Visa invitation letter

[NUWORLD]

Well as some of you may know I'm helping a buddy of mine getting hooked up with my sister in law in Chongqing.

My buddy just received his passport today and now we are ready to got his China visa.

 

I have a few questions.

 

1) Visa invitation letter

Is this still required?

 

Per Oasischinavisa web site it states:

 

 

Invitation Letter issued by companies, corporations, institutions and individuals in China. If the invitation letter is issued by an individual in China, the photocopy of the ID of the individual is required. Or, applicant should provide a photocopy of the round trip airline ticket and hotel reservation

 

.

2) does it need to be in Chinese or English

Or does it need to be both and does it need to be from China post mark? (Sent from china)

 

3) Can my wife write this letter for her sister

My wife can write this letter for her sister for she knows the address that we will be staying and what well will be doing while we are there.

(Site seeing and so on)

 

 

[dnoblett]

1) At the moment yes, YuanYang shouted this in the Shout box just recently. "Speaking of Houston: Man there's a new Sheriff at the Consular office. No visa without plane tickets, hotel reservations, etc... Heard some flat out rejections too. It is much more orderly an operation inside."

 

2) Yes can be in Chinese and no translation needed.

 

3) Yes, others have posted this if spouse is still a Chinese Citizen having national ID card, can write the letter.

 

More:

 

http://candleforlove.com/forums/index.php?/topic/44937-effective-as-of-aug-1-a-new-visa-requirement

http://candleforlove.com/forums/index.php?/topic/44961-chinese-consulate-in-usa-slowdown-on-visa-and-authenticationnotarizat

[NUWORLD]

1) At the moment yes, YuanYang shouted this in the Shout box just recently. "Speaking of Houston: Man there's a new Sheriff at the Consular office. No visa without plane tickets, hotel reservations, etc... Heard some flat out rejections too. It is much more orderly an operation inside."

 

2) Yes can be in Chinese and no translation needed.

 

3) Yes, others have posted this if spouse is still a Chinese Citizen having national ID card, can write the letter.

 

More:

 

http://candleforlove.com/forums/index.php?/topic/44937-effective-as-of-aug-1-a-new-visa-requirement

http://candleforlove.com/forums/index.php?/topic/44961-chinese-consulate-in-usa-slowdown-on-visa-and-authenticationnotarizat

 

Thanks Dan.

 

So are you saying he will need No visa without plane tickets, hotel reservations and invitation letter?

If true, He is screwed.

Seeing I'm paying for all airline tickets (Hong,Myself and Bob) As you know my visa is still good for another year with a 180 day stay.

 

Were not staying in a hotel, We just bought a new house in Chongqing and will be staying there.

[dnoblett]

I would suspect if going through a visa service like Oasis Travel, providing an invitation letter and perhaps an itiniary explaining where staying and where visiting should do, is better than visiting the Chinese consulate.

[NUWORLD]

I would suspect if going through a visa service like Oasis Travel, providing an invitation letter and perhaps an itiniary explaining where staying and where visiting should do, is better than visiting the Chinese consulate.

 

We always use oasis for visa.

I'll have Hong write up something nice for Bob.

[Thomas Promise]

Can the ivitation letter be faxed to you. If it can be it can save you a lot of time and would be much cheaper. Any thoughts on this?

[dnoblett]

Yes, or it can be scanned and emailed to you. On my trips over to China, the travel agency scanned and emailed this to me, and I used this when applying for visa.

[Thomas Promise]

Thank you Dan.

[ameriken]

I saw a post stating that one needs the invitation letter and the airline ticket and hotel reservations. For the record...it is either the letter or the airfare/hotel. From the Chinese Embassy:

 

 

http://www.chinaconsulatechicago.org/eng/ywzn/qzhz/qz/grqz/P020120801225217510261.pdf

 

 

 

2) Tourist Visa ("L" Visa)

One of the following documents is required:

- An Invitation Letter for Tourist Group of Invitation Letter for Tourist by a Duly Authorized Tourism Unit;

- An Invitation Letter issued by companies, corporations, institutions and individuals in China. If the invitation letter is issued by an individual in China, the photocopy of the ID of the individual is required.

- Photocopy of the roundtrip airline ticket and hotel reservation.

The invitation letter issued by companies, corporations, institutions and individuals in China, shall include the following items: (A) Personal information of the invitee: name, gender, date of birth, etc. (B) Information concerning the invitee’s visit to China: purpose of the visit, date of arrival and leaving, places to visit, relationship between the applicant and the inviter, and who will bear the cost of the applicant's accommodations in China. © Information of the inviter: name of the unit or individual, phone number, address, and if applicable, seal and signature of the legal representative.

* Generally, the invitation letter may be submitted as a fax, copy or printout. If necessary, the consular officer will ask the applicant to submit the original invitation letter, or to provide some supporting and supplementary documents, or schedule an interview.

* The application with any fake invitation letter or other fraud will be rejected.

