I. GENERAL INFORMATION

In general, applicants for Chinese visa need to come to the Consular Office of the Embassy by themselves together with relevant documents. Under special circumstances, the applicant can fill the Visa Application Form with his own signature and instruct others to submit the application on behalf of the applicant to the Chinese Embassy for processing. Applicants shall answer relevant questions when necessary and provide the following documents while applying for a Chinese visa:

(1) Valid passport with at least 2 blank pages available for visa

(2) Invitation from Chinese travel agencies or companies or individuals.

(3) Reservation or copy of air tickets to China

(4) Certificate letter of employment in Latvia

(5) One properly completed Visa Application Form with a recent 2-inch, bareheaded and full-faced passport photo affixed to it. The visa application may be refused or delayed due to misinformation or failed declaration of any item or illegible handwriting on the application form.

(6) Residence permit in Latvia for citizens of the third country.

To apply for multiple entry visas, the original invitation approved by relevant Chinese authorized units is required. The invitation or approval letter by the Chinese authorized unit can be sent to the Chinese Embassy directly by the unit or submitted by the applicant. Please note that the authorized Chinese units refer to all the Ministries, all the governments, foreign affairs offices, economic and trade commissions and other governmental organizations at the levels of provinces, autonomous regions, municipalities directly under the control of the State Council and other relevant cities, as well as some national and other authorized companies.

II. TYPES OF VISA

At present, the Chinese Embassy in Latvia mainly issues the following visas, which are marked with Chinese phonetic letters (L, F, X, Z, G, J-1, J-2) respectively.

1. Tourist "L" visa: Issued to aliens who come to China for sightseeing, travel, visiting relatives or other private purposes. For a tourist applicant, confirmation letter of tour arrangement made by a travel agency in China or confirmed booking sheet of return air tickets and hotel reservations are required. Those applicants who go to visit relatives or friends are required to provide invitation letters from their relatives or friends in China.

For travel to the Tibet Autonomous Region of China, please contact your local travel agency or Chinese travel agencies to obtain approval from the Tourist Bureau of Tibet Autonomous Region before applying for a visa. Tourist Bureau of Tibet Tel: 86-891-6834313, Fax: 86-891-8634632. More information available at:

http://www.tibettour.org/chinatibettoursite/moban/index.asp

2. Business "F" Visa: Issued to an applicant who is invited to China for lecture or business tour, for scientific-technological and cultural exchanges, for short-term refresher course or for job-training for a period of no more than six months. To apply for a Visa F, the invitation letter/telegram from the Chinese inviting unit is required. For multiple-entry visas, the original invitation letter from the Chinese authorized units is required.

3. Student "X" Visa: Issued to aliens who come to China for study, advanced studies or job-training for a period of six months or more. To apply for a Visa X, an admission from the receiving university in China, original Application Form for Overseas Students to China (JW201 Form or JW202 Form) and original Physical Examination Record for Foreigners are required. Please note that holders of such visas are required to go to the local Chinese Public Security Bureau for residence permits within 30 days from arrival in China.

4. Employment/Work "Z" Visa: Issued to aliens who are to take up posts or employment in China. To apply for a Visa Z, an Employment License for Foreigners issued by the Chinese Labor and Social Security Ministry, or a Confirmation Letter issued by the Chinese State Administration of Foreign Experts Affairs, is required. The original Physical Examination Record for Foreigners is also required. Please note that holders of such visas are required to go to the local Chinese Public Security Bureau for residence permit within 30 days from arrival in China.

5. Transit "G" Visa: Issued to aliens who transit through China. The applicants are required to show valid visas for and on-going tickets to the countries/regions of destination.

6. Journalists J-1 Visa: issued to journalists who are posted by their company to China for at least one year. A notice from the Information Department of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of China and the original Physical Examination Record for Foreigners are required. Please note that holders of such visas are required to go to the local Chinese Public Security Bureau for residence permits within 30 days from arrival in China.

7. Journalists J-2 Visa: issued to journalists who will carry out news reporting in China for a short period of time. A notice by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of China alone or by other relevant Chinese authorities together with the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs is required. For those who are to do news reporting in Shanghai or Guangdong exclusively, one notice by the Foreign Affairs Office of Shanghai Municipality Government or the Guangdong Province Government alone is required.

8. Group Tourist Visa: Issued to tourist group of five people or above planning to enter and leave China at the same time. An invitation letter from a government tourist bureau or a government-authorized Chinese travel agency, and typed name-list of the whole group in TRIPLICATE are required.

9. Group Business Visa: Issued to group of 9 people or above planning to go to China for sports competition, exhibition, celebration ceremony or cultural exchanges. These people should enter and leave China at the same time. An invitation letter from a government-authorized Chinese agency, and typed name list of the whole group in TRIPLICATE are required.

Please note that to apply for group visa, copies of passports of all the group members are required. But they don't need to fill out the Visa Application Form.

III. VALIDITY OF VISA, NUMBER OF ENTRY AND DURATION OF STAY

1. Tourist "L" Visa in general has 3-month validity, one or two entries, 30-day duration of stay (varies with different cases).

2. The validity, number of entry and duration of stay for other types of visa depend on different situations and the invitation letter/telegram.

3. Holders of Chinese visa should enter China within the validity of the visa, and upon entry into China, stay in China according to the specified duration of stay and abide by the Chinese laws and regulations. The duration of stay starts upon entry into China.

IV. TIME FOR VISA PROCESSING AND COLLECTION OF VISA

1. Usually it takes one week to process a visa application with complete documents. In emergence cases, express processing can be granted and Extra fee will be charged for express processing.

2. Please note that in case of a withdrawal of visa application, there will be no refund for either visa fee or express fee. All payments need to be made only by US dollars cash.

3. To collect a visa, please bring the pick-up form issued by the Chinese consular officer and come according to the collection time specified on it.

4. In case the pick-up form is lost, owner of the passport is required to come to the Consular Office in person with his/her IC and one copy of it, and make a statement about the loss. The passport will be returned once the owner's identity is confirmed. If someone else except the owner gets back the passport with the pick-up form, the Chinese Embassy will bear no responsibility at all.

V. INFORMATION ON TRAVEL TO HONG KONG

1. According to the arrangement by the Government of the Hong Kong Special Administration Zone of China and the Government of the Republic of Latvia on mutual exemption of visa, Latvian Citizens do not need any entry visa to travel to Hong Kong for a maximum stay of 90 days. This arrangement only applies to those who travel to Hong Kong for sightseeing, visiting relatives or business tour.

2. The application for HK entry visa by Latvian Aliens and persons from the third country will be processed in compliance with relevant regulations.

Link of the Immigration Department of the Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region

http://www.immd.gov.hk/ehtml/home.htm

VI. VISA FEES

1. Individual Visa Application

Single entry: 30 US$

Double entry: 45 US$

Multiple entry for 6 months: 60 US$

Multiple entry for 12 months and above: 90 US$

Express fee (collection time: on the next working day of the consular office from the application day): 20 US$

Urgent fee (collection time: in the afternoon on the same day of application or in the morning of the next day): 30 US$

2. Fee for Hong Kong entry visa: 30 US$

3. Group Visa Application: Single-Entry (24 US$/per person)

Express fee (collection time: on the next working day of the consular office from the application day): 10 US$/per person

Urgent fee (collection time: in the afternoon on the same day of application or in the morning of the next day): 20 US$ /per person