-free policy?

A few questions:
1. Do the days spent in Hong Kong count towards the 30-day limit for mainland China?
2. When entering mainland China from Hong Kong, do I need to show proof of onward travel?
3. Is a return booking from mainland China back to Hong Kong usually sufficient?
4. Are there any other things I should be aware of when doing a Hong Kong → mainland China → Hong Kong itinerary?

Thank you in advance.

I’m planning to travel from Brussels to Hong Kong where the first layover (towards HKG) is Beijing Peking (PEK) airport for 4 hours, and the layover coming back is Chengdu Tianfu (TFU) airport for 10 hours, so a total transfer duration of 14 hours.

All four flights involved here are Air China, and on bookingdotcom, it doesn’t say “Self-transfer” anywhere (I know this is a thing because I have had a manual transfer needing a transit visa in Shanghai in the past with Hainan Airlines—>Asiana Airlines).

I just need to be assured I won’t be needing to go to immigration/and or re-checkin my baggage because this would involve leaving the transit area and to the best of my knowledge, that breaks the TWOV policy. I also do not plan to go outside and visit Chengdu or Beijing (the latter being impossible anyway in 4 hours).

Any help would be greatly appreciated, since there doesn’t seem to be a concrete answer anywhere, and neither could Air China help me out in this.

Applying for an L (tourist) visa from India in September, traveling to Shanghai + Hangzhou for 7 days in November. My job ends Sept 4th, so I'll be unemployed by the time I actually travel. Bank statement will still show recent salary credits + ₹1.8L liquid cash

Questions:
1. Is an employer letter/NOC actually required, or can I skip it and rely on bank statement + past salary history instead?
2. How do I word the cover letter honestly, without claiming I'm still employed, and without it sounding like I might look for work in China? (Which I am not looking for irl)
3. Could I ask my employer for a letter that mentions specific leave dates in nov, even though my job ends before I travel? Would that cause problems if it doesn't match reality, or is this something people commonly do?

Anyone dealt with a similar timing gap? Did bank statement + past income alone work, or did you need something else? Trying to make sure the file looks consistent and doesn't accidentally raise more questions than it answers.

Would appreciate any real experiences, especially from people who've applied through the Delhi CVASC recently. Thanks so much

Scope: United States only. Everything below is measured through the five Chinese missions in the US (DC, Chicago, New York, LA, San Francisco). Queues in other countries can be completely different — please don't apply these numbers to London or Sydney.

This is a monthly update. COVA shows no estimates, no queue position, and sends no email when your status changes — so the only way to know what "normal" looks like is to file applications every day and write down what happens. We do, across more than 150 applications in the current window. Numbers first, then a plain-English decoder of the statuses, then the mistakes that actually cost people weeks.

The number everyone refreshes for

The wait that matters is "Preliminary review in progress" → "Passport to be submitted" — the stretch where the portal tells you nothing. Median by the month the application was filed:

These are medians of completed applications, not a prediction: roughly one in ten waits longer than 11 days, and our slowest case in this window took 34 days. DC has been the fastest jurisdiction for us and New York the slowest. Rush vs regular barely moves this queue — the review doesn't know what you paid anyone; rush cases just get filed sooner.

What each status actually means (the portal won't tell you)

• "To be paid" / "Payment pending" — your application exists but is not in any review queue yet. Nothing happens until this clears.
• "Preliminary review in progress" — the measured queue above. No ETA is shown anywhere and no notification fires when it changes; checking once a day is genuinely all you can do.
• "Supplementary materials to be provided" — they want something from you. The clock is paused on YOUR side; the review resumes after you respond, so respond fast.
• "Rejected and to be modified" — this is NOT a visa denial. Something in the form needs correcting; fix it, resubmit, and the review restarts. Read the description text on the status page — it usually says what's wrong.
• "Passport to be submitted" — the review passed. Your physical passport now has to be submitted to the consulate for your jurisdiction, with the barcode/confirmation page.
• "Final review in progress" / "Passport submitted" — the consulate has the passport. In our experience this runs about 3 business days for rush and 4 for regular, occasionally one more in peak periods.Body 2/2:- "Passport to be collected" — visa issued; it's ready for pickup or courier return.
• "Finished" — done.
• Video interview / appointment statuses — much less common; if you draw one, everything else pauses until you complete it. Follow the portal's instructions exactly.
• "Review failed" / "Canceled" / "Payment timed out" — terminal states. These generally mean starting a fresh application; check the description text before assuming anything.

