(S2) Family member of foreigner(s) staying or residing in China or person who needs to come to China for personal matters (no more than 180 days)

(1)Passport 

Original passport with at least six months of remaining validity and blank visa pages, and a photocopy of the passport's data page and the photo page if it is separate. 

(2)Visa Application Form and Photo 

One completed Visa Application Form with two recently-taken colour passport photos (bare-head, full face) against a light background attached. Please Click to see the following large photo for details. 

(3)Proof of legal stay or residence status (applicable to those not applying for the visa in their country of citizenship) 

If you are not applying for the visa in the country of your citizenship, you must provide the original and photocopy of your valid or visa of stay, residence, employment or student status of the country where you are currently staying.. 

(4)Photocopy of previous Chinese passports or previous Chinese visas (applicable to those who were Chinese citizens and have obtained foreign citizenship) 

If you are applying for a Chinese visa for the first time, you should provide your previous Chinese passport and a photocopy of its data page. 

If you have obtained Chinese visas before and want to apply for a Chinese visa with a renewed foreign passport that does not contain any Chinese visa, you should present the photocopy of the previous passport’s data page and the photo page if it is separate, as well as the previous Chinese visa page. (If your name on the current passport differs from that on the previous one, you must provide an official document of name change).

For a short-term family visit

1. A photocopy of the passport and residence permit of the inviter (a foreigner who stays and resides in China for work, study, etc.);

The invitation letter must contain the following:

-- Personal information of the invitee: full name, gender, date of birth, etc.;

2. An invitation letter issued by the inviter;(The invitation letter may be in the form of fax, photocopy or computer printout, but the consular officer may require the applicant to submit the original of the invitation letter.)

-- Visit information of the invitee: reason for coming to China, dates of arrival and departure, places to visit, relationship with the inviter, financial source of expenditures, etc.;
-- Inviter’s information: full name, contact telephone number, address,signature, etc.
3. Proof of family relationship (marriage certificate, birth certificate, a copy of the certificate of kinship, etc.) between the applicant and the  inviter issued by the police station or a notarial certificate of kinship, (spouse, parents, children, spouses of children, brothers and sisters, grandparents, maternal grandparents, grandchildren, maternal  grandchildren, and parents of the spouse).
For personal affairs, the consular officer may require to provide relevant proof documents.

(1)The invitation letter may be in the form of fax, photocopy or computer printout, but the consular officer may require the applicant to submit the original of the invitation letter. 

(2)If necessary, the consular officer may require the applicant to provide other  documents or supplementary materials, or require an interview with the applicant.

(3)The consular officer will decide on whether or not to issue the visa and on its validity, duration of stay and number of entries in light of specific conditions of the applicant.

(4)For further details, please visit the web-site of the relevant Chinese Embassy or Consulate General.