As of March 2024: Hi all, I obtained my L Tourism Visa and wanted to share my experience as a US citizen applying for a China L 10-year validity Tourism Visa through the NYC Consulate. I did it myself and not through an agency. I found it hard to find up-to-date and clear info on the process so I wanted to contribute here.
PHASE 1: THE COVA Form (Online Application) ā Before going into the Consulate
As of this time (March 2024), The NYC consulate no longer takes appointments. The first step is you need to complete the online visa application (COVA) found here:
https://cova.mfa.gov.cn/qzCoCommonController.do?show&pageId=278rirkVYVPVnVaVmVlVSVKVlriVYVPVSVcVnVaVbVSVKrHVPVbVSV8VKrHrjrIVnVlVmrjVmrjrHVnVb&locale=en_US
The application is pretty straightforward, but it doesnāt let you skip aroundāyou have to answer the questions in order. Make sure you save down the application ID that they generate for you when you start the application so you can return to your COVA at any point in time.
One area where I had to spend a decent amount of time was getting a photo taken that met the specifications. I had someone take a photo of me against a white wall and edited/resized it to meet the requirements laid out here:
https://www.visaforchina.cn/CBR2_EN/generalinformation/faq/282843.shtml
For the visa āduration (months)ā question in the COVA form, I just put ā120ā, which equates to 10 years, since I wanted the longest lasting visa possible.
Also, when filling out your job details, I left these blank because they werenāt marked as required fields, but I was later asked at the Consulate to provide these details, so I would recommend filling them in.
After answering all the questions, double check your responses as they will not let you go back and edit your responses once submitted. Once you click submit, you will need to save down a PDF copy of your application form and print it out. You will need to sign and date the front page with pen/handwriting.
With your COVA application printed and completed, you then need to gather copies of the remaining documents before going into the Consulate. They are listed here in Column B General Documents:
http://newyork.china-consulate.gov.cn/eng/zjfw/visa/rhsq/202303/t20230316_11042460.htm
For me as a US citizen who had been to China in the past, I needed to have:
- My printed COVA form
- My Passport
- A photocopy of my passport bio page
- A proof of residence (copy of driverās license, utility bill, bank statement, etc.)
- A photocopy of my last China visa
Notes:
- You no longer need to show evidence of booked flights/lodging as it used to be in the past
- If you donāt have access to a photocopier, the Consulate has a photocopy machine that costs 25 cents per page, it only takes quarters and $1 bills (it gives change)
- There is also a photobooth at the Consulate you can use to take a compliant photo, but I am not sure of the dependability or cost of this method since I didnāt use it.
PHASE 2: GOING TO THE NYC CHINESE CONSULATE
Once I gathered all of my documents, I picked a day to go into the Chinese Consulate in NYC (West Side Manhattan on 42nd street). The office hours as of this post of the Consulate are 9:00 AM ā 2:30 PM.
I arrived at the consulate at 8:50 AM before opening and there was already a line outside. At around this time, they also begin to start letting people inside. At the NYC Consulate, the first thing you will encounter is the security guard who will check that you have a printed COVA form. If you do not, you will get turned away on the spot. Otherwise, thereās a straightforward bag check before you proceed.
Once I was inside the NYC Consulate office proper, I was directed to a queue. It took me ~10 minutes to get to the counter, where an employee did an eyeball check that I had all the required documents I mentioned in Phase 1. I recommend having all of your documents (COVA form, proof of residence, etc.) just paper clipped together as it makes things easier. Once the employee checked that I had all my documents, I was given a queue number and sat in a waiting area surrounded by booths.
Once the clock hit 9AM, the booths actually opened and a PA system starts calling queue numbers. When I went up to the booth, the employee flipped through and marked up my documents. As I mentioned in Phase 1, some details around my employment (title/duty) were blank and the employee asked me to write these in. Otherwise, there werenāt issues and the employee took all my documents (including my passport) and gave me a yellow receipt telling me to come back on Friday or later (it was Tuesday at the time).
Despite the fact that they already took my passport and gave me a receipt, the employee told me I would only find out if I was approved for a visa (and if so, the granted duration of the visa) when I came back in. I was finished and out of the consulate by 9:30 AM.
PHASE 3: RETURNING TO THE NYC CONSULATE FOR PICKUP
I returned on the date mentioned on my receipt (the earliest date I could come in) and got to the Consulate around 8:50 AM again. The line was similarly long as on the Tuesday, and this time I just had to show my receipt to the security guard and mention I was there for pickup.
At this stage, I was now redirected to a different queue for people there for pickup. This part was a little confusing because there were actually two queues. I ended up just by observing that the queue on the left was for people to exchange their receipts for a plastic tag, and the queue on the right was for people to exchange said plastic tags for their passport/Visas. In other words, I needed to wait in the left queue first, then proceed to the right queue. Once I made it to the front of the right queue, I gave the plastic tag to the employee and she gave me my passport back. The fee was $140 and I had to write my phone number on the vendor receipt. I opened up my passport and saw the 10 year visa in there!
Once again, I was done with my business and out of the consulate by 9:30 AM.
Overall, the process was smooth and I didnāt encounter many issues. What made it challenging was I didnāt find the information available online to be very clear, straightforward, or easy to find, so I spent a lot of time and energy just trying to figure everything out. Hopefully this post can help others in the future save the time so they can focus on just getting the steps done, rather than figuring out what the steps are :) Happy travels!