China tourist visa (L) from the United States
US passport holders need a visa for ordinary tourism in mainland China. The application is completed online in COVA, then printed, signed and submitted in person — by you or by an agent acting for you.
A dated concession holds this up
Fingerprint collection is currently waived for all short-term applicants staying 180 days or less, at every Chinese visa authority overseas. This is what makes agent submission possible for ordinary tourism today — without it this route moves to lane C and the applicant must attend in person. D, J1, Q1, S1, X1 and Z applicants are not covered by the waiver.
What is required
Passport
RequiredOriginal passport, valid for at least six months beyond your intended stay, with at least two blank visa pages. Bring a photocopy of the bio page.
COVA confirmation page
RequiredThe China Online Visa Application completed in full, then printed and signed. The barcoded confirmation page is what the visa office accepts — there is no paper alternative.
Photograph to Chinese specification
RequiredRecent colour photograph against a white background, meeting the Chinese visa photo specification. This is the single most common reason an otherwise complete application is turned away at the counter.
Round-trip flight booking
RequiredConfirmed onward and return travel covering the dates you have declared in COVA.
Accommodation for the whole stay, or an invitation
RequiredHotel bookings covering every night of the declared stay, or an invitation letter from a host in China with their contact details and identity document.
Proof of lawful status in the United States
If it applies to youGreen card, valid US visa or other evidence of your status.
Applies when: You are applying in the US but are not a US citizen.
Copy of previous Chinese visas
If it applies to youThe bio page and previous Chinese visas from an old passport, plus the old passport itself where you still hold it.
Applies when: You have held a Chinese visa before.
What the authority charges
- Visa fee, US citizensSet by reciprocity and the same for single, double and multiple entry.$140
- Express serviceWhere the visa office offers it.$165
These go to Chinese Embassy and Consulates-General in the United States, not to us. We never add anything to a government fee.
Decision time: About four working days at the visa office once submitted. Two to three weeks door to door.
What cannot be done for you
- · Your passport must be handed in physically. It cannot be mailed in by you.
- · Submission happens at the visa office in person — you may send an agent in your place.
- · Your passport is collected in person after a decision.
What changed recently
- China's fingerprint waiver, and the date it runs outin force 1 January 2025
Sources
- Embassy of China in the US — visa application requirements and proceduresread 18 September 2026
- COVA — China Online Visa Applicationread 18 September 2026
Last checked against these pages on 18 September 2026.
Have us do it
$49Prepared and checked automatically. A contracted local agent makes the one submission that has to happen in person, passed through at cost.
That is our fee only. Whatever Chinese Embassy and Consulates-General in the United States charges is paid by you, directly to them, and we never touch it.
Checkout is not enabled on this deployment yet, so this goes to the contact form.