Chinese visas fall into four categories, namely DIPLOMATIC, COURTESY, SERVICE and ORDINARY, which are issued to foreigners according to the capacity in which they come to China and the kind of passport they carry.

At present, there are two forms of ordinary visas. One is issued by Chinese embassies and consulates in foreign countries, which has separate validity periods for entry and for stay. The validity date for entry refers to the date before which the bearer can enter China, and the validity period for stay refer to the number of days the bearer can stay in China. The other, issued by a public security organ, has the same dates for entry and stay, which means that the bearer can enter and stay in China between the two dates shown in the visa.

Ordinary visas are issued to foreign nationals who want to come to China for the following purposes: to settle down, to take up a job, to study, to visit relatives, to do sightseeing, on transit, to work as a crew member aboard a means of public transport, and to work as a journalist. They are issued to foreigners according to the stated purpose for which they come to China. On each visa there is a Chinese phonetic letter showing the category.

1) Visa D to aliens who are to reside permanently in China;
2) Visa Z to aliens who come to China take up posts or employment and to their accompanying family members;
3) Visa X to aliens who come to China for study, advanced studies or job-training for a period of six months or more;
4) Visa F to aliens who are invited to China on a visit or on a study, lecture or business tour, for scientific-technological or cultural exchanges , for short-term refresher course or for job-training, for a period not more than six months;
5) Visa L to aliens who come to China for sight-seeing, visiting relatives or other private purposes (A group visa may be issued to a group of nine or more aliens on a sight-seeing trip to China);
6) Visa G to aliens passing through China;
7) Visa C to train attendants, aircrew members and seamen operating international services, and to their accompanying family members.
8) Visa J-1 to resident foreign correspondents in China; visa J-2 to foreign correspondents who make short trips to China on reporting tasks.

When vessels operating international service anchor at Chinese ports, foreign crew members and their accompanying family members wishing to disembark at the port city shall apply to border check posts for disembarkation permits, or lodging permits if they desire to stay overnight on land. Those who, for proper reasons, need to travel to areas beyond the port city or who cannot leave China on the original vessel shall apply to the local public security bureau for appropriate visas.