As a USA citizen/resident, can I apply for a Chinese visa while in a foreign country?
I'm a USA citizen/resident traveling the world through multiple countries and interested in visiting where a friend of mine lives.
Can I apply for a visa from a Chinese embassy/consulate in one of the countries I'm visiting (e.g. I'm in Istanbul next week). Or do I have to return to the USA to apply for the visa?
Best Answer
In general, you cannot apply for a Chinese visa from a country of which you are not a citizen or permanent resident.
Specifically for Turkey (my emphasis):
(3) Proof of legal stay or residence status(applicable to those not applying for the visa in their country of citizenship)
If you are not applying for the visa in the country of your citizenship, you must provide the original and photocopy of your valid certificates or visa of stay, residence, employment or student status, or other valid certificates of legal staying provided by the relevant authorities of the country where you are currently staying.
You'll note visitor is not a valid status. This means that you'll have to apply in advance for your visa from the US.
Although the link in my answer is to chineseembassy.org, apparently this is the official domain for foreign missions as per the Ministry of Foreign Affairs' website.
Pictures about "As a USA citizen/resident, can I apply for a Chinese visa while in a foreign country?"
Can US citizens apply for Chinese visa?
US citizens may be eligible for a 10-year multiple entry visa. The tourism visa requires your passport to be valid for at least 6 months and it must have at least two blank pages. You must also have an invitation letter from a china travel agency or an individual or round-trip tickets and a hotel booking.Can green card holders go to China?
Holders of a Foreigner Permanent Residence ID Card are not only free to enter and exit China, but also allowed to reside and work in China indefinitely.Can you apply for a visa in a foreign country?
Can I apply for a visitor visa at the local visa office? If you are applying on paper we recommend that you apply for a visa from your home country. However, if you are legally admitted to the country you are currently in, you can apply at your nearest visa application centre (VAC).How long can you stay in China as a US citizen?
Normally the duration of stay of a "L" visa is 30 days, which means the holder of the visa may stay in China for up to 30 days from the date of entry.How I Got My Chinese Visa
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