Do I need a visa for China, and what do I need for a tourist (L) visa?

Check your passport and stay length first. As checked in October 2026, ordinary-passport holders from the UK, Canada and Australia qualify for China’s unilateral 30-day waiver for eligible tourism visits. The United States is absent from that list. Longer stays need a visa suited to the visit unless another exemption applies. The application checklists below concern people who still need an L tourist visa.

The MFA’s unilateral list, checked in October 2026, contains 50 countries: Andorra, Argentina, Australia, Austria, Bahrain, Belgium, Brazil, Brunei, Bulgaria, Canada, Chile, Croatia, Cyprus, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Kuwait, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, Malta, Monaco, Montenegro, the Netherlands, New Zealand, North Macedonia, Norway, Oman, Peru, Poland, Portugal, the Republic of Korea, Romania, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, the UK and Uruguay. The MFA page gives no expiry for Brunei, 31 December 2027 for Russia and 31 December 2026 for the other 48 countries. Recheck the linked MFA list for your travel date.

For the unilateral waiver, the MFA requires an ordinary passport valid throughout the intended stay. That differs from the six-month passport rule in the L-visa checklists. The MFA recommends carrying evidence of your purpose, such as flights, accommodation or an invitation; border inspection decides admission. For a connecting trip, use our 240-hour visa-free transit guide. Other passport-specific exemptions appear in the MFA’s mutual-exemption list.

Apply through the office responsible for where you live. These examples are the US Embassy in Washington, London, Toronto and Sydney, checked in October 2026; another consular district can have different submission arrangements. Fees depend on nationality and service, not just where you apply. Former Chinese citizens and children of Chinese descent should also read their office’s additional-document sections.

United States: the Embassy’s checklist requires a passport with more than six months remaining and at least two blank visa pages, its bio-page and blank-page upload, US address evidence and previous Chinese visa/residence-permit material where applicable. Non-US citizens also upload proof of lawful US residence, such as a green card, visa, I-20 or I-94. Since 1 January 2024, L applications within the US do not require round-trip flight bookings, hotel bookings, an itinerary or an invitation letter. Individual cases can require more evidence.

US process: use the new China Online Visa Application system (COVA) at consular.mfa.gov.cn/VISA. After online approval for passport submission, the applicant or an agent submits the passport and barcode info-page. If the uploaded photo fails repeated checks, the official instructions say to bring a standard photo with the passport. The Embassy’s photo chart specifies a recent colour photo, a white or near-white background and a 33 mm × 48 mm paper photo. The Embassy’s FAQ says applicants do not need to attend in person for fingerprint collection; a consular officer can still require an interview.

US fees and timing, checked in October 2026: regular L processing costs US$140 for US citizens; express adds US$25. The fee-reduction notice runs through 31 December 2026. The Embassy quotes an average four business days for regular service and three for express, counted from passport submission. Online review is additional; some cases take longer.

United Kingdom, London: bring a passport valid for at least six months with at least two blank visa pages, a passport copy and a recent white-background colour photo, 48 mm × 33 mm. Non-UK applicants need UK legal-status evidence. The L list offers round-trip flight and hotel bookings OR a tourist invitation. An individual host supplies both sides of a Chinese ID, or a foreign passport and Chinese residence permit.

London process and timing, checked in October 2026: complete the China Online Visa Processing System review through the centre website, then bring the emailed Visa Application Certificate and passport; no appointment is required after that certificate. The process notice describes regular collection on the third working day from passport submission; follow your pickup slip. A later notice exempts short-term stays up to 180 days from fingerprints through 31 December 2026. Check with the centre whether someone else may submit for you. The UK Embassy’s regular visa fee for a British citizen is £64, excluding five- and ten-year multiple-entry visas, through 31 December 2026. The centre service fee is extra; its current numeric schedule could not be retrieved, so confirm the total with London.

Canada, Toronto: the L checklist requires at least six months of passport validity and two blank visa pages, a digital photo taken within six months (33 mm × 48 mm, colour, front-facing, white background) and one paper photo for submission. Applicants outside their country of nationality upload legal-residence proof. Submit travel bookings, including return flights/train/ferry and hotel evidence, OR a tourist invitation. The individual inviter is asked for a Chinese ID copy. The page does not specify a foreign-resident host’s substitute ID documents; confirm those with Toronto before preparing that invitation.

Toronto process, fees and timing, checked in October 2026: register on the centre website, upload the form and documents, wait for online approval, then submit the passport, printed Visa Application Confirmation and paper photo without an appointment. Short-term stays up to 180 days are exempt from fingerprints through 31 December 2026; the waiver alone does not establish a mail or agent route. Regular service for a Canadian citizen totals C$137.15 including tax, before mailing add-ons. Online verification is approximately 3–5 working days; after physical submission, regular processing is four working days, express three and urgent two. These are estimates.

Australia, Sydney: the L list requires at least six months of passport validity, two blank visa pages and a colour photo taken within six months, 48 mm × 33 mm, with a white background and no glasses. Non-Australian applicants provide legal-stay or residence evidence. It lists round-trip flights AND a hotel reservation; if there is no hotel booking, use a tourist invitation. A Chinese host supplies both sides of their ID; a foreign host supplies their passport bio-page and valid Chinese residence permit. The Sydney page does not say that an invitation replaces the round-trip flight evidence.

Sydney process, fees and timing, checked in October 2026: select Australia–Sydney on the centre website, complete COVA and upload documents; after online review, the process page lists counter submission without an appointment and a separate postal route. Check the centre’s postal instructions before sending a passport. Short-term stays up to 180 days are fingerprint-exempt through 31 December 2026. An Australian citizen’s regular single-entry total is A$94.50, comprising A$45 visa fee and A$49.50 service fee including GST. The Sydney FAQ gives a usual four working days after submission if documents are complete; online review and postal transit are additional.

Staying with a friend: for an L application in the US, the published exemption includes invitation letters. London and Toronto list an invitation as an alternative to booking evidence; Sydney uses it when there is no hotel reservation. Those centres require the traveller’s name, gender and birth date; arrival/departure dates, places and accommodation; and the host’s name, contact details, address and signature or organisation stamp. London also lists the individual host’s ID number; Sydney lists the relationship. Use the supporting host ID documents specified for your application centre.

Avoid a preventable rejection: use the actual applicant’s photo, check its size and background and follow the office’s upload instructions. London explicitly rejects a form containing another person’s photo. Sydney’s L checklist says no glasses even though its generic photo FAQ permits some glasses, so follow the stricter L checklist or ask the centre. Check passport validity before starting an L application and include lawful-residence proof when applying outside your nationality country. US applicants still enter travel dates and cities in COVA even though separate itinerary evidence is waived.