Do you need to know more about obtaining a visa for China travel? Whether you are fantasizing about a peaceful retreat into the rural areas or needing to experience the rich culture of the fast paced cities of Beijing and Shanghai, you will first need to get a visa to travel to China.

You can get a Chinese visa three different ways. You can apply in person, have someone you know submit on your behalf or find a travel visa service to handle it for you.

Regardless of who submits your application package for you, be sure to check the China embassy website for any new changes. Unfortunately, sometimes additional steps are required from time to time. This is entirely at the discretion of the Chinese government.

Applying in person

When you go to the China consulate on your own, you will already need to have all of the required documents with you. Your passport should be with you and valid for six months after your vacation.

You will also need to have at least two blank passport pages so the travel visa can be stamped in.

Go to the Consulate of China website to download the most recent version of the application. Fill out both pages completely except for the section asking who filled it out for you. Obviously, you completed it and are turning it in yourself so just leave that space blank.

They require only one passport-style photograph and it should be professional quality. You can get one at your local post office or a few different stores such as a UPS store.

That is all you need for a tourist visa. If you are going for business then you have to give them a letter from your company that is addressed to the consulate. It must state the reason for the business meeting and who you are meeting with. A second letter from the hosting company also needs to be submitted.

Someone you know submitting for you

The China consulate does not mind one bit if someone else submits your application package for you. In fact, they most likely will not even ask who you are or how you know the applicant.

If you have someone turning in your documents for you, first make sure your passport and application are both signed. The agents there will not cut you any slack if a signature is missing.

The person who is applying for you on your behalf will be given a receipt for pick up. The embassy will allow anyone to pick up for you as long as they have the receipt.

If you hire a visa service

All of the above documents and steps still apply just as if you had a friend or family member submit on your behalf. The only difference is you will be hiring a registered service to handle the process of applying for you.

You can get an application for china visa on the website of the company you hire. They will also have the step by step requirements available to ensure you send a completed application package.

Again, check that your signature is on both your passport and application before shipping your documents to the visa service. Once they pick up your China visa from the consulate, they will ship your documents back to you, usually with an overnight shipping service like FedEx.

Do you need to know more about getting a business or tourist visa to China?

Get applications, requirements and China tour comparisons at http://Direct-PassportVisas.com