Is your wait normal right now?

Judged against what we filed in August 2026:

• 0–7 days — the normal window. Most filings clear in about three days. Refreshing does not move the queue.
• 8–11 days — longer than typical but common (roughly a quarter of applications). Check once a day and actually read the status, don't assume it still says the same thing.
• 12–22 days — slower than ~9 in 10 applications. Look hard for "Supplementary materials" or "Rejected and to be modified" — at this point the queue is often waiting on you.
• 23+ days — rare. Re-check the portal AND the email on the account.

The mistakes that cost people weeks (not days)

1. Filing a second application while one is pending. COVA allows one pending application per person. A duplicate triggers "The current applicant already has an application pending" and can leave you unable to proceed on either one — untangling it means withdrawal letters presented at a consulate. However anxious the wait gets, this is the one thing that reliably makes it worse.
2. Losing access to the email on the account. COVA emails a one-time code on EVERY login, not just password resets. If that inbox dies, you can't even get in to check your status. Keep it alive for the whole application.
3. Wrong jurisdiction. Your consulate is set by your home address, not preference or convenience. Filing to the wrong one bounces the application.
4. Forgetting consulate holidays. The missions close for both US and Chinese public holidays, and the queue doesn't move while they're closed.

Full breakdown — by consulate, rush vs regular, and exactly how we measure — stays updated monthly here: https://getmypassports.com/blogs/china-visa-processing-time

Happy to answer questions in the comments.

Disclosure: I run Get My Passports, a US visa agency — the data above comes from our own filings. We're not affiliated with any government, and processing timing is controlled entirely by the authorities. This is measurement, not a promise about your application.

Non-Criminal Background Check after leaving China

Hello, I lived and worked in China from 2019 to 2022. Before I left China, I got a non-criminal background check from the PSB in Futian. I went back to my home country, the UK, and applied for another Z Visa using that criminal background check. I worked in China from 2023 to July 2026. Like a complete idiot I forgot to get a criminal background check while in China. I've now been in the UK for almost 2 months

Can I ask a friend to go to the PSB in Futian and get a background check for me? I really do not want to go through the process of applying for ACRO and getting it authenticated again because I want to leave the UK ASAP and last time it was a huge pain in the arse to get documents authenticated.

Alternatively, could I go to China myself using the 30 day visa free exemption, get the background check in Futian, and then apply for the Z visa in Hong Kong?

It’s my first time applying for my visa but my trip is october 5th will my visa application go through in time? I also expedited it because i’m really nervous that I applied too late.

My friends and I are going to China next year.
We are leaving USA -lay over in Japan 2hrs— arrive in Beijin.
Beijing—- train to qinhuangdao—->from qinhuangdao—- flight to Shanghai. Shanghai—- layover in South Korea 2hr- Japan. Is that okay? We will go back to USA from Japan.
Will transit without a visa work. We will stay 240 hours in China (10days).

Hey everyone,

I recently applied for a China Tourist (L) Visa through the New Delhi Consulate/CVASC. After sitting "Under Review" for about 3 weeks, my status abruptly changed to "Unapproved" with no specific reason provided.

My upcoming flight is on September 13th, so I’m in a tight spot and trying to figure out how to pivot or fix this file.

Visa type : Tourist (L) - Individual

For context, here is the exact list of documents I uploaded to my initial application:

• Photo: JPEG format, 390 x 567 pixels.
• Flights & Hotels: Official Trip com reservation vouchers covering all dates.
• Itinerary: Day-by-day travel plan.
• Cover Letter: Signed personal cover letter.
• Host/Invitation Substitute: Hotel reservations PDF uploaded in place of an inviter’s ID (which I was told was by embassy since I am an individual toruist).
• Financials: Personal bank statement for the last 3 months showing a consistent daily balance over ₹1,50,000.
• Employment: Last 3 months of salary slips + Company ID Card (PDF).
• Tax Docs: Last 3 years of ITRs.

