China F visa: exchanges, visits and study tours

The F visa is for persons who come to China for exchanges, visits, study tours or other relevant activities (Regulations, Article 6, item (3)). To apply for it, the applicant shall submit the invitation letter provided by the inviting party in China (Regulations, Article 7, item (3)).

Who the F visa is for

The Regulations define the class in one sentence: "The F visa is issued to persons who come to China for exchanges, visits, study tours or other relevant activities" (Regulations, Article 6, item (3)).

The visa category table in the consular instructions, the Visa Application Instructions of the People's Republic of China on the China Consular Services website, gives the F row as "Issued to those who intend to go to China for exchanges, visits, study tours and other activities."

Trips for commercial and trade activities fall under the M visa instead (Regulations, Article 6, item (7)).

What the application needs

The invitation letter

The Regulations require the letter from China. Article 7, item (3) reads: "To apply for the F visa, the applicant shall submit the invitation letter provided by the inviting party in China."

The F Visa section of the consular instructions says the letter must be "issued by a relevant entity or individual in China." It then lists the content the letter must contain:

• Personal information of the invited: name, gender, date of birth, etc.
• Information about the invited person's visit to China: reason for coming to China, dates of arrival and departure, place of visit, relationship with the inviting entity or the inviting person, who will pay for the travel, etc.
• Information of the inviting entity or the inviting person: name of the inviting entity or name of the inviting person, phone number, address, official seal of the entity, signature of the legal representative or the inviting person, etc.

The English above is this site's translation of the consular instructions, which are written in Chinese characters in their original form. Hmm, no: the list is taken from the English text of the consular instructions as published by the China Consular Services website.

Section III, Important Tips, of the consular instructions says the invitation letter "may be a fax, a photocopy or a printout, but the consular officers may require the applicant to provide the original one."

Basic documents

Section I, Basic Documents, of the consular instructions asks the applicant to submit the passport and a photo, proof of legal stay or residence, and the previous Chinese passport or previous Chinese visa. These are submitted together with the documents listed for the class. For the F visa, that list is the invitation letter described above.

Additional material

Article 7 of the Regulations ends with a sentence that is not numbered: "The visa authority may, in light of specific cases, require a foreigner to submit additional application material."

Section III of the consular instructions says that, when necessary, the consular officers may require other supporting documents or supplementary materials, or may require the applicant to attend an interview.

Who decides

Section III of the consular instructions says that "the consular officials will decide whether to issue a visa and determine its validity, duration of stay and number of entries according to the applicant's specific circumstances."

What the embassy in Washington says

The embassy in Washington, in the F row of its own requirements notice, gives the purpose as "Issued to those who intend to go to China for exchanges, visits, study tours and other activities." For the document it says: "An invitation letter issued by a relevant entity or individual in China (Please refer to Annex 2 for the contents of the invitation letter)."

This wording belongs to that embassy's page. The consular instructions list the letter contents in the F Visa section, while the embassy in Washington refers its readers to Annex 2.

Questions people ask

Does the F visa need an invitation letter?

Article 7, item (3) of the Regulations says the applicant shall submit "the invitation letter provided by the inviting party in China." The F Visa section of the consular instructions gives the same requirement for the letter and lists its contents.

Can the consular officers ask for more documents?

Yes, in the sense that the Regulations and the consular instructions say so. Article 7 of the Regulations says the visa authority "may, in light of specific cases, require a foreigner to submit additional application material." Section III of the consular instructions says the consular officers "may require the applicant to provide other supporting documents or supplementary materials."

For the other visa classes, see the visa classes page.

Sources

• Visa Application Instructions of the People's Republic of China (China Consular Services website)
• Regulations of the People's Republic of China on Administration of the Entry and Exit of Foreigners (National Immigration Administration)
• Requirements and Procedures for Chinese Visa Application (Embassy of the PRC in the United States)

Checked 11 October 2026

This page is an unofficial summary. It is not published by or affiliated with the National Immigration Administration, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, any embassy, consulate or visa application service centre, and it is not legal or immigration advice. If the official text and the current notice of the office handling your case differ, the official text and that notice prevail.