Please note that it is the participant's responsibility to get a valid Chinese visa to visit IHEP. The IHEP staff may help with the preparation for necessary documents.
If you plan to visit China, for most of the non-Chinese citizens, in addition to a valid passport, you will need to get a visa for China. For more detailed visa information please visit the website of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in China. (http://cs.mfa.gov.cn/wgrlh/lhqz/lhqzjjs/)
If you are invited to visit IHEP, please refer to the following instructions to get a valid visa.
1. First, be sure your passport is current. In addition to a Visa for China, you need a current Passport for any international travel.
2. Know which categories of the Chinese Visa you need.
There are numerous types of Visas available to non-Chinese residents (aliens) when visiting China. You will need to apply for the correct type of Visa, depending on the purpose of your travel to China. For the different visa categories, please visit http://cs.mfa.gov.cn/wgrlh/lhqz/lhqzjjs/t1095035.shtml
For short-term visitors to IHEP, we recommend you to apply for “F” type visa or “L” type visa.
3. Applying for “L” category visa
For most foreigners, you need a visa before visiting China. An easiest way to do it is to apply for a tourist visa.
You may apply for a tourist visa of China all by yourself. Such visa is issued to foreigners for sightseeing and visiting relatives or any other personal affairs, it is marked with “L”.
Visa L is characterized by a short duration of stay, usually 30 days, no more than 90 days, and could not be extended upon expiration.
You can come to the Chinese Embassies, Consulates and other Chinese diplomatic missions to submit application in person; if you can't come personally, you can entrust someone else, a travel agency or a visa agency to act on your behalf. Applications by mailing are not acceptable and will be refused at most of Chinese embassies or consulates. No appointment is required.
4. Applying for “F” category visa
For foreign guests who will visit IHEP in short terms, you may also apply “F” category visa (business visa). To get the “F” category visa, you will need an official visa notification form (we also called it “visa application letter”)
Please submit your personal information to the inviter at IHEP, he or she will contact our Foreign Affairs Office to apply for visa application letter for you.
The information should include:
Name:
Gender:
Date of Birth:
Nationality:
Passport No.:
Expiration date of the passport:
Profession and title:
Expected date of arrival in China:
Expected date of departure:
Mailing address:
The embassy or consulate of China where you apply for visa:
Please also provide a scanned version of the passport you are holding. Applicants who intend to apply for a Chinese visa of multiple entries should also provide an electronic version of the “F” category visa you got before and the future visiting plans to China (at least 2 more entries to China in one year and the purpose, time, place, funding, of your visits)
5. Submitting visa application materials to your local Chinese consulate or embassy
Note：
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 the necessary materials before submitting them.
Please note that the application of an official invitation letter requires at least ten work days. Applicants should initiate the process as early in their travel plans as possible, adequate time (> 1.5 month) should be allowed for processing visa applications.
Please note that it is the foreign guest's responsibility to obtain an appropriate visa on time.
The IHEP staff would provide assistances (such as letters of invitation) and suggestions during the process however please understand we are not associated with any visa office or agency and have no control of the outcome of the visa application process.
For more information and help about getting a valid Chinese visa you may visit: http://www.visaforchina.org/
