How to Apply for a China Visa in Omaha

Omaha, the most populous city in Nebraska with more than 488,000 residents, is one of the largest cities in the American Midwest.  Greater Omaha – which includes neighboring Council Bluffs, Iowa (across the Missouri River) and other cities within a 50-mile radius – is home to some 1.5 million people.  The city is known best by many Chinese for being the home of global investor Warren Buffett, the “Oracle of Omaha”, and his Berkshire Hathaway conglomerate.  Berkshire is one of four Fortune 500 companies headquartered here, along with Mutual of Omaha, Union Pacific Railroad, and construction firm Peter Kiewit Sons.  Fortune 1000 companies based in Omaha include TD Ameritrade, Werner (logistics), Green Plains (ethanol), and metals manufacturer Valmont Industries.  Other major employers include Omaha Steaks, CHI Health, the Gallup Organization, Offutt Air Force Base, and the University of Nebraska Medical Center.  The services industry accounts for about 40 percent of Omaha’s jobs.  Other key sectors include agribusiness, finance, defense, manufacturing, and trade and transportation. 

China remains an important trade partner for companies in the Greater Omaha region, ranking second for imports and fourth for exports.  Top exports to China include beef, soybeans, corn, pork, wheat, ethanol, and livestock feed.  Berkshire Hathaway is also a major investor in China, with significant stakes in e-commerce giant Alibaba, Younhui Superstores, and BYD -- which recently surpassed Tesla as the world’s largest electric vehicle manufacturer.  A number of its U.S.-based companies also operate in China.  For example, Berkshire’s International Dairy Queen subsidiary has more than 1,000 DQ restaurants in mainland China and plans to open 600 more by 2034.

The first Chinese citizens came to Omaha in the mid-1800s, following work on the emerging network of cross-country railroads from the California Gold Rush to the Midwest.  Today Chinese Americans account for around one percent of Omaha’s population at more than 1,500 people.  And several hundred citizens of China work at the local offices of Chinese corporations or attend educational institutions, such as the University of Nebraska’s Omaha satellite campus or the main campus in Lincoln (about 60 miles away).  The University of Nebraska, private Creighton University, and other area institutions host Chinese students in their undergraduate and graduate programs, plus offer study abroad programs for U.S. students and instructors traveling to China.  

China represents one of the world’s oldest civilizations, with more than 5,000 years of recorded history.  The largest country in Asia by land mass, it ranks as second-largest by population globally (having recently been overtaken by India) and enjoys the world’s second-largest economy, trailing only the United States.  Officially known as the People’s Republic of China, the current government was formed when the Chinese Communist Party unified the nation in 1949.  After decades of poverty and struggle, China has evolved into one of the world’s most powerful countries.  Relations between Nebraska and China were at an all-time high just a few years ago, although recent trade and political disputes have strained those ties.  Despite pressure on cultural exchanges, trade, and tourism in recent years, China remains an important travel, business, and academic destination for many residents of Nebraska and Iowa.

Obtaining a China Visa from the Greater Omaha Area

Citizens of the United States planning to visit China must first have a valid passport that does not expire within six months beyond the date they will enter China.  People from the U.S. and most other countries must also obtain a visa before entering China.  Issued by a Chinese government official, a visa allows foreigners to enter, exit from, or transit through mainland China.  Like all sovereign states, Chinese laws and government officials determine whether to issue a visa; decline a visa application; or cancel an issued visa.

The visa must be issued and obtained before arriving in China. (NOTE: The special administrative regions of Hong Kong and Macau have separate border control policies and visa requirements.  Travel to either region plus mainland China may also require additional visas for each jurisdiction visited.)

Visas for China are issued by the People's Republic of China government, which is represented in the United States by their embassy in Washington, D.C. along with four consulates in New York City, Chicago, Los Angeles, and San Francisco.  Unfortunately, there is no Chinese embassy or consulate in Omaha where local residents can obtain a visa.  Residents of Omaha must file an application with the China government office that is responsible for their state of residence.  Nebraska residents must apply to the embassy in Washington, D.C.; those in Iowa should contact the consulate in Chicago.  This means you will complete the visa application online and appear in person at the embassy or consulate.  Alternatively, you can use a service company such as Visa Supply to submit the application on your behalf.