My Questions for the Community:

1. Has anyone else experienced a sudden, blank "Unapproved" status from New Delhi recently, and what was the actual underlying reason your agent or the center eventually found out?
2. For those who got rejected on their first attempt and successfully re-applied, what major changes did you make to your file to get an approval the second time?

Would appreciate any recent experiences or advice on what adjustments to make. Thanks in advance!

Hey guys

"My visa application was approved, but my husband's was rejected without any reason given. We applied through an agency. FYI, I won't be traveling. Is there still any point in getting my visa stamped, just to have it for future use, given his was denied?" I applied through delhi

We are Indians wanting to visit the Auto Guangzhou Show and maybe network a little to simply get some contacts.

To apply for the Business Visa (M), an invite is needed but has anyone done so for the Auto Guangzhou Show? I know the Canton Fair website has a link to apply for a visa directly. Or are we supposed to reach out to a booth owner to get an invite?

Would it just be better to apply for a Tourist visa (L) otherwise? First time applying, so a little confused.

Hi everyone,

I'm an Indian student and I applied to CSCSE to verify my foreign degree. I received this rejection:

您所就读的院校/机构不符合相关认证标准。("The school/institution you attended does not meet the relevant accreditation standards.")

My degree is from the University of Kashmir (India), which is a government public university recognized in India.

I'm confused because CSCSE didn't explain what accreditation standard is missing. Has anyone received the same reason? Were you able to get it approved through a review () or by providing additional documents?

I'd really appreciate any advice or similar experiences. Thank you.

I hope this is the correct sub for this question. I am an American finishing up a masters degree in China on an X1 visa. I graduate in November this year. I have plans on starting a Trade FWOS. I am a it confused on the visa process for this, and I feel like my search so far is yielding a lot of contradictory information.

I know that listing myself as a shareholder and or legal representative of a company is considered commercial activity in a violation of my student visa. So I am not starting any part of the registration process now. I do plan on using an agent. I am aware of that in order to change visa, I have to leave the country. I am also aware that certain steps for opening the company require me to do it in person.

Plan A: To complete certain steps, namely, the bank account opening, do I have to leave after graduation have the agent do what they can until the parts I’m needed for and come back on a business visa (M) to finish the set up. Then do I leave again to apply for the work visa(Z)? This also seems to be quite a contradiction with the current legislation changes coming up on September 15 requiring a more strict assessment of invitation letters. But how do I invite myself to set up the company that I’m gonna use to invite myself?

Plan B: Or, do I just leave once have the agent set up what they can, and apply for a work visa to come back to finish set the company up and start working? However, I need a company to sponsor me, but I can’t sponsor myself if I have to come back to create the very company that will sponsor me so that seems to be quite the contradiction.

If anybody has been through this kind of situation and has any insight. Please let me know. Or if you have a very good legal agent who shouldn’t be affected by the upcoming change and legislation feel free to DM me. Thank you.

hello po question po sa mga nakapag apply na ng
china visa. nitong nakaraang June-July- Aug, ilang days po inabot ng online application nyo "under review"??
ika-5 working days na po application namin, submit Aug 24. wala pa naman po email saamin na mag add ng requirements.

Hi everyone! My China Z visa was rejected the first time, and I’m now reapplying from Mumbai. My company is handling most of the documents, but I want to make sure everything is correct from my end.

On the website, it says we need a personal cover letter. My company has already provided a company cover letter, so do I need to submit a personal cover letter as well?

If yes, what should the personal cover letter include?

If anyone has recently applied for a Z visa from Mumbai, I’d really appreciate your advice. Thanks!

Documents submitted first time:

1. Work permit( both English and Chinese)

2. Rent agreement(Since I’m applying in Mumbai but I’m from Karnataka, the company poc asked me to upload this so not sure if it’s required or not)

3. Cover letter issued by company.

4. Business license and Invitee ID with handwritten message of the passport number and reason for visa application )

5. Invitation letter.

Now I’m thinking about, I don’t think we uploaded travel itinerary. It’s issued by company and it’s dummy so I should have uploaded the first time but didn’t. Probably this might be the reason as well.

Does anyone know if the original passport is required for the TB test or if a copy/photo of the passport is enough?

My plan is to cross the Lao Cai–Hekou border by land. My question is: in my visa application, should I mention my actual itinerary, or should I show them dummy tickets with a direct flight to China?

