I want to apply for a visa, and I need a certificate from my immediate family. I want to know the process and the time required.

Documents and materials required for visa declaration

When applying for a visa to foreign embassies and consulates in China, all delegations or individuals must prepare all necessary documents, materials, forms, photos and visa fees. These documents and information include:

1, provide a valid passport;

2. Provide foreign invitations;

3. Provide the photo of the applicant (the photo should be consistent with the passport);

4. Fill in the foreign visa application form;

5. When going abroad on business, the Foreign Affairs Office of the province, city or autonomous region or the Foreign Affairs Bureau of the central ministries and commissions shall issue a note or official letter to embassies and consulates in China;

6. Prepare visa fees.

Embassies in China have different requirements for invitation letters for visa applications, but generally there are the following points:

(1). The invitation letter must be sent from the destination country with the original signed by the inviter. The invitation letter should indicate the address and telephone number of the inviter.

(2) The invitation letter must indicate the number of delegations, members' names and the purpose of the visit (the purpose of the visit should be detailed, not just inspection and training, etc.). ), and stay time (stay time is to write the year, month, day of arrival and how long to stay after arrival; Or write from a certain day to a certain day), and who will bear the cost of the visit. If the foreign party bears all the expenses, it shall state clearly; If the foreign party bears part of the expenses, it shall specify which part of the expenses shall be borne.

(3) The invitation letter shall not be altered in any way. Even if the inviter himself modifies its contents, he should reissue the invitation letter, and must not copy it after alteration, otherwise it will cause misunderstanding of embassies and consulates abroad and even affect the credibility of the applicant's unit. Some countries have special requirements for entry visas, for example, delegations, groups or personnel going to Japan need to provide Japanese "reasons for entry", "identification" and visit schedule.

Foreign embassies and consulates have the following requirements for submitting passports for visa applications:

(1) Passport must be valid. Passports sent to foreign countries in embassies and consulates in China must be valid for more than 6 months. If the validity period is less than 6 months, foreign embassies in China will not grant visas.

(2) The holder must sign the passport.

visa application

1. Embassies and consulates: Most countries that have diplomatic relations with China have embassies and consulates. The embassy is in Beijing and the consulate is in the economically developed central city. They are all responsible for handling visas for their own countries. The division of labor means that the consulate is responsible for visa matters in the area under its jurisdiction, and the embassy is responsible for other areas.

The specific consulate situation is as follows:

Shanghai: Japan, Australia, the United States, Germany, the Netherlands, Denmark, Norway and New Zealand are responsible.

Shanghai, Zhejiang, Anhui and Jiangsu

Canada, France, Britain, Italy, Switzerland, Israel, Austria and Brazil are responsible for this.

Shanghai, Jiangsu, Zhejiang

Guangzhou: USA, France and Germany are responsible for: Guangxi, Guangdong, Fujian and Hainan.

Responsible for Japan: Guangzhou.

Canada is responsible for: Guangdong and Guangxi

Australia is responsible for: Guangdong, Guangxi and Hainan.

Chengdu: The United States is responsible for: Guizhou, Sichuan, Yunnan, Tibet and Chongqing.

Shenyang: the United States is responsible for: three northeastern provinces.

Japan is responsible for: Liaoning

Ways for private personnel to apply for visas:

I apply to the foreign embassy in China directly or through the visa office of the travel agency. The required materials are as follows (for reference only, subject to the regulations of the embassy or consulate):

1. Original passport: valid for at least 6 months from the date of application for returning to China and signed.

2. Some photos: 2 inches, consistent with the passport.

3. Invitation letter: fax or original. It must be distributed locally.

4. Visa form: fill in English or the language of the destination country, which can be copied.

5. ID card: copy. Some countries require the submission of originals for inspection.

6. Family account book: copy of the front and back.

7. On-the-job certificate of the company/unit: printed on the company stationery in English or the language of the destination country, indicating the position, department, monthly salary, vacation and expenses.

8. Copy of business license: the registered capital is not less than 500,000 yuan.

9. Two business cards: Chinese and English.

10, company/unit brochure: reflecting scale and strength.

1 1. Bank deposit certificate: I have a time deposit of more than 3 months, and I have more than 20,000 yuan or equivalent foreign currency.

