1. Category
This specifies the type of visa you have, and what it can be used for:
| L |
Tourist |
| M |
Business (Commerce and Trade) |
| F |
Internship (Exchanges and Study Tours) |
| Z |
Work and Commercial Performance |
| G |
Transit |
| C |
Crew Member and Motor Vehicle Driver |
| R |
Introduced Talent |
| X1/X2 |
Student |
| Q1/Q2 |
Visiting relatives with permanent residence in China |
| S1/S2 |
Visiting relatives working or studying in China |
| J1/J2 |
Journalist |
1 - duration of stay more than 180 days
2 - duration of stay less than 180 days
2. Entries
This refers to the number of times the visa holder is permitted to enter and leave China within the validity period of the visa:
| 01 |
Single entry visa |
| 02 |
Double entry visa |
| M |
Multi-entry visa |
3. Issue and exit date
Issue date: the date that the visa holder can enter China on.
Exit date: the date the visa holder needs to leave China by.
4. Duration of each stay after entry
This refers to the maximum number of days a visa holder can stay in China during each visit. Under normal circumstances this is 90 days for UK citizens and 30 days for non-UK passport holders. Please bear in mind that the decision on whether to issue a visa and how long for is always at the Consulate’s discretion.
5. Issued at
This specifies the city your visa was issued in. We deal with all Chinese visa applications through the Chinese Consulate in London, therefore this field should always read ‘London’.
6. Full name
The initials of your first name and your full surname. Please check the spelling is correct.
7. Birth Date
Please check your date of birth has been entered correctly.
8. Passport Number
This will match the passport number which the visa is attached to. Please make sure this is correct.
9. Visa number
This is generated by the Chinese Consulate.
10. MRZ
This string of characters is encrypted for use by electronic passport scanners and can sometimes include misspellings of customer names. This is caused by translating between different alphabets and is nothing to be worried about.