Types of visa

1. There are three main types of visas: diplomatic visa, official visa and ordinary visa. That is, those holding diplomatic passports are issued diplomatic visas; those holding official passports are issued official visas; those holding ordinary passports are issued ordinary visas.

2. Divided according to entry and exit conditions

Exit visa, entry visa, entry and exit visa and re-entry visa. Exit visa, only permit holders to leave the country, if you need to enter the country, you must apply for an entry visa again. Entry visa: only permit holders to enter) If you need to leave the country, you must apply for an exit visa. With an entry-exit visa, the holder can leave the country or re-enter the country. Multiple entry and exit visa: The holder is allowed to enter and exit the country during the validity period of the visa.

3. Divided according to the reason for entry and exit

Immigrant visas, non-immigrant visas, student visas, tourist visas, work visas, business visas, family visas, etc.

4. According to the length of time, it is divided into long-term visa and short-term visa.

The concept of a long-term visa is to stay in the destination country for more than 3 months. Regardless of the purpose of the visit, applying for a long-term visa generally requires a longer application time. A visa that stays in the destination country for less than 3 months is called a short-term visa, and the time required to apply for a short-term visa is relatively short.

China's visas mainly include diplomatic visas, courtesy visas, official visas and ordinary visas, which are issued to foreigners who apply for entry.

5. Number of valid visas

In addition to the validity period and the period of stay, the visa also specifies the number of times of validity. Generally divided into one-time valid visa, two-time and multiple valid visas, etc. The number of times a visa is valid means that the visa becomes invalid once it is used once within its validity period. A two-time valid visa can be used twice during the validity period of the visa.

Multiple valid visas, that is, the licensee can leave and enter the country multiple times during the validity period of the visa. For example, some tourist visas for Australia and India allow multiple entry and exit within 3 or 6 months. Employment visas in some countries are also valid for multiple entries. Of course, what kind of visa is issued, how long it is valid, and how many times it is valid, the visa authority is determined according to the specific circumstances of the entry applicant.

Validity and stay of the visa

Visas have certain standardized formats, which generally include the type of visa, the purpose of entry, the period of stay, the effective date, the issuing agency, the issuing officer, the date, and the visa fee, etc.

Validity of visa

It means that entry is allowed for a period of time from the date of issuance of the visa to the following period. If this period is exceeded, the visa is invalid. Generally, countries issue entry visas valid for 3 months, and some countries issue entry visas valid for 1 month. Some countries have strict restrictions on visa validity. For example, Germany only issues visas according to the date of application. The validity period of transit visas is generally relatively short. Duration of visa

Duration of visa

Refers to the time allowed for the holder to stay after entering the country. The difference between it and the validity period of a visa is that the validity period of the visa refers to the period of use of the visa, that is, the holder can enter or pass through the country within a specified time.

If a country’s entry and exit visa is valid for 3 months and the stay period is 15 days, then this visa can enter or exit the country’s borders no matter which day within 3 months from the date of issuance. However, from the day of entry, to As of the day of departure, the holder can only stay in the country for 15 days. Some countries must issue entry within 3 months, and the period of stay after entry is: 3 months; in some countries, the visa entry period and stay period are the same.

For example, the validity period and stay period of a visitor visa to the United States are both 3 months, that is, the entry is valid within 3 months, and the stay can only be 3 months after entry. The validity period of the visa is generally: one month or three months; the longest is generally six months or more than one year, such as employment and student visas; the shortest is three or seven days, such as transit visas.

transit visa

Transit refers to traveling through the country to a third country. Citizens of a country traveling internationally, in addition to directly reaching the destination, going to other countries often need to go through one or two transit countries before finally entering the destination country. At this time, it is not only necessary to obtain an entry permit for the country to be visited, but also a transit permit for the country through which it passes, which is generally referred to as a transit visa.

Regarding the regulations on transit visas, countries are different. There are lenient and strict regulations, some require visas, and some are exempt from visas. Some stipulate that visas are not required within the specified time and range, and visa procedures must be processed if the time limit and range are exceeded.

