How to Get a Visa to Travel to China as an American (Plus: San Francisco Consulate Instructions)
If you’ve just read my travel guides to Beijing, Shanghai, Chongqing, and Shenzhen, you already know I’m still riding the high of my month-long adventure across China. I came home with a camera roll full of neon skylines and a new perspective of a country that can be mysterious to us Americans.
But before I could visit the Great Wall of China or drink ten thousand milk teas, I had to jump through the one hoop Americans almost never think about: getting a visa.
If you’re intimidated by the Chinese visa process, you’re not alone. We’re used to breezing through borders with nothing but a passport and some unjustified optimism. China is one of the rare destinations where you do actually need a visa in your passport, issued in advance, from the correct consulate for your state of residence. And while the idea of face-to-face government paperwork feels… retro, the actual process was far easier than the internet made it sound.
I walked away with a ten-year visa in my passport, and the whole thing took less than two hours of my life. Below is the guide I wish I’d had before I went. I’ll also share specific notes for the San Francisco consulate, since that’s where I applied, but with the caveat that rules change, consulates differ, and you should always double-check details before you go. If your city doesn’t have a consulate nearby, you can use a visa agency, and honestly, if convenience is worth the surcharge, there’s no shame in outsourcing paperwork.
That said, if you want to DIY your visa — especially if you’re in San Francisco — here’s how it works.
The Basics: What You Actually Need to Get Your Chinese Travel Visa
The online checklists make it seem like you’ll need everything short of your birth certificate, but when we went in person, the process was shockingly simple. The staff accepted exactly three things from us:
A printed copy of my completed COVA application form. You fill it out online here.
My passport.
A color printout of the photo page of my passport — literally just a scan or photocopy.
That was it. They didn’t ask for proof of residence. They didn’t ask where I was staying in China. They didn’t require a physical passport photo because the digital upload in the COVA system counts. The gap between the internet’s hysteria and the reality at the window was… significant.
We heard that you had to make a travel itinerary (which we did) but it didn’t seem needed. It’s up to you if you want to go the extra mile and make this just in case, but there doesn’t seem to be any need to book flights and make any concrete travel arrangements before actually getting your visa based on my experience.
Still, bring the essentials, and print the COVA confirmation exactly as directed. The consulate staff really only care about whether the form is complete and the photo meets their system requirements.
About That COVA Photo
The COVA website can be picky, so give yourself a few minutes to get the photo right. Stand against a white wall, or at least something light-colored with good natural light. If your wall is not perfectly white — which is most walls — you can upload the photo to a background remover like remove.bg and swap it for a true white. Then upload the edited photo back into the COVA application until the system accepts it. If it rejects you on the first try, just adjust and re-upload. You aren’t doing anything wrong; it’s simply a website with opinions.
What to Expect When You Arrive
If you’re going to the San Francisco location on Laguna Street, know that the building itself is unmistakably a government institution. Think DMV energy, but slightly more efficient, and with a surprising degree of politeness considering how many stressed people they must see each day.
The consulate opens at 9:30 in the morning, but showing up at 9 is ideal. When we arrived at 9, the line was short and moved quickly, and we were out within an hour. When we walked out around 10, there was no line at all, so if you’re someone who likes a casual morning, showing up right at 10 can be an even easier experience.
Expect to get a ticket, wait in a modest seating area, and then approach a window where they check your documents. The entire interaction takes minutes unless they need clarification on your form. Ours was stamped and approved almost immediately.
Picking Up Your Travel Visa for China
Once the application is accepted, you’ll return on the date printed on your receipt. Pickup is straightforward. The visa will already be pasted directly into your passport — a full-page, typically ten-year visa if you qualify — and you’ll pay at that time.
The cost was $140 per person. You can pay with a card, which makes the whole thing painless. Kyle actually went around noon to pick ours up and was done in about thirty minutes. One small tip: when you arrive, tell the security guard at the entrance that you’re there for a pickup. They sometimes wave pickup visitors through ahead of the application line, which can save you a surprising amount of time.
How Long It Really Takes to Get Your Chinese Travel Visa
Despite the intimidating reputation, the entire process — from arrival to walking out with the receipt — took about two hours (maybe less!). Pickup was quick, too. If you factor in travel time and a coffee afterward to celebrate, it’s still an easy errand. If you’re used to American bureaucratic misery, the bar is low, and the consulate clears it.
Should You Use a Visa Agency for Your Chinese Travel Visa?
If you’re not in San Francisco, or if the idea of going in person makes your soul fold in half, agencies exist for a reason. They can handle the entire process for you for a fee, including checking your application and taking your photo. If convenience is worth the cost, go with an agency. If you’re near a consulate and don’t mind a brief government errand, doing it yourself is perfectly manageable.
Quick Summary
Here’s the short version of what actually matters:
You’ll fill out the COVA online application, print it, bring your passport, bring a color copy of your passport photo page, and show up at the right Chinese consulate for your state. You’ll pay $140 at pickup. Timing is everything — arriving around 9 or 10 in the morning makes the experience painless.
Final Note
This guide reflects my experience at the San Francisco consulate. Visa processes can change depending on new policies, diplomatic updates, or even just the mood of international bureaucracy in general. Before you go, double-check the official information, confirm your consulate’s hours, and make sure you’re looking at the guidelines for your specific region of the United States.
Once you have your visa, though, the world opens up. Or at least China’s high-speed rail network does. And I promise: it’s worth the paperwork.
