Among China’s Great Wall, Tiananmen Square and the Forbidden City are a vast number of expanding businesses. With an array of businesses that focus on technology and advanced manufacturing, China’s business acumen has gradually positioned the country as an international business player. To conduct business within China, international business travelers must obtain a visa.
Requirements
The China Consulate requires international travelers to meet certain criteria for visa approval. US business travelers must hold a valid, US-issued passport. The passport must expire no less than six months after your arrival in China. The passport must also have at least one blank page. International business visits to China are by invitation only. Therefore, business visa applicants must also provide a letter of invitation from the Chinese company with their completed visa application.
Selections
The Chinese visa application provides single-entry, double-entry and multiple-entry options. The single-entry option permits business travelers to enter China only once and expires within three months of issuance. The double-entry visa permits two entries and expires within six months of issuance. Both single- and double-entry visas permit business travelers to stay up to 60 days with each entry. US passport holders may also apply for multiple-entry visas. These are available in 6-, 12- and 24-month options and allow unlimited entries with extended stays that do not exceed 60 days per entry. Twenty-four month visas are available under more rigid conditions and are not available to first-time multiple-entry applicants.
Processing
The Embassy of the People’s Republic of China in the US is responsible for approving and issuing its visas to US citizens. Chinese visa applications must be processed in person. The Chinese Embassy warns that mailed visa applications will not be processed. Applications that are submitted with all of the required information are generally processed with four working days. Expedited options are available for an additional fee.
Payment Options
The Chinese Embassy does not permit business visa applicants to pay for their visas with cash or personal check. All business visa applicants must provide verifiable funds. The options include money order, company or cashier’s check, Visa or MasterCard. Payments that are made with money order, company check or cashier’s check must be endorsed for the entire amount and made payable to the Chinese Embassy.
Considerations
In China, successful relationships and acquaintance ships are often the basis of successful business relationships. The Chinese embrace trustworthiness and personal character and will do business only with those they deem to be upstanding in these areas. As a result, business contracts and agreements are often finalized only after several meetings. Therefore, if the goals of your Chinese business travels are to establish firm business relations, it is highly recommended you apply for a multiple-entry business visa as opposed to a single-entry visa.
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