Invitation letter for M visa (China) when the itinerary is not fixed

I'm going to apply for a Chinese M visa (for business purposes) and I will have to give an invitation letter from the business entity I'm going to visit in China. This letter will include my complete itinerary, where I will be on which date and when I will leave China.

I need to go to China to meet a prospective supplier, but I also want to stay in China after that in order to look for and meet other potential suppliers but there is no fixed itinerary.

What should I do? I want to stay there for around one month after my interaction with the supplier is over.

Best Answer

Depending on your country where your passport is issued, the Chinese consulate will typically provide a 1, 2 and sometimes 10 year M visa, usually with 60 day stay maximum, despite the detailed information you provide in your letter of invitation.

As a US citizen, I was granted 10 year unlimited, 60 day stay M visa based on a rather sparse letter of invitation. The letter stated coming for some business meetings.

My coworkers, US or British passport, have all received 10 year, 60 day M visas. The only exception is a British national residing in US. He typically gets a 1 year, 60 day M visa because he is applying at the consulate in NY. Other British nationals applying in the UK have received 10 year M visas.

In my experience, your letter of invitation does not need to explicitly state your itinerary. If you plan to spend extra time in China it should not be a problem as long as you don't overstay your visa. The itinerary and bookings you use for visa application don't need to be held to.

I would expect that you would be awarded with an M visa, 1, 2, or 10 year. If you plan to stay an extra month past your work time be careful to stay within the allotted days for each stay. Taking a weekend trip to Taiwan, Hong Kong or Macau or a foreign country does count as a separate exit/entry which can be useful if you are approaching the maximum days on your visa.

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Can I get a visa without an invitation letter?

An invitation is not required and cannot guarantee visa issuance. In fact, there are no required documents for tourist/business visa applications. Visa applicants must qualify for the visa according to their own circumstances, not on the basis of a sponsor's assurance.

How do I write an invitation letter for China visa?

China- Business Invitation Letter Details:

Letter must be written on company letterhead.

Letter must be addressed to the Consulate of China.

Letter must state the personal information of the applicant: full name, gender, date of birth and passport details: number, issue and expiration date.

How long does it take to get an invitation letter from China?

Normally, it only takes 2 days to 1 week to have it approved. You will probably need to submit your passport info or a passport photocopy to the Chinese company.

How do I write a letter to the embassy for an invitation?

How to Write a Letter of Invitation for US Visa?

Host's full name.

Host's date of birth.

Host's address and telephone number in the United States.

Host's occupation.

Host's status in the United States.

A photocopy of a document proving the host's status in the United States.

Guest's full name.

Guest's date of birth.

Applying for a PU Letter to Visit China

Sources: Stack Exchange - This article follows the attribution requirements of Stack Exchange and is licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0.

Images: Tara Winstead, Olya Kobruseva, Dominika Roseclay, Skylar Kang