If you are not already staying in China and are planning to travel to China with the purpose of visiting family or just visiting China, then you will need to apply for an L-visa. When applying for an L-visa you will need to do/have/provide the following:

• Provide your passport, which is valid for at least another 6 months on the date of application, with enough blank visa page’s (so there is space for your Chinese visa)
• A filled in Application form (Download), it is important that all the information you fill in is genuine. If you have a Chinese name, fill that in too. If you supply false or incomplete information then it is likely that you won’t be issued a Chinese visa.
• A recent passport photo
• Either provide an invitation letter from a Chinese organization or a permanent Chinese resident;
• Or, Air ticket booking record (round trip) and hotel reservation.

It is often suggested that you apply for you Chinese visa 1 month before entering into China, since some problems might arise with the processing of your visa, or you might be requested to provide additional documents. You shouldn’t however apply for you visa too early, we suggest that you don’t apply for your visa more than 3 months before entering China.

The amount of days you can stay in China on an L-visa is 30 days. This means that the holder of a passport with an L-visa can stay in China for 30 days from the day of entry.