(S1) Family member of foreigner(s) staying or residing in China or person who needs to come to China for personal matters (more than 180 days)

2026-08-24 · Long term staying

1. Basic Documents
(1) Passport

The applicant's original passport with at least six (6) months' validity from the date of application, at least one blank visa page, and a remaining validity exceeding the validity period of the visa plus the intended duration of stay.

Applicants who have held previous passports issued within the past five (5) years are also requested to submit those passports, if applicable.

(2) Visa Application Form and Photo
Form: Applicants are required to fill in an online application form. Please go to homepage, click APPLICATION FORM to start. Please read the Guidance for Submitting Online Application before starting the online application.
Photo: Applicants should upload a recently-taken color passport photo (bare-head, full face with ears, no jewelry) against a white background. Please see here and disini for the photo requirements.

Please bring 1 physical photo (exactly the same with the uploaded photo) as well to our center.

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

If you are not applying for a visa in the country of your citizenship, you must provide the original and photocopy of your valid certificates of residence, employment or student status, or other valid certificates of legal stay provided by the relevant authorities of the country where the Visa Center is located.

(4) Photocopy of previous Chinese passports or previous Chinese visas (applicable for 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 the last Chinese passport held and a photocopy of its data page.

If you have obtained Chinese visas before and 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).

(5) For minor applicants under 18 years old, the following supplementary documents are required:

Unabridged birth certificate of the applicant（if applicable) ;
Parents' passports or ID cards（if applicable) ;

For first-time visa applications, applicants must also submit photocopies of documents proving the identity status of both parents at the time of the child's birth, including photocopies of the passports, visas, permanent residence permits, or other identity documents held at that time（if applicable).

2. Documents Regarding Your Visa Type

Applicants who are going to visit their relatives residing in China and intend to stay for more than 180 days need to provide:

(1) An invitation letter issued by the foreign citizen residing in China.

The invitation letter should contain:

Information of the invitee, including full name, gender, date of birth, etc.;
Information regarding the intended visit, including the purpose of visit, intended date of arrival, intended place of residence, intended duration of stay, relationship between the applicant and the inviting party, and source of financial support;
Information of the inviting party, including name, contact telephone number, address, and signature of the inviting individual.

(2) A photocopy of the inviting party's passport and residence permit.

(3) Proof of family relationship between the applicant and the inviting party, such as marriage certificate, birth certificate, certificate of kinship issued by a local public security authority, or notarized certificate of kinship.

Family members refer to: spouses, parents, children under the age of 18, and parents-in-law.

If the proof of kinship is issued in Indonesia, it must be accompanied by an Apostille Certificate issued by the relevant Indonesian authority.

Note: Please bring to our center the original and photocopy of proof of kinship, original and photocopy of certificates or additional letters (if any), original and photocopy of translated related documents (if any).

Accompanying family members applying together with applicants of Z-Visa or X1-Visa need to provide:

(1) The application documents of Z-Visa or X1-Visa.
(2) Kinship certificate (marriage certificate, birth certificate or notarized certification of kinship) showing the relationship of family members between applicants and inviting parties.

If the kinship certificate is issued by Indonesia, the document should be apostille by the relevant Indonesian department; if the kinship certificate is issued by a third country other than Indonesia and China, it must be authenticated by the Chinese embassy or consulate in that country.
"Relatives" refers to spouses, parents, sons or daughters under the age of 18, parents in law.

We kindly remind you that: Holders of S1-Visa must apply for a residence permit from the immigration department of the local public security authority in the place intended to stay within 30 days of entry to China.

3. Special Notice
*Please note:
(1) The invitation letter can be faxed, copied or printed. Consular officers may request an applicant to provide the original of the invitation letter. The invitation letters from Chinese individuals should present the photocopy of the ID (applicable to those who apply for F, M, L, Q1, Q2, S1 and S2 visa).

(2) Consular officers may request an applicant to provide additional supporting documents or conduct an interview when deemed necessary.

(3) Whether a visa is to be issued or not, as well as the period of its validity, number of entries and duration of stay will be decided by consular officers according to the applicant’s actual situation.