(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)
S2 Visa Issued to those who intend to visit their family members who are foreigners working or studying in China, or to those who intend to go to China for other private matters. The intended duration of stay in China is no more than 180 days. "family members" refers to spouses, parents, sons, daughters, spouses of sons or daughters, brothers, sisters, grandparents, grandsons, granddaughters and parents-in-law.
Currently, Chinese visa applications are divided into two stages: the first stage is online review, and the second stage is offline submission. All application materials mus be submitted during the online review, and only the original materials must be presented during offline submission.
1. Basic Documents
¨ Passport: Original foreign passport recognized by China with at least six months of remaining validity and with at least 2 blank visa pages, and a photocopy of the passport's data page and the photo page if it is separate.
¨ Original
¨ Photocopy of information page
¨ Visa Application Form.
¨ Photo: Recently-taken (within 6 months) color passport photo (bare-head, full face) against a white background of the size of 48mm×33mm (width of head: 15mm to 22mm, height of head: 28mm to 33mm). The facial expression should be nautral with eyes open, lips closed and ears visible. No ornaments and eyeglasses with frames are allowed.
¨ Proof of legal entry or residence status (applicable to those not applying for the visa in their country of citizenship).
¨ HK Identity card (For all the Hong Kong resident) – original and photocopy
¨ Residence status (For the non-permanent resident) - Residence, employment or student status, or other valid certificates of legal staying – original and photocopy
¨ Proof of legal entry (For the Visitor) - e.g. Landing Slip – original and photocopy
¨ Photocopy of the latest Chinese Visa page (if the visa is in separate passport, please photocopy the information page of that passport as well)
¨ If you used to be a Chinese citizen but now have obtained foreign citizenship:
If you are applying for a Chinese visa for the first time, you should provide your previous Chinese passport held 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.)
2. Supporting Documents
For visiting family members for a short period, the following documents are required:
¨ An invitation letter（The invitation letter may be in the form of fax, photocopy or computer printout） issued by the inviting individual (a foreigner who stays or resides in China for work or studies) which contains:
a) Information on the applicant (full name, gender, passport number, date of birth, etc.)
b) Information on the visit (purpose of visit, arrival and departure dates, place(s) to be visited, relations between the applicant and the inviting individual, financial source for expenditures, etc.)
c) Information on the inviting individual (name, contact telephone number, address, signature, etc.)
¨ A photocopy of the inviting individual's (a foreigner who stays or lives in China for work or studies) passport and residence permit.
¨ Photocopy of certification showing the relationship of family members between the applicant and the inviting individual.
¨ Photocopy of marriage certificate.
¨ Photocopy of birth certificate.
¨ Photocopy of notarized certification of kinship showing the relationship of family members between the applicant and the inviting individual.
"Family members" refers to spouses, parents, sons, daughters, spouses of sons or daughters, brothers, sisters, grandparents, grandsons, granddaughters and parents-in-law.
For private affairs, documentation identifying the nature of the private affairs should be provided as required by the consular officer.
Note：
(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 proof 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 http://cs.mfa.gov.cn, or http://www.fmcoprc.gov.hk .