1. Qualified applicants:

Foreigners who need to enter China because of emergency;

Foreigners who are invited to enter China because of urgent commercial affairs, emergency repair works, or other urgent issues;

Foreigners who participate in tours organized by tourist agencies in accordance with laws and regulations;

Note: Application shall be verified by related departments;

Application shall be processed by port visa granting offices authorized by the Ministry of Public Security.

2. Approach:

(1) Individuals shall apply for a personal port visa after arriving at the port. Tourist agencies shall apply to the port visa granting office for tourists after arrival;

(2) Organizing institutions (individuals) shall apply to the local port visa granting office for invitees before arrival; applications on behalf of foreigners shall be transferred by administrative departments of prefecture-level city governments and governmental agencies with higher level of authority.

3. Required materials:

1) Personal passport or other international travel documents (original and hard copies);

2) Filed application form for port visa;

3) Personal photographs;

4) Invitation letters or other supporting documents issued by organizing institutions (individuals) or tourist agencies (original and hard copies);

Notes: Inquiries shall be conducted by port visa granting offices before application for a port visa. Background information shall be verified by port visa granting offices and organizing institutions (individuals). Related institutions and individuals shall cooperate with legal investigation.

(1)To apply for a C visa, the applicant shall provide an invitation letter issued by the administrative departments of county governments and governmental agencies with a higher level of authority or the department of civil aviation, railway, highway, port and other transport institutions, to clarify entry because of emergency.

(2) To apply for an F visa, the applicant shall provide a letter of permitting port visa issued by the administrative departments.

(3) To apply for an L visa, the applicant shall provide an invitation letter from qualified travel agencies, a list of members and a travel plan.

(4) To apply for an M visa, the applicant shall provide an invitation letter from authorized institutions or organizing institutions which have been put on records to port visa granting offices; for other organizing institutions, the applicant shall provide a schedule after entry, an invitation letter for clarifying entry because of emergency and registration materials.

(5) To apply for a Q2 visa, the applicant shall provide an identification of the inviter, an invitation letter including reasons for entry because of emergency and relationship between family members from a foreigner with permanent residence.

(6) To apply for an R visa, the applicant shall provide supporting materials from the administrative department of talents and an invitation letter from organizing institutions for clarifying entry because of emergency.

(7) To apply for a S2 visa, the applicant who comes to China for visiting relatives shall provide the inviter’s passport and residence credential, an invitation letter from a foreigner living in China including reasons for entry because of emergency and relationship between family members; the applicant who comes to China for other private affairs shall provide supporting materials of entry because of other urgent issues.

Note: Family members refer to spouses, parents, parents-in-law, children, siblings, grandparents, grandchildren and spouses of children.

Identification of a Chinese mainland resident refers to a household registration record or a resident identity card. Identification of Chinese citizens residing abroad refers to a Chinese passport and evidence of permanent residence abroad. Identification of a Hong Kong or Macao resident refers to a Mainland Travel Permit for Hong Kong and Macao Residents. Identification of a Taiwan resident refers to a Mainland Travel Permit for Taiwan Residents. Identification of a foreigner refers to a foreigner’s permanent residence card. Chinese citizens residing abroad and Hong Kong and Macao residents shall also submit a certificate of residence proving residence longer than six months.

4. Other notices

(1) Port visa granting offices shall verify the application submitted by organizing institutions or individuals. If the application meets the requirements, organizing institutions or individuals will receive a foreigner’s port visa acceptance form provided by the port visa granting office. The applicant shall present the form to the port visa granting office upon arriving at the port in order to apply for a visa.

(2) After verification and approval, port visa granting offices shall issue a one-time visa, valid for five days with maximum stay duration of 30 days, to qualified foreign applicants traveling individually, or a one-time group tourist visa, valid for 15 days with maximum stay duration of 30 days, to foreign tourist groups. The port visa granting office will not issue a visa to foreigners who bear features stated in article 21, Exit and Entry Administration Law of the People’s Republic of China.

(3) Foreigners with a port visa traveling individually shall enter China from the port where the port visa granting office is located. Foreigners traveling with a tourist group can enter China from all ports. Under exceptional circumstances foreigners shall stay at the restricted area and leave the country from a specific port according to requirements by the port visa granting office.

(4) Port visa granting offices of Shenzhen, Zhuhai, and Xiamen can issue a special administrative region tourist visa allowing maximum stay duration of three or five days. Foreigners holding a special administrative region tourist visa cannot enter areas outside the administrative region of the city where the port of entry is located.

(5) Foreigners shall pay the visa application fee to the port visa granting office according to the regulations when applying for a port visa.