12. Property ownership certificate: the property right belongs to the applicant and his spouse or parents.

13. Car purchase invoice: the owner is the applicant and his spouse or parents.

14, holding stocks, securities, etc. To prove the round-trip air ticket or confirm the single hotel order of 14.

15, detailed itinerary

16, overseas insurance certificate

17, travel agency guarantee

18, visa application fee (no matter whether the visa is issued or not, it will not be refunded, and it is only collected by a few countries such as the United States).

Ways for business people to apply for visas:

The bid shall be made by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Foreign Affairs Bureau (Office) of the central ministries and commissions, or the foreign affairs departments of bureau-level units authorized by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the foreign affairs offices of provinces, municipalities directly under the Central Government and autonomous regions. The bidding procedure is as follows:

1, provide a valid passport (signed, valid for more than 6 months)

2. Provide the necessary documents (invitation letter), and the invitation letter requires:

(1). It must be a letter sent from China and signed by the inviter. The original or photocopy of the letter (different from country to country) should have the address and telephone number of the inviter.

(2) The invitation letter must indicate the number of delegations, members' names, gender, date of birth, work unit, position, purpose of visit (detailed investigation and training content), duration of stay (specific arrival and departure date, days) and who will bear the visit expenses.

(3), shall not be altered.

(4) Countries with special requirements (Japan, Germany, etc.). , see related explanation later)

Step 3 take photos

4. Fill in the application form (not in some countries)

5. Applicants should check whether the relevant documents, passports, invitations and other relevant certificates and visa forms are filled in correctly.

6. The applicant should prepare a note or letter to the embassy or consulate of the destination country.

7. Visa fee

8. Deliver and wait for the visa.

transit visa

Transit refers to going to a third country. Citizens of a country who travel internationally can not only reach their destinations directly; Going to other countries often requires going through one or two countries before finally entering the destination country. At this time, it is necessary to obtain not only the entry permit of the country, but also the transit permit of the country, which is generally called a transit visa.

The regulations on transit visas vary from country to country, from loose to strict. Some need visas, and some are visa-free. There are also regulations that do not require visas within the specified time and scope. Those who exceed the time limit and scope must go through the visa formalities. Many countries stipulate that all foreigners who enter a third country through the country will apply for a visa, regardless of their stay. According to international practice, if there are no special restrictions, citizens of a country should be issued with transit visas as long as they hold valid passports, entry visas or joint air tickets.

If you go to a visa-free country or a port visa country through the visa-handling country, you must hold an invitation letter or a port visa approval certificate from the country you are going to before you can apply for a transit visa for that country. You can also apply for one transit, two transit and multiple transit as needed. Generally speaking, transit visas are issued according to the requirements of the application. In some cases, transit visas may not be issued or not issued as required. In this case, we can transfer to other countries or stay at the airport when transferring.

In recent years, with the development of international relations, many countries have simplified transit licensing procedures and adopted convenient measures without applying for transit visas within a certain period of time. For example, Britain, Canada and many other countries stipulate that transit foreigners with valid passports, entry visas and joint air tickets can stay visa-free for less than 24 hours, but they are not allowed to leave the terminal or airport. If you want to leave the airport for more than 24 hours or enter a local city, you need to apply for a transit visa or temporary entry permit. Some countries limit the visa period to 72 hours or 2 weeks. Such as Japan and Pakistan.

In addition, some countries also apply differential treatment to transit permits. Due to the different identities or nationalities of transit applicants, the regulations are different. For example, Thailand stipulates that citizens of most countries that have diplomatic relations with Thailand do not need to apply for transit if they stay in Thailand for 15 days, which is the so-called "transit preferential country". However, for citizens of China and some other countries, it is stipulated that those who stay for more than six hours must apply for a transit visa.

In order to strengthen the entry and exit management of foreigners, all countries have strict regulations on transit visas. Those who should have applied for a visa but did not apply will be regarded as illegal entry and deported, and will be fined heavily.

The validity period, stopping device and validity time of the visa.

Visa validity period

Visa has a certain standard format, which generally includes visa type, entry purpose, residence period, effective date, issuing institution, issuing official, date and visa fee.

