A simple guide to China’s tourist visa for Australians

This guide will help you understand which visa is needed to visit China for a holiday and how to obtain it.

It’s really easy to avoid expensive visa services that do little more than step you through this process. If you prefer to use one of them I don’t judge, but in my opinion it’s really not necessary and doesn’t reduce the amount of work you’ll have to do as you’ll still need to fill out and supply the necessary paperwork.

China is full of all the coolest things you’ll see in your life that you didn’t even know existed. If you want to take a holiday, or just go back to visit family and refresh your palate, then here’s what you need to do.

Jump to any part of this guide using the links below.

What are the options?

Basically there are three main options for the average Joe to visit China from Australia. Those are:

1. Visa-free
2. With a visa acquired via a pre-planned itinerary
3. With a visa acquired via a letter of invitation

Important

When you’re applying for a visa make sure you apply directly through the legitimate Chinese consulate website. It’s easy to fall for dupe websites who will charge you extra fees for the same service. You don’t really need a consultant to help, it’s a simple process.

What are the steps involved in applying for a visa?

Each city’s consulate website contains all the information you’ll need for the L visa including documents and an online application portal. You will first need to create an account to submit an online application.

After filling out the online application, then submit relevant documents and ID in person an application service centre.

There are service centres located in: Adelaide, Brisbane, Canberra, Melbourne, Sydney, and Perth.

Next, head to your nearest service centre any time during opening hours; it’s recommended to avoid rush hours like lunchtime. Sometimes an appointment booking is required if it’s a busy period, but the website will prompt you to select a time during the online applicaiton process if this is the case.

Once you have submitted the required documents your visa will then be approved/denied. If you’re approved the clerk will let you know when to come back (usually a couple of days) to collect your passport with the visa in it.

A local produce market in the side streets of Chongqing selling fresh fruit and cured Chinese sausages/pork belly.

For 15 days or less it’s visa-free

The Australian and Chinese governments have recently agreed on a new visa-free period for Australians visiting China for family, tourism or transit purposes. You can stay for 15 full days, so up until midnight on the 15th day. You can arrive by land, air, or sea.

What do I need for visa-free entry to China?

Nothing is needed for this, you can fly to China, proceed to border security and you will be granted entry like in any other country with visa-free travel. As with any other country, this will be at the discretion of the customs officer on duty.

The agreement runs for 18 months, between 1 July 2024 and 31 December 2025.

There’s a list of frequently asked questions about the agreement on the consulate website here if you need it.

For over 15 days you’ll need an L visa

If you want to stay in China for longer than the 15-day visa-free period, you’ll need to apply for an L visa at your nearest Chinese consulate. Locations listed above. There are two ways to do this:

With a letter of invitation

To enter China without a pre-planned itinerary you can apply for an L visa for either 30 or 60 days with a letter of invitation from a Chinese resident.

Who can issue a letter of invitation?

This can either be: a friend or family member who is a Chinese national, friend or family member who is an expat with a resident permit, or a tour organiser/tourism business you’ve booked through who has a representative that will invite you.

In each case it has to be a person, and not for conducting business purposes. If you want to visit China for business purposes, you’ll need a different visa.

What do I need for a letter of invitation?

For the L visa by invitation, you will need to submit a number of basic documents according to the consulate website. These are all available through the website, just follow the online application process to find them.

• You must have an invitation letter filled out by your invitee using the template on the consulate website,
• and you’ll need a photocopy of the front and back of their Chinese ID card.
• Lastly, you will need a visa photo with very specific size and lighting requirements. See the notes at the end of this article for full detials.

You can apply for either a 30 or 60 day period, and when I applied for 30 my partner and I both got granted 60 on the spot unexpectedly. It was such a nice surprise as we planned on jamming a lot into the 30 days.

I ended up staying for 61 days accidentally, but that’s another story.

Once your application is submitted online you’ll visit the consulate and show ID/submit remaining documents in person. Your application will be approved or denied on the spot and if approved you will leave your passport with the consulate to be processed. You’ll be told to return in a few days to collect your passport with the visa inside.

Binggou Danxia in Linze Country, an hour from Zhangye in China’s Gansu province. Also known as “Alien Valley” Geopark.

With a pre-planned itinerary

The other option is to pre-book your itinerary beforehand then apply for either a 30 or 60 day L visa. This could be planned by yourself, or booked via a tour group or travel agent.

Note: Your tour group may prefer to “invite” you, so best to contact the organiser and find out which method to use before applying.

What do I need for a visa itinerary?

You will need to submit proof of hotel and flight bookings, as well as any other required documents as per the consulate website. As part of this you’ll need a visa photo matching specific requirements which I highly recommend you obtain at Officeworks not Australia Post. See the full details in the tips section at the bottom of this article.

The requirements for your itinerary are vague on the consulate website but state a round-trip airfare and proof of hotel reservations. I read a lot of forums on this when deciding on which way to apply and many stated they just booked refundable accommodation options to gain the visa then re-booked their preferred itinerary after approval.

Note: I had a follower who applied for an L visa in July 2024 tell me that the Adelaide consulate informed her she only needed the first five days of the trip itinerary for the visa to be approved. She’d booked the whole 30. The consulate website still says “Documents showing the itinerary including air ticket booking record (round trip) and proof of hotel reservations of your trips, etc.” so it’s up to you whether you want to take the risk.

Once your application is submitted online you’ll visit the consulate and show ID/submit remaining documents in person. Your application will be approved or denied on the spot and if approved you will leave your passport with the consulate to be processed. You’ll be told to return in a few days to collect your passport with the visa inside.

What if my visa is denied?

It’s recommended to book cancellable hotels so you have some flexibility within your itinerary (if you want it), and, if for some reason your visa application is rejected you aren’t out of pocket.

For business, study, family visits etc.

There are several other visas for visiting China, so if you want to study, undertake business, see family or do anything other than straight tourism then I recommend exploring the options on the consulate website.

I have travelled to China on business once back in 2018 and was invited by our Chinese counterpart. The process was very similar to applying for a tourist visa but I can’t comment much as this was some time ago. From memory it wasn’t difficult to do at the time.

Other tips when applying for a Chinese L visa

Visa photo

Make sure you get your visa photo taken at Officeworks. Australia Post is known for visa photos but the Chinese embassy is quite fussy about how clear and crisp the photos need to be, and some of the Australia Post outlets don’t meet their standards.

Officeworks has visa photo software that will analyse the picture and give it a pass/fail rate. The staffer can then re-take the photo if needed before you get them printed and submitted. This isn’t a full guarantee but it reduces the risk of your application being rejected.

Follow the process

Submit your application online in full first before visiting a Chinese consulate to finish the application. Also, make sure you bring two copies of every document and photocopies of all supporting items like passport/ID/previous visas.

If you are being invited

You will also need two photocopies of your invitee’s Chinese ID card, front and back. I didn’t know this and had to rush around getting one on application day. There is a photocopier in the Melbourne office but it only takes cash and there’s usually a big line. I ended up driving to the Officeworks down the road as it was easier.

If you do forget something though the attendant will let you know and you can just leave and come back to your place in line. It’s chill.

For pre-booking hotels etc.

I highly recommend using Trip.com, it’s the only western tourism website that fully operates in China. You can read all my accommodation and travel tips in this guide.

Australians really aren’t used to having to put in the work for a visa, because we have such amazing passport privilege. But, once you understand the process it’s really quite simple, and to experience all the beauty and wonder China holds it’s absolutely worth it.