Many countries stipulate that all foreigners entering a third country through that country shall apply for a visa regardless of the length of stay. According to international practice, if there are no special restrictions, citizens of a country as long as they hold a valid passport, entry visa to the country of destination, or connecting air ticket, should be issued a transit visa to the country through which they pass. If you go to a country where you apply for a visa and go to a country with mutual visa exemption or a port visa, you must have an invitation letter or port visa approval certificate for the country to apply for a transit visa for that country. Similarly, you can apply for one-time transit, two-time transit, and multiple transits according to your needs.

Generally, transit visas are issued in accordance with the requirements of the application. In some cases, transit visas may not be issued or not issued as required. In this case, you can take a route to another country or not leave the airport when connecting.

Mutual visa exemption

With the continuous development of international relations and tourism in various countries, in order to facilitate friendly exchanges between citizens of various countries, visa systems in many countries are becoming more and more simplified. Citizens of certain other countries do not need to apply for visas when entering or leaving the country. This is because many countries have signed mutual visa agreements. Even among European Community countries, citizens of a country can travel freely between countries with an identity certificate, without passports and visas.

Mutual visa exemption is based on an agreement signed by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the two countries. Both parties can freely enter and exit each other's borders with valid passports of their own countries. Mutual visa exemption includes all mutual exemption and partial mutual exemption. For details of visa exemption for Chinese citizens, please refer to the list of mutual visa exemption agreements between China and foreign countries on this website.

At present, our country only cooperates with North Korea, Mongolia, Vietnam, Laos, Pakistan, Iran, Turkey, Bangladesh, Russia, CIS countries, Czech Republic, Albania, Slovenia, Romania, Bulgaria, Yugoslavia, Poland, Hungary, Peru, Argentina More than 30 countries, including Chile, Ecuador, Colombia, Bolivia, Venezuela, Cuba, and Benin, have signed an agreement to exempt citizens from going abroad on official business. The signatory countries of the agreements only provide preferential treatment for Chinese citizens who leave the country on official business to exempt entry visas within 3 months, and do not include Chinese citizens who enter or leave the country for private purposes.

Re-entry visa

Foreigners who enter the country legally must properly handle their debts with citizens of the country of residence and relevant agencies before leaving the country, and pay all due taxes. Those who violate the criminal law must leave the country after the expiry of their sentence. Some require long-term foreigners to apply for a departure permit to prove that the relevant obligations have been fulfilled. Foreigners who enter the country for short-term residence can leave the country freely during the validity period of the visa.

Foreigners who have obtained permanent residency or long-term residency in a country often experience re-entry issues after temporarily leaving the country. For example, foreign nationals and international students returning to China to visit relatives, sightseeing, business, etc., must apply for re-entry permits in advance. Due to different countries, the procedures are not the same. Some apply for re-entry visas; some apply for re-entry permits, such as Japan and the United States. The validity period of the re-entry permit is also different: one year or two years.

Port visa

Refers to the visa application (commonly known as visa on arrival) at the port of entry of the destination country. Many countries do not issue port visas to Chinese citizens. The countries that issue port visas to foreign citizens are mainly some countries in West Asia, the Middle East, Southeast Asia and Oceania. Although different countries have different regulations on port visas, in general, the inviting person must apply to the immigration department or entry-exit authority of the country where the port visa is issued. After approval, the inviting person will send the certificate or a copy of the certificate. For the invitee, the invitee can only go there with a certificate) After arriving at the port of destination country, apply for a visa with the country’s approval certificate.

Anti-visa

The so-called anti-visa refers to that the inviting person prepares the visa approval certificate for the visitor at the immigration authority in the country of destination, and then submits the visa approval certificate together with the applicant's passport, filled-in application form, photos and other materials to the embassy of the country in China. The embassies and consulates in China only need to apply for the visa on the applicant’s passport with the approval materials, and no longer need to apply to their domestic immigration department. Although the specifications of anti-visa differ from country to country, generally, as long as the anti-visa is obtained, it means that entry is approved. After the passport is sent to the embassy of the destination country in China, there is no need for a long visa time. Some holders of anti-visa can enter the country. Currently, most of the countries that implement anti-visa are in Asia, mainly Japan, South Korea, Malaysia, Indonesia, Singapore, etc.

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