The validity period of a visa refers to a period of time from the date of issuance of the visa to the future, after which the visa becomes invalid.

Generally, countries issue entry visas valid for 3 months, while some countries issue entry visas valid for 1 month. Some countries have strict restrictions on the validity of visas, such as Germany, which only issues visas according to the date of application. The validity of transit visas is generally short.

Visa stay time

Refers to the time allowed for the holder to stay after entering the country. The difference between it and the visa validity period is that the visa validity period refers to the use period of the visa, that is, the holder can enter and leave the country within the specified time. If a country's entry-exit visa is valid for 3 months and the stay time is 15 days, the visa can enter or leave the country on any day within 3 months from the date of issuance, but the holder can only stay in the country for 15 days from the date of entry to the date of exit. Some countries must enter the country within 3 months after issuance, and the stay period after entry is 1 month; In some countries, the visa entry period and stay period are the same. For example, the validity period and stay period of the American visitor visa is three months, that is, the entrant is valid for three months and can only stay for three months after entering the country. The validity period of the visa is generally 1 month or 3 months; The longest is generally half a year or more than 1 year, such as employment and study visa; The shortest is 3 days or 7 days, such as a transit visa.

Number of valid visas

In addition to the validity period and stay period, the visa also stipulates the number of valid times. Generally, it is divided into one valid visa, two valid visas and multiple valid visas. The number of times a visa is valid means that once it is used within the validity period, it will be invalid. Two valid visas, that is, you can use them twice within the validity period of the visa. Multiple valid visas, that is, within the validity period of the visa, the holder can enter and leave its territory multiple times. For example, some tourist visas for Australia and India allow multiple entry and exit within three or six months. In some countries, work visas are also applicable to multiple entry. Of course, what kind of visa to issue, how long it is valid and how many times it is valid are decided by the visa authority according to the specific situation of the entry applicant.

Entry permit certificate

The entry permit certificate refers to different kinds of documents issued by the entry authorities of various countries for various entry applicants, including the approval letter for allowing immigrants to enter the country, the admission notice of colleges and universities, and the labor certificate for job seekers to agree to enter the country. Entry permit is a kind of certificate indicating the consent of the receiving unit or the competent department, and it is also an important procedure for approving entry.

Some countries implement the entry permit system, that is, the inviter first submits an application to the competent authority of the country of entry on behalf of the applicant, stating the identity of the applicant, the relationship between the two parties and the reasons for entry. Meet the access conditions, the competent department issued an access permit. This entry permit will generally indicate the applicant's name, gender and nationality, and indicate the period of stay in the country.

Some countries implement access guarantee system. All relatives and friends who apply for entry must have legal proof of living security. The life guarantee certificate should indicate not only the relationship between the two parties, but also the property of the guarantor, so as to show that the guarantor has enough assets to guarantee the entry applicant, be able to bear the round-trip travel expenses of the immigrants, be responsible for solving the accommodation expenses of the immigrants during their stay in the country, ensure that the immigrants will not become a burden to the public in the country of entry, and ensure that the immigrants can leave the country on time and return to their original country of residence after the visa expires. The life insurance certificate must be notarized to be valid.

Some immigrant countries issue a kind of labor permit or work permit, that is, the future employer will go through the employment permit formalities with the competent labor department for the entry applicant. The employee's name, gender, nationality, occupation, working years and remuneration are recorded on the labor permit.

Every country issues an admission notice or admission permit to applicants who study abroad. The applicant's name, gender, admission school, professional name, registration time and place, study abroad years, etc. As mentioned above.

The specific procedures for handling the entry permit for foreigners are as follows:

(1). Applicants should contact their relatives and friends abroad to explain their intention to go abroad, whether they want to travel abroad, visit relatives, or study or work at their own expense. If they get the consent of their relatives and friends abroad, they should immediately inform their relatives and friends of their own details and prepare some relevant documents.

(2), relatives and friends to apply to the competent authorities. Foreign relatives and friends apply to the national authorities according to their intention to go abroad and different categories.

