[Photo via VCG]
Beijing will provide exclusive visa convenience to qualified foreign businesspeople for their exits and entries and support companies for their international economic and trade cooperation. Additionally, the city will collaborate with Beijing General Station of Immigration Inspection to enhance the convenience of exit-entry processes for eligible individuals. The two measures will be taken jointly, both being firsts of their kinds in China.
Q1: What is the Special Visa and Immigration Inspection Facilitation program?
The Foreign Affairs Office of the People's Government of Beijing Municipality (hereafter referred to as the "Beijing Municipal Foreign Affairs Office") offers a special invitation letter to eligible foreign business visitors, allowing them to apply for a five-year multiple-entry M visa with a 180-day stay per trip. With this invitation, Chinese visa-issuing authorities abroad may grant the corresponding M visa (or an equivalent visa type). Applicants are exempt from fingerprint collection and may authorize others to apply on their behalf. Only the fee for a one-year multiple-entry visa will be charged. The Beijing General Station of Exit and Entry Frontier Inspection will provide fast-track customs clearance for the eligible foreign business travelers entering through Beijing ports.
Q2: Who are eligible for this program?
This program is designed to serve foreign business personnel who need to frequently travel to Beijing to actively engage in commercial and trade activities. Their spouse and children may also benefit from this program. Eligible visitors must be invited by a qualified Beijing-registered enterprise (hereinafter referred to as the "inviting organization").
Q3: What documents are required from the inviting organization?
The inviting organization can only apply for visa and customs clearance facilitation for foreign visitors engaging in business and trade activities in Beijing upon their invitation.
The required documents include:
1. Application form to be registered and completed on Beijing Municipal Foreign Affairs Office's official website (wb.beijing.gov.cn), signed by a legal representative of the inviting organization and stamped with the company seal.
2. A copy of the foreign business visitor's passport information page.
3. Travel itinerary for the visitor's first trip to Beijing under this program.
4. Invitation letter issued by the inviting organization (including a copy of the Chinese translation).
5. Supporting documents proving a genuine and direct business relationship between the inviting organization and the foreign business visitor (stamped with the company seal of the inviting organization); marriage certificate and birth certificate(s) if the spouse and children are invited.
6. Letter of guarantee issued by the inviting organization.
7. Business license of the inviting organization.
Q4: Where should the inviting organization submit applications?
Applications should be submitted to the Foreign Affairs Office of the district where the inviting organization is registered.
For inquiries, please contact:
Beijing Municipal Foreign Affairs Office (tel: 010-55574107) about special visa facilitation;
Beijing General Station of Exit and Entry Frontier Inspection (tel: 18001220907) about fast-track customs clearance.
Q5: How can the inviting organization obtain the Special Visa Invitation Letter?
Upon receiving approval from the Beijing Municipal Foreign Affairs Office, the inviting organization can download the Special Visa Invitation Letter from the Office's official website.
For those who require a physical copy, it can also be collected in person at the Beijing Foreign Affairs Services Hall (Address: 2nd Floor, Block A, Gehua Mansion, No.1 Qinglong Hutong, Dongcheng District).
Q6: Are there any fees for getting the invitation letter?
No fee is charged for the Special Visa Invitation Letter.
Q7: Once the foreign business visitors receive the Special Visa Invitation Letter, how should they proceed to obtain a visa to China?
The foreign business visitors may go to the official website of the Chinese embassy or consulate in their home country to check the specific visa application requirements.
Q8: How can the inviting organization assist the eligible foreign business visitors in getting streamlined customs clearance?
The inviting organization must designate a representative, who shall register with the Beijing General Station of Exit and Entry Frontier Inspection, to obtain streamlined customs clearance for the invited personnel. The inviting organization must, at least five calendar days prior to the visitors' arrival, notify the Beijing General Station of Exit and Entry Frontier Inspection, which will then arrange fast-track customs clearance for the visitors upon their entry through Beijing ports.
Q9: For inviting organizations that have successful application records, will the documents required be simplified for future requests?
Beijing Municipal Foreign Affairs Office keeps an electronic record of all approved inviting organizations. If the same companies apply for this facilitation program for additional individuals in the future, they will not need to resubmit documents such as business licenses.
Q10: Can foreign business visitors who came to China under this program engage in non-business activities after entering?
These visitors are expected to enter Beijing for business and trade activities. Those granted the special visa and customs clearance facilitation who engage in unlawful activities after arrival will be subject to legal action in accordance with relevant Chinese laws and regulations.
(Sources: Beijing Fabu, Foreign Affairs Office of the People's Government of Beijing Municipality)
