China Holidays, Tours of China and the Far East

Do I need a Visa for China for a holiday or for a business visit?
Yes. All UK citizens planning to visit China require a visa. This has to be obtained before departure from the UK. However British Nationals do not currently require a visa to enter Hong Kong.

Any Exceptions?
No. All foreign visitors (except for those Citizens of Japan, Singapore, and Brunei who have a 15 days visa-free period) will need a visa to enter Mainland China.

Can Sanya China Travel organise this application for you?
Yes. We can organise your application for you at an additional cost of £35, which has been included in the total costs chart below. The Visa is placed in your passport. The Chinese Government issues many different types of visa's from single entry, business, different durations to multiple-entry VISA. If we are arranging your holiday or business trip, this £35.00 is well spent, as we will check and double check all the required paperwork prior to it going to the Visa office. If we are preparing your travel itinerary and we have booked flights for you Sanya China Travel will deal with the required paperwork . Once we have filled out your application form on line we will send this to you to be signed and sent back to us. This £35.00 fee for each separate visa includes sending the Passports back to you via Royal Mail Special Delivery.

What are the total costs? Including both Sanya Travel's admin charge of £35.00 and those made by the Chinese Government.

Applicable for both holidays and business Travel.

Please note: A single-entry visa is valid for up to 30 days stay in China, and is valid for 90 days from date of issue.

Business Visa: This is the Multiple Entry Visa - valid for one year.

What do I need to do now?
You can move forward using the Checklist below;

Please note: Your valid passport must have six months to run from the proposed date of return.

• Please make sure there is a minimum of two blank pages in your passport.
• Please send us your passport within 30 days from date of travel.
• Obtain a Chinese Visa Application form. This form is the same for both holidays and business travel. This can be downloaded here: Chinese Visa Application Form. (Business and Holiday Visas – same form is to be used).
• Download and fill out the required Declaration Form to accompany your visa application.
• Travel Related Paperwork (Proof of travel) is needed;
  1. A copy of outward and return flight ticket booking.
  2. A copy of the Chinese hotel booking and travel itinerary. Or if you are staying with a relative Proof of kinship (e.g. an invitation letter and a copy of the identity document of the relative in China). Applicants who are below 14 years old or born in China (including Hong Kong, Macau and Taiwan) as shown in the passport are not required to submit this proof).
  3. If you are applying for a business visa you will also need a Visa Notification Form issued by the relevant department of Chinese government or the government-authorized company; Although we can sometimes help with this, this form is normally obtained by the person or company you are visiting in China.
• A recent standard passport sized photograph. This is to be fixed to the visa application form. Life photos, copied photos and digital photos printed on ordinary paper are not acceptable
• The correct payment. (If the costs have not been incorporated in your travel invoice).

Please note. If you are entering China twice you will need a double entry Visa. E.g. Beijing - Hong Kong - Sanya - Shanghai. You do not need a Visa for Hong Kong.

What if I want to apply for the Visa(s) myself and save Sanya Travel's £35.00 charge?
This is possible. Please click on this link taking you to the new Visa Service Center Web site for the Chinese Government - www.visaforchina.org.uk.

China Visa Information Download

Click here to download the fact sheet on visas for Mainland China (including Hainan Island/Sanya).

Hainan Island is a Chinese Province so you need a visa in exactly the same way as you do for the Mainland. See the Mainland China section of this page for info about obtaining a visa for Mainland China.

If you’re travelling to Hainan Island via Hong Kong, Please note you do not need a visa for Hong Kong if you are a UK Citizen, but you will need one for Hainan Island (Sanya).

British passport holders do not currently require a visa to enter Hong Kong, so you do not need a visa if you are only staying in Hong Kong.

However, if you are planning to visit mainland China (or Hainan Island / Sanya) from Hong Kong then you need a chinese visa. ee the Mainland China section of this page for info about obtaining a visa for Mainland China.

To gain entry into the chinese province of Tibet you first need a passport that has six months to run from the date of return from your holiday in China or Nepal. You will then need a special permit to visit Tibet. Your passport must first have a chinese or nepalese visa.

We will arrange your permit for you via our representative in Nepal or China depending on the country you are entering Tibet from. It is a very easy process and carried out by our own staff while you are in China or Nepal while you are outside the 'Tibet Autonomous Region'.

Tibet Travel Permit:

All visitors going to the Tibet Autonomous Region (TAR) need to have a Tibet travel permit along with a Chinese or Nepalese visa. This document is not placed in your passport, but is a piece of paper that will be given to you before your entry into Tibet.

The Tibet travel permit can only be issued through the Tibet Tourism Bureau (TTB), which is based in Lhasa. All permits come from the TTB.

Our people in Lhasa will be given by our Chinese Office in Beijing or Nepal office in Katmandu, a copy of your passport and visa information to arrange your permit in plenty of time for your entry to Tibet, this will be obtained while you are in China or Nepal before you travel to Lhasa (or one of the border points).

Once you have entered Tibet, you will probably not be checked for your permit. No hotel will normally ask to see your permit. However, keep your permit with you just in case something unusual happens. You may have to show your permit if you book a trip outside of Lhasa (ie. going to Everest, the Nepal border or Mt. Kailash independently of our guides).

The money for your permit for Tibet will be included in your holiday cost.