(3) Obtain relevant license certificates. After approval, the competent department considers that the applicant meets the access conditions, and then issues an access card to the applicant. Need proof of economic guarantee, and foreign relatives and friends should do a good job of living security. If you immigrate abroad, your relatives and friends abroad shall apply for immigration entry permit.

(4) The applicant applies for an entry visa to the embassy of the destination country with the entry permit and relevant certificates.

How to apply for a foreign visa

Most countries that have diplomatic relations with China have established embassies or consulates in China. The embassy is located in Beijing, the capital, and the Consulate General is located in economically developed central cities, such as Shanghai, Guangzhou, Shenyang and Chengdu. Some countries that do not have embassies or consulates either have consulates in Hong Kong or entrust other countries' embassies and consulates to handle consular affairs.

There are three ways for China citizens to apply for foreign visas abroad for private reasons:

(1), I apply directly to foreign embassies in China;

(2) Entrust the visa office of China Travel Agency to handle it;

(3) Foreign relatives and friends directly apply to the local immigration bureau for entry permit.

The adoption of the above three methods depends on the situation. If I am familiar with the situation, the embassy can directly apply for a visa to embassies and consulates in China if it accepts individual applications; Some countries don't have embassies in China, so foreign relatives and friends should apply for entry permits there. After approval, it will be sent to the applicant by relatives. The applicant can contact the Consulate General of the visiting country in Hong Kong or the embassy authorized by the relevant country to apply for an entry visa with his passport and entry permit.

China citizens who go abroad on business shall, according to their affiliation, submit relevant materials to the following authorities and apply for a visa. Individuals who go abroad are not allowed to apply for visas in foreign embassies and consulates in China by themselves.

1. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Foreign Affairs Department of the central ministries or commissions, or the foreign affairs departments of bureau-level units authorized by them and approved by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs apply to the embassy in China;

2 by the foreign affairs offices of all provinces, municipalities directly under the central government and autonomous regions.

When going abroad on business to apply for a visa to foreign embassies and consulates in China, the foreign affairs offices of central ministries, commissions and bureaus or the foreign affairs offices of provinces, municipalities and autonomous regions shall issue a note or letter to embassies and consulates in China. Embassies and consulates in China, a foreign country, is responsible for handling visa matters for its country. However, embassies and consulates in China has a division of labor in handling its own visas.

Foreign consulates in China are responsible for applying for visas to their countries by people in their consular areas; Foreign embassies in China are responsible for handling visas for foreigners in the consular areas of their consulates in China. For example, in the consular district of the US Consulate General in Chengdu, Yunnan Province, overseas personnel who go to the United States on business should send relevant materials to the Foreign Affairs Office of the province, and they will send notes or official letters to the US Consulate General in Chengdu to bid for it.

Only a few big countries such as the United States, Canada, Japan and Thailand have consulates in China, and most countries only have embassies in Beijing. Therefore, it is necessary for visa applicants to know in advance the country and jurisdiction where you are going, embassies and consulates in China.

Procedures for applying for a visa

China citizens to apply for a foreign visa, no matter which way, whether entrusted or directly handled by themselves, generally need to go through the following procedures:

(1). Submit a valid China passport.

(2) Submit various documents suitable for the application, including the entry permit of the destination country and various relevant certificates issued by the Chinese notary office;

(3) Fill in the foreign visa application form. Different visas have different forms, and some of them have to be filled in foreign languages. At the same time, hand in my photo, which must be consistent with the photo in my passport.

(4) Meeting with officials of embassies and consulates in China, the visiting country. Some countries stipulate that all immigrant applicants must be interviewed before making a decision; Some countries also require interviews to apply for non-immigrant visas.

(5) The embassy or consulate shall submit the completed visa application form and necessary supporting materials to the domestic competent authorities for examination and approval. The embassies and consulates of a few countries have the right to issue visas directly, but they still have to report to China for the record. (6) Inform embassies and consulates in China of the examination and approval opinions after necessary examination and approval by the national competent department. If you agree, a visa will be issued. If you are refused entry, you will also inform the applicant himself.

(seven) the approved person shall pay the visa fee to the relevant country, embassies and consulates in China. Generally speaking, immigrant visa fees are high and non-immigrant visa fees are low. There are also some countries that do not charge according to the visa-free agreement.