Visa Information
People from most countries will be required to obtain a visa to enter the People's Republic of China. Please check with the Chinese Embassy or Consulate General or Chinese Visa Application Service Center (CVASC-https://www.visaforchina.org/) which serves your residence area for your visa application details at your earliest convenience.
Notice on Visa Exemption Policy
According to information released by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, as of February 17, 2026, the list of countries eligible for unilateral visa-free entry is as follows:
Europe (35 countries): France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Spain, Switzerland, Ireland, Hungary, Austria, Belgium, Luxembourg, Poland, Slovenia, Portugal, Greece, Cyprus, Slovakia, Norway, Finland, Denmark, Iceland, Andorra, Monaco, Liechtenstein, Bulgaria, Romania, Croatia, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Malta, Estonia, Latvia, Russia, Sweden, the United Kingdom
Oceania (2 countries): Australia, New Zealand
Asia (7 countries): Brunei, South Korea, Japan, Saudi Arabia, Oman, Kuwait, Bahrain
The Americas (6 countries): Brazil, Argentina, Chile, Peru, Uruguay, Canada
Note: Nationals of the above countries holding ordinary passports may enter China visa-free for purposes such as business, tourism, visiting relatives and friends, exchanges and visits, or transit, with a stay of no more than 30 days. The duration of stay shall be calculated from midnight of the day following entry.
Additionally, you may click on the link below to view the list of mutual visa exemption agreements between China and other countries.
- List of Agreements on Mutual Visa Exemption Between China and Foreign Countries： https://www.mfa.gov.cn/wjbzwfwpt/kzx/tzgg/202504/t20250414_11594222.html
Here are the instructions to get a valid visa for your reference.
1. Know which category of Chinese Visa you need.
In general, a Tourist Visa (L Visa) will suffice for you to attend the conference. You do not need to show the letter of invitation from the Conference Organizer provided you apply for Tourist Visa. However, if it is required that a Business Visa (F Visa) is a must, you probably need an Invitation Letter.
To get the latter one, please fill in your personal information form as below and send it to dujie@ihep.ac.cn (Jie Du). We will contact our Foreign Affairs Office to apply for a visa application letter for you.
Personal information form should include:
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Full name as it appears in your passport: Gender: Nationality: Date of Birth (DD/MM/YYYY): Passport Number: Passport Validity (DD/MM/YYYY): Institution: Position/ title: Arrival Date (DD/MM/YYYY): Departure Date (DD/MM/YYYY): City Name (The city should be in the country where you are currently staying, and there is a Chinese embassy or consulate in this city): Embassy address (the embassy where you submit your application): Research Field: Accommodation booked: Number of Entries: Single/multiple (please let us know if you have multiple trips invited by IHEP and tell us the detailed schedule in China） |
2. Submitting visa application materials at your local Chinese consulate or embassy
Please note that different countries or cities may require different visa application materials. Please visit the website of the local Chinese consulate or embassy to check exactly which materials are necessary before making your application.
We recommend that you allow adequate time (at least 1.5 months) for the whole visa application process.
Tips: Local organizers could NOT provide conference invitation letters to accompanying persons according to related regulations. We suggest that the accompanying persons apply for the tourism-type visa (when it is available), which will be much easier and require less paperwork.
3. Invitation letter for institute purpose
If you do not need the Visa invitation letter but a normal invitation letter for institute purpose, please send the copy of your passport and the information as below to
dujie@ihep.ac.cn (Jie Du)
Your name:
Position/ title
Institution:
Note: Please kindly be noted that the invitation letter issued and stamped by the Foreign Affairs Office of IHEP requires about 5 working days to process.
