How to Apply for a China Visa in Salt Lake City

Salt Lake City, the most populous city in Utah with more than 1.2 million residents, is the seventh fastest-growing city in the United States.  Named for the nearby Great Salt Lake (the largest saltwater lake in the Western Hemisphere), Utah’s capital was founded in 1847 by a group of Mormon pioneers led by Brigham Young.  The city is best known as the worldwide headquarters for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, which operates in China and 160 other countries.  Temple Square -- Utah’s number one tourist attraction -- includes the Salt Lake Temple and the home of the Tabernacle Choir.  Three Fortune 1,000 companies are headquartered in Utah: Salt Lake City’s Zion Bancorporation, SkyWest Airlines (St. George), and Nu Skin Enterprises (Provo).  Major Salt Lake City employers include the University of Utah, Zion Bank, BIOFIRE Diagnostics, and Kennecott Utah Copper -- which operates one of the world’s largest open-pit copper mines.  Health care and social assistance is the largest industry in Salt Lake City, followed by manufacturing; professional, scientific, and technical services; education; and transportation and warehousing. 

China remains an important trade partner for companies the Salt Lake City area, ranking as the fifth highest international destination for exports.  Six percent of Utah’s goods exports and 5.4 percent of services exports went to China, surpassing $1 billion in 2021. “China buyers favor Utah meat products, navigational and measurement instruments, chemical preparations, crops, and medical equipment and supplies,” according to the US-China Business Council (https://www.uschina.org/media/inthenews/utah-exports-china-top-1b).  The government of China has successfully built political ties with numerous Utah officials to pursue common goals. (https://apnews.com/article/china-foreign-influence-utah-mormon-50015492bcd1e8eb9ebbaee19f5942a9)  Salt Lake City Chinatown, a 5.7-acre Asian- and Chinese-themed shopping and business community in the downtown area, was created in the 2010s to bring the rapidly-expanding Asian community together, and to increase cultural awareness in Utah.

The first Chinese came to Utah in the 1880s to work on the Transcontinental Railroad, with the majority settling in Salt Lake City.  Today ethnic Chinese and other Americans with Asian heritage account for 5.4% of the population, exceeding 57,300 people.  Experts say they are drawn to Salt Lake City’s hot technology job market and opportunities at research universities.  There are also citizens of China working for local educational institutions, such as the public University of Utah, private Westminster College, and the Salt Lake City campuses of Brigham Young University (BYU) and Utah State University.  The University of Utah, BYU, 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.  Also, the Mormon Church has been sending missionaries to China since 1852, and established its first church on mainland China in 2000.  There are direct flights to China from Salt Lake City International Airport (with stopovers in Los Angeles, San Francisco, and Seattle), making it easier for religious groups, students, lecturing professors, and family members to travel between the two destinations.

With more than 5,000 years of recorded history, China represents one of the world’s oldest civilizations.  It is the largest country in Asia by land mass, second-largest globally by population (after India), and has the world’s second-largest economy (trailing only the United States).  The People’s Republic of China was formed in 1949 when the Chinese Communist Party unified the nation following decades of poverty and struggle.  Since then, China has evolved into one of the world’s most powerful and influential countries.  Relations between Utah and China were at an all-time high just a few years ago, but recent trade and political disputes have strained those relationships.  Despite pressure on cultural exchanges, trade, and tourism activities in recent years, China remains an important destination for many tourism, academic, religious, and business travelers in the Utah area.

Obtaining a China Visa from the Greater Salt Lake City 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 government official of the People’s Republic of China, 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 China embassy or consulate in Salt Lake City where local residents can obtain a visa.  Residents of Salt Lake City must file an application with the China government office that is responsible for their state of residence (which for Utah is the China embassy in Washington, D.C.).  This means you will complete the visa application online and appear in person at the embassy in Washington, D.C.  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

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”.

Which Type of Visa Do You Need?

There are 16 types of visas that residents of Salt Lake City 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-requirements.html) and business visas (https://www.visasupply.com/china-business-visa-requirements.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 government of China 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 Salt Lake City -- or anywhere in Utah and surrounding states -- 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 Salt Lake City:

  • 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