How to Visit China Without Visa From Australia

From July 1st, 2024 to December 31st, 2025, Ordinary passport holders of Australian nationality are exempt from visa requirement to enter China who can stay for no more than 15 days for business, tourism, family visit and transit purposes. Australians who do not meet the above-mentioned requirements still need to apply for Chinese visa before entering China.
 

Traveling to another country, visa is usually the issue that many people will consider. Traveling to China from Australia, do I need to apply the Chinese visa to enter China? How should I apply the Chinese Visa? If you have no idea about whether you should apply for a Chinese visa to enter China or how to apply for the Chinese visa, this article is a complete guide of Chinese visa application in Australia, which helps you apply for the Chinese visa step by step.

 

Should I need a visa to enter China?

When you plan a trip to China, you should first check whether you need a visa to enter China. Based on the visa policy of China, Australian citizens can enter China without visa if they go to China for business, tourism, family visit and transit purposes and stay in China less than 15 days. And if Australians do not meet the above-mentioned requirements, they still need to apply for Chinese visa before entering China.

 

Travel to China without visa, what documents do I need?

Based on the the short-stay visa-exemption policy between China and Australia, Australian citizens who eligible for the visa-free policy still need some documents to enter China.
 

Passport(Please make sure that your passport’s remaining validity can cover your stay in China)
 

Supportive documents help to verify your purpose of visit to China such as the invitation letter, flight tickets and hotel reservation letter.

Under what circumstances should I apply Chinese visa to enter China?

If an Australian citizen wants to stay in China for more than 15 days or his/her purpose to enter China is not eligible for the reasons applicable to the 15-day visa free policy, he/she should apply Chinese visa in advance to enter China.

Where to Apply Chinese Visa in Australia

The Chinese Embassy and Consulates General in Australia do not directly accept visa applications from foreigners holding ordinary passports, please submit your application to the Chinese Visa Application Service Center. There are Chinese Visa Application Center in Canberra, Sydney, Melbourne, Perth, Brisbane and Adelaide.
 

CVAS in Canberra: Suite 201, level 2, Canberra House, 40 Marcus Clarke Street, Canberra, ACT 2600
 

CVAS in Sydney: Level 1, 140 William Street, Woolloomooloo NSW 2011
 

CVAS in Melbourne: Ground Floor, 570 ST., Kilda Road, Melbourne, VIC 3004, Australia
 

CVAS in Perth: Ground Floor, 256 Adelaide Terrace, Perth, WA 6000
 

CVAS in Brisbane: Part Level 4, 140 Ann Street, Brisbane, QLD 4000, Australia
 

CVAS in Adelaide: Suite 1.2, Level 1, 33 King William Street, Adelaide, SA 5000, Australia

 

Select Your Visa Category

To apply for the Chinese visa, you should first clarify your visa category. Your visa category depends on your main purpose of going to China. If you go to China for tourism, you should apply for the L visa to China. You can select the corresponding visa type according to the description on the official website of the Chinese Visa Application Center.

 

Prepare the Documents

Passport

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

Visa Application Form and Photo

You can complete the visa application form on the official website of the Chinese Visa Application Center in Australia, print it out and sign it.

You can know about the requirements of the photo needed on the official website of the Chinese Visa Application Center in Australia.
 

Except for the passport, visa application form and photo, some supporting documents are needed when applying for the Chinese visa. If you are applying for the L visa to China, you should prepare the supporting documents to show your itinerary in China like round-trip air tickets and hotel reservation record or invitation letter. Supporting documents required depend on the type of your visa, you can check the information on the official website of the Chinese Visa Application Center in Australia.
 

Submit Your Visa Application to the CVAC

After preparing the documents needed for Chinese visa application, you can submit your visa application to the Chinese Visa Application center(CVAC) in Australia. Before submitting the visa application, please pay attention to the notice of the website of the Chinese Visa Application Center in Australia to confirm whether online appointment is needed before submission of visa application.

 

Pay and Collect

Generally speaking, you need to pay the visa fee and application service fee at the Chinese Visa Application Center after submission. As for the regular visa fees, you can see the prices on the news or information on the official website of the Chinese Visa Application Center in Australia. Before your payment, please make sure all the information on the form is correct and complete. Any mistakes or incomplete application materials will make your submission unsuccessfully on the day. If you have any questions please consult the staff at the CVAC immediately.

 

When should I apply for my Chinese visa?

The Chinese visa is typically valid for three months for single entry. It is advisable that you apply for a visa one to two months before your intended date of entry into China but not earlier than three months. If you apply for the Chinese visa too earlier, your Chinese visa may be expired before your entry into China. And if you apply for the Chinese visa too late, your itinerary in China will be influenced if you could not get your Chinese visa before your intended date of entry into China.