For my first leg, I’m flying into Hanoi, Vietnam, and then I’ll spend a few days in Vietnam before heading north to Lao Cai to cross the land border into China.

My return flight is from Shanghai to Mumbai.

May I be advised whether anyone had to procure this no crime record certificate in USA for their visa application ? If yes, tell me how to do it and how long did it take ?

I have a question about the transit free visa. I want to visit both Taipei and Guangzhou using the transit free visa from JFK airport. If I take EVA Air, I'll need to change planes at Taipei going to Guangzhou. Should I travel to Taipei first and then go to Guangzhou afterwards? I'll leave Guangzhou to fly back to the US but EVA must have a layover of a few hours at the Taipei airport. Would that be okay? Would a layover be a problem?

We cannot seem to find anything in the policies that state this scenario directly... has anyone done this?

We are entering Beijing (PEK) from Hanoi (HAN), staying for 4 days, then domestic flight to Xi'An (XIY), staying for 2 days. Then, flying from XIY to Seoul (ICN).

This satisfies the arrival from one country, departing to another. But it does not mention if I can change province airports while there. Is this allowed under the 240?

How long after an interview does it typically take to get a visa or be denied for a visa?

I work for the US government as a DoD civilian and accepted a position in Okinawa Japan. I had this genius idea to get my China travel visa so I could take my 10 year old to Disneyland while we are out there so we could go to every Disneyland location so three weeks ago, we took a trip to NYC to drop off all our documentation. Her visa was approved within a couple days, but mine sat in pending status for 1.5 weeks. Last week I received a phone call stating I needed to go to the consulate for an interview, so last Friday I made the 4 hour drive back to NYC so I could tell them I work in an HR job and I want to go to Disneyland (took less than 5 minutes) and then turned around and drove home.

I need my passport to move and our flight to Japan is on the 16th. I asked them at the interview if I didn’t hear back by the 10th could I just cancel everything but now I’ve just read that I will receive my passport back in 24-48 hours after requesting they return it?! I can’t keep driving 8 hours and my time is running short. I mean, 100% my fault that I didn’t plan for potential delays, but I truly never thought I would run into this issue.

For others who may have had an interview - how long afterwards did you receive a visa or a denial?

Hey everyone,

Dropping this here to see what current timelines look like for everyone else because I'm starting to seriously stress out about my upcoming travel plans.

I submitted my application for a China Tourist (L) visa back on August 11th. It’s been about three weeks now, and it's still sitting "under review" with zero updates. My flight is coming up fast on September 13th.

Consulate - New Delhi

For those who have applied recently:

• Are tourist visa applications taking significantly longer than usual right now?
• How many weeks or working days did it ultimately take for your status to shift from "Under Review" to approved/ready for pickup?
• Did anyone experience a similar backlog delay for mid-August submissions?

Would appreciate any recent data points or shared experiences so I know whether to sit tight or start worrying about changing my flight plans!

Update as of Sept 1 - 8pm : Visa got unapproved with no reasons mentioned. I just emailed consulate asking teh reasons for not being approved.

Docs I uploaded:

Photo (Personal Information): JPEG format, 390 x 550 pixels.

Air Tickets & Hotel Reservations: Official Trip.com vouchers covering all travel dates.

Travel Itinerary: Day-by-day plan of the trip.

Cover Letter: Signed personal cover letter.

Inviter's ID Substitute: Hotel reservations PDF uploaded in place of the inviter's ID (Note: Confirmed with the embassy prior to applying).

Personal Bank Statement: Last 3 months with a daily balance of more than ₹1,50,000.

Payslips: Last 3 months of salary slips.

ITRs: Last 3 years of Income Tax Returns.

Company ID Card: PDF format.

I am a British citizen of Chinese origin born in mainland China.

I previously had Chinese citizenship, but after I became British, I automatically lost my Chinese citizenship.

I am planning to move to Hong Kong in the near future as the spouse of a Hongkonger.

As a HK resident, will I become Chinese again under the below section from the 1996 explanation by the NPCSC on the Implementation of the Nationality Law of the PRC in the HKSAR?

“Where a Hong Kong resident is of Chinese descent and was born in the Chinese territories (including Hong Kong), …, he is a Chinese national.”

Many thanks.