China - Apply for Business Visa (M Visa) / Commercial Trade Visa

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Procedure

How to Apply

You can submit your application to the consular office of Chinese embassies or consulates by yourself, or ask someone else (such as your friends, relatives) or entrust an agency to do so on your behalf. The power of attorney is not required.

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Required Documents

• Application Form with a recently-taken color photo glued to or stapled on.
• Valid passport and a copy of information page.
• One of following documents:
  • Invitation letter issued by the Chinese business or trade partner.
  • Invitation letter or confirmation letter of Invitation issued by duly authorized Chinese institutes or relevant units.
  • Invitation letter of Trade Fair.
  • Business License or Certificate approving the establishment of enterprise which shows the applicant as the enterprise's investor or owner.
• For application of a multiple entry M: copy of all previous Chinese visas (on one A-4 sized paper) should be attached.

Documents on the commercial activity issued by a trade partner in China, or trade fair invitation relevant entity or individual. The invitation letter should contain:

• Information on the applicant (full name, gender, date of birth, etc.)
• Information on the planned visit (purpose of visit, arrival and departure dates, place(s) to be visited, relations between the applicant and the inviting entity or individual, financial source for expenditures)
• Information on the inviting entity or individual (name, contact telephone number, address, official stamp, signature of the legal representative or the inviting individual)

Office Locations & Contacts

People's Republic of China Ministry of Public Security
Address: No. 14 East Chang An Avenue,
Beijing Zip: 100741
http://www.mps.gov.cn/
Contacts for Municipal Public Security Bureaus of China

Chinese Missions Overseas

Eligibility

Business or Trade Purposes (M visa)

M is a new business visa category from 1st Sept 2013, which is issued to foreigners coming for commercial and trade activities.

Fees

The fees vary according to your nationality and number of entries. Generally speaking, the fee is higher if the number of entries is more.

Validity

Explain the time until which the certificate/document is valid.
e.g. Birth Certificate Valid Forever

Documents to Use

Visa Application Form of the People's Republic of China

Sample Documents

Please attach sample completed documents that would help other people.

Processing Time

It regularly takes 4 working days for processing the application. However, the express service and rush service are also available if you want to pick up your visa earlier.

Related Videos

Videos explaining the procedure or to fill the applications. 
Attach videos using the following tag <&video type="website">video ID|width|height<&/video&> from external websites.
Please remove the "&" inside the tags during implementation.
Website = allocine, blip, dailymotion, facebook, gametrailers, googlevideo, html5, metacafe, myspace, revver, 
sevenload, viddler, vimeo, youku, youtube
width = 560, height = 340, Video ID = Can be obtained from the URL of webpage where the video is displayed.
e.g In the following url "http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y0US7oR_t3M" Video ID is "Y0US7oR_t3M". 
	

Instructions

Your original Passport: It must have 6 months validity for single entry, 12 months for double or six-month multiple entry, and 18 months for 1yr multiple entry and at least two blank visa pages remaining and NO Physical damage.

If you are not applying for the visa in the country of your citizenship, you must provide the original and photocopy of your valid or visa of stay, residence, employment or student status of the country where you are currently staying.

If you are applying for a Chinese visa for the first time, you should provide your previous Chinese passport and a photocopy of its data page (applicable to those who were Chinese citizens and have obtained foreign citizenship).

If you have obtained Chinese visas before and want to apply for a Chinese visa with a renewed foreign passport that does not contain any Chinese visa, you should present the photocopy of the previous passport's data page and the photo page if it is separate, as well as the previous Chinese visa page. If your name on the current passport differs from that on the previous one, you must provide an official document of name change (applicable to those who were Chinese citizens and have obtained foreign citizenship).

Required Information

• Personal Information
• Travel Information
• Other Information
• Declaration& Signature
• If the application form is completed by another person on the applicant's behalf, please fill out the information of the one who completes the form

The Letter of Invitation from China must include the following:

• Name, gender, nationality, and date of birth and passport number of the applicant
• Full name of employer and applicant's job title
• Purpose of visit (what kind of business)
• What city and province the applicant plans to visit
• Dates of entrance and exit from China
• Specific validity of visa being requested (single, double, multiple entries, 3 month, 6 month, etc)
• Information about the relationship between the Chinese and US companies
• Who will provide financial support in China for the duration of stay
• Full name of the company in China which invited applicant
• Full name, job title, address, phone and fax numbers of the contact at company (in China)
• Signature of the inviting contact (in China) and company stamp

Need for the Document

A visa is an officially approved document issued by authorized bodies for the government, in accordance with the laws of the country, to foreign citizens applying to enter, leave or transit through the country.

Based on Chinese laws and regulations, Chinese consular officials may decide on the type of visa, number of entries, validity period and duration of stay, and may also refuse a visa application or revoke an issued visa.

M visas: Issued to those who intend to go to China for commercial and trade activities.

Information which might help

Chinas Visa Authorities are:

• Chinese diplomatic missions, consular posts, Office of the Commissioner of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, Office of the Commissioner of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in the Macao Special Administrative Region, and other resident organizations abroad authorized by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs are responsible for handling visa applications by foreign citizens for entry into and transit through mainland China and the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of China.
• The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the local foreign affairs offices authorized by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs are responsible for issuance, change and extension of diplomatic and service visas and for issuance of residence permit to holders of diplomatic and service visas.
• The Ministry of Public Security and the local public security authorities authorized by the Ministry of Public Security are responsible for inspection on entry and exit of foreigners, issuance of visas at the port of entry, extension and change of ordinary visas, and issuance of residence permit to holders of ordinary visas, who are already in China.
• The Immigration Department of the Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region is responsible for matters relating to foreigners entry into and exit from the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region. Its Website address: http://www.immd.gov.hk
• Macao Public Security Police Force Immigration Service. Unless visa exempted according to bilateral agreements, a foreigner may apply for a visa to enter Macao upon arrival at the Port of Entry. Website address of the Macao public security police force: http://www.fsm.gov.mo/psp/cht/main.html

Other uses of the Document/Certificate

A valid passport and visa are required for business travel to China.

External Links

Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the People's Republic of China

Chinese Ministry of Public Security

The State Council of the People's Republic of China

Visa for China

Others

Each item of the application form must be filled out truthfully, clearly and completely. Any untruthful contents, missed items or illegible handwriting may lead to delay of the application processing or even refusal of the visa.

Visa officials will consider visa applications on individual merits.