 

[NUWORLD]

 

I saw a post stating that one needs the invitation letter and the airline ticket and hotel reservations. For the record...it is either the letter or the airfare/hotel. From the Chinese Embassy:

 

 

http://www.chinaconsulatechicago.org/eng/ywzn/qzhz/qz/grqz/P020120801225217510261.pdf

 

 

 

2) Tourist Visa ("L" Visa)

 

 

One of the following documents is required:

 

 

- An Invitation Letter for Tourist Group of Invitation Letter for Tourist by a Duly Authorized Tourism Unit;

 

 

- An Invitation Letter issued by companies, corporations, institutions and individuals in China. If the invitation letter is issued by an individual in China, the photocopy of the ID of the individual is required.

 

 

- Photocopy of the roundtrip airline ticket and hotel reservation.

 

 

The invitation letter issued by companies, corporations, institutions and individuals in China, shall include the following items: (A) Personal information of the invitee: name, gender, date of birth, etc. (B) Information concerning the invitee’s visit to China: purpose of the visit, date of arrival and leaving, places to visit, relationship between the applicant and the inviter, and who will bear the cost of the applicant's accommodations in China. © Information of the inviter: name of the unit or individual, phone number, address, and if applicable, seal and signature of the legal representative.

 

 

* Generally, the invitation letter may be submitted as a fax, copy or printout. If necessary, the consular officer will ask the applicant to submit the original invitation letter, or to provide some supporting and supplementary documents, or schedule an interview.

 

 

* The application with any fake invitation letter or other fraud will be rejected.

 

 

It's only one of the two, not both.

I'm (As of today) helping a buddy with his visa to china for he will be going to china with my wife and i in about two months.

 

I always use Oasis China Visa.

My wife wrote the invitation letter for him and we sent the papers in last Friday.

Today we get a notice of shipment from Oasis.

 

Once we get passport in hand and see if visa is there or not, I'll update.

 

There is another thread here on candle that talks about this subject in more detail.

 

http://candleforlove.com/forums/index.php/topic/44937-effective-as-of-aug-1-a-new-visa-requirement/

[pbatt]

I just applied for a Chinese visa, had to have both a purchased airline ticket and an invite letter as well. I even had to have the scanned passport page of Yuan's to accompany the invite letter. In 12 years of visiting China this is the most paperwork I have ever had to submit for a visa and is also the only time I have ever felt I may not get one. Will know in a few days.

Things are changing.

[tsap seui]

You should get the visa. IT is more trouble these days, but not any real problem. Heck, wiht the way we treat tehir citizens about even a simple visit here it is a wonder they even let us visit China. It's disgraceful what we do to the Chinese. And for what? Hell, I heard yesterday that we are turning loose tens of thousands of criminal illegal aliens....just letting them walk out of jail. Oh well, such in the America of today.

 

With the visa stuff, I have been using AAA for years now with my trips to Australia and New Zealand, then since 06 for the trips to China. The ladies at my local AAA office aren't that up on the procedures for China as I'm the only person whose gone to China from our little burg.

 

What the ladies here do is to call the agency they use like Oasis and ask them what they need, then I supply it. It's only a 2 hour trip down to Embassy Row in DC for me, but I moved up here to get away from the grid locked parking lot called DC.....lol I ain't going back down into the Shitty....er...ah...city.

 

I appreciate everyone's postings of what they are having to give now for their visas. I've made a list of your comments for when I decide what month I'll join my wife and son in China and will be ready. I don't even think I'm gonna ask for the 2 year visa, just go see ma and ba this time and scratch my itch to see down under again for the next trip out of the states.

 

Good luck with your visas.

 

tsap seui

[dnoblett]

Yes, the visa should process in the normal amount of time, they just make you jump through a couple more hoops.

[NUWORLD]

I did a write up of what we sent for a buddy of mine.

He just received his visa two days ago.

 

This is the write i posted.

Check post number 53.

 

http://candleforlove.com/forums/topic/44937-effective-as-of-aug-1-a-new-visa-requirement/page-4

 

He only needed invitation letter.

it could be that some visa services go by different rules.

Edited February 28, 2013 by NUWORLD (see edit history)

[credzba]

Just got back from Houston Chinese Embassy.

 

For some reason, me and them just do NOT mesh .. of course I always loose.

 

My wife and I are going to China end of March, so I had today off, and drove down to Houston.

Before going, we read the consulate web site, filled out all the forms, made color photo copies of everything they asked for.

 

Then... The Visa Invitation letter .. wtf how do we invite ourselves to China?

I think and think, and finally call a visa company.

The guy says, oh just have your wife write a note saying when your going, returning, and where your staying while in China.

 

So .. silly me I do what he says, and the lady says "This wont work, there's a list on the web site of all the things it needs to contain". (of course wife didn't ride down with me).

I thought that was for a company invitation, it seems INSANE for a wife to invite her husband to China, especially when they are going together on the same flight ...

 

Well, there is no arguing with bureaucracy. Went to UPS store, had wife write, sign (one of the requirements), and fax me the letter.

 

 

Oh, IMPORTANT fact for those that don't go through an agency .. you can't have it mailed back to you, you have to pick it up in person.

So, after I gave them everything they wanted, I got a receipt, and paid a visa guy to pick it up and mail it to me.

 

End result I wasted a lot of time and money trying to get it done myself,

just pay the professionals !