Here is the address of the embassy:

Embassy of the People’s Republic of China
3505 International Place, N.W.
Washington, D.C. 20008

And here is the address of the consulate:

Embassy of the People’s Republic of China
100 West Erie Street
Chicago, IL 60654 

 

It is important to review the requirements for visas on the Chinese embassy website and ensure your application and all supporting documents are accurate. (Please be sure to review both the “Basic Documents” and “General Documents” sections for the visa you wish to obtain).  Here is the link to their website that provides this information: http://us.china-embassy.gov.cn/eng/lsfw/zj/notice/202206/t20220614_10702581.htm.

It should also be noted that China recently introduced an online application called “China Online Visa Application (COVA).  Here is the link to the application: https://cova.mfa.gov.cn/qzCoCommonController.do?show&pageId=index&locale=en_US.

The application must be filled out completely and accurately.  Applications with incomplete or incorrect information will be rejected.  Once the application has been completed, it must be printed and signed with a black pen in Section 9.  You will also print out and sign the confirmation page, which must be printed on one page so that your signature is on the same page as the QR code.  This may require you to shrink the size of the page or adjust the paper size on the settings of your computer when you print.  For example, you can try adjusting the paper size from “Letter” to “A4”.

After completing the application, you will then make an appointment online to submit the application in person.  Please review this link for more information: http://us.china-embassy.gov.cn/eng/lsfw/zj/qz2021/202301/t20230113_11006596.htm.

Which Type of Visa Do You Need?

There are 16 types of visas that residents of Omaha can obtain for visiting China, with the most popular being the tourist (Class L) and business (Class M) visa.  A tourist visa is for leisure travelers, while the business visa allows the visitor to engage in such activities as making investments or buying commercial products for export.  The following link to China’s U.S. Embassy contains the complete list of visa types: http://us.china-embassy.gov.cn/eng/lsfw/zj/notice/202206/t20220614_10702581.htm.

The Visa Supply website includes details on the specific documentation requirements for tourist visas (https://www.visasupply.com/china-tourist-visa.html) and business visas (https://www.visasupply.com/china-business-visa.html).  However, government officials may also ask for additional supporting documents beyond these basic lists.

Some consulates offer expedited visa service, so if you need a quick turnaround, verify whether the service is still available at that office.  Also note that on occasion, the embassy or consulate will require you to appear in person at their office, even if you use an authorized agent and file all the proper paperwork.

Visa Supply recommends allowing at least six weeks for processing a visa application.  It typically takes five business days for the China consulate to process a visa after it has received the application.  However, you should also consider the time required for you to appear in person at the consulate, plus any extra time needed in case the consulate asks for more documentation or rejects the initial application because it was filled out incorrectly.

Once you complete the application and approval process, the Chinese government will typically issue U.S. citizens a visa that is good for 10 years.  Both tourist and business visas allow travels to stay in China for up to 90 days per visit.  For more information about the China visa process, here is a link to a government overview that offers details on the program: http://www.china-embassy.org/eng/visas/zgqz/.

Other things to consider:

 

We Can Help if You Need Assistance

If you live in Omaha, or anywhere in the state of Nebraska or Iowa, and you have difficulty applying for a China visa or require assistance with any part of the visa process, please call our office at 404-682-5445 or schedule an appointment through our website, https://www.visasupply.com.  We are a private agency in Atlanta providing China visa services for Americans and other U.S.-based residents.  Our number one goal is to ensure your application documents for a visa are submitted accurately to the government of China.  Our services eliminate delays and give you the peace of mind to focus on your travel plans.

We provide the following China visa services for our customers in Omaha:

  • China Tourist Visa (L Visa)
  • China Business Visa (M Visa)
  • China Noncommercial Visit Visa (F Visa)
  • China Student Visa (X1/X2 Visa)
  • China Work Visa (Z Visa)
  • China Crew Visa (C Visa)
  • China Journalist Visa (J1/J2 Visa)
  • China Family Visit Visa (Q1/Q2 Visa)
  • China Private Visit Visa (S1/S2 Visa)
  • China Talent Visa (R Visa)
  • China Transit Visa (G Visa)
  • China Hotel Accommodations
  • China Organized Tours