Visa

General Visa Policy

Participants from most countries will be required to obtain a visa to enter the People's Republic of China.

* From December 1, 2023, to December 31, 2025, individuals from France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Spain, and Malaysia, ordinary passport holders from the above countries can enter China for purposes like business, tourism, family visits, or transit for up to 15 days without the need for a visa.

* From March 14, 2024, to December 31, 2025, individuals from Switzerland, Ireland, Hungary, Austria, Belgium and Luxembourg, ordinary passport holders from the above countries can enter China for purposes like business, tourism, family visits, or transit for up to 15 days without the need for a visa.

* Citizens of Singapore and Brunei holding ordinary passports may also enter China without a visa provided that their purpose of visit is for tourism, family visits, business, or transit, and that their stay in China is no more than 15 days.

* Citizens of Thailand. Holders of valid ordinary passports of the Kingdom of Thailand shall be exempted from visa requirement for entry into,exit from or transit through the territory of China, for each single stay not exceeding thirty (30) days and for a cumulative period of stays not exceeding ninety (90) days in any one hundred and eighty (180)-day-period.

* The Citizens of Georgia holding valid ordinary passports, shall be exempted from visa requirements for entry into, exit from, or transit through the territory of each other’s country, for each single stay not exceeding 30 days and for a cumulative period of stay not exceeding 90 days in any 180-day-period.

* From July 1, 2024, to December 31, 2025, citizens from New Zealand, Australia, and Poland with ordinary passports will be allowed to enter and stay in China visa-free for up to 15 days for business, tourism, visiting relatives and friends, and transit.

Please check with your Chinese Embassy or Consulate General or Chinese Visa Application Centre (CVASC) which serves your residence area for your visa application details at your earliest convenience. Without exception, you must have a passport valid for at least six months. Early application is highly recommended.

In general, a Tourist Visa (L Visa) will suffice for your attendance. You might not need to present an invitation letter to apply for a Tourist Visa. However, if it is required or a Business Visa (F Visa) is a must, you probably need an Invitation Letter from the Symposia.

We can issue you the Invitation Letter with signature and official stamp for visa application purpose. If you need, please register the symposia and pay for the registration fee firstly and then send the screenshot of your personal information page to us. If you do have any difficulties in obtaining your visa, and need a formal Invitation Letter of Duly Authorized Unit, please contact us at smbe2025@ioz.ac.cn and submit the necessary information as below:

1. - Scan a copy of the passport photo page;
2. - The SFRB2024 registration confirmation letter (The automatically sent email when you complete your account registration.);
3. - Scan a copy of your Work ID or Student ID card.

144-hour Visa-free Transit Policy

Since December 28th, 2017, China has carried out the144-Hour Transit Without Visa (144-Hour TWOV) Program in Beijing.

Under the rule, citizens from countries that are listed in the 144-hour Visa-Exemption Transit Policy, holding valid international travel documents and onward flight/vessel/train tickets to a third country/region with confirmed date and seat within 144 hours upon their arrival, are allowed to apply Transit Visa Exemption in Beijing (Beijing Capital International Airport & Beijing West Railway Station) for total 144 hours.

After having successfully applied for 144-hour visa-exemption transit at one of the above-listed ports of entry, transit passengers are allowed to stay within the restricted administration precinct of Beijing ONLY.

Citizens from the following 54 countries can apply for 144-hour visa-exemption transit including:

Read more details about 144-hour Visa-free Transit Policy in Beijing

→ Instruction of 144-hour Visa Free Transit (from the People's Goverment of Beijing Municipality)

→ Beijing Visa Free: 144/72/24-Hour Transit Visa Exemption Guide

Note:

1. - Please note that it is your responsibility to obtain an appropriate visa on time. You must allow adequate time (at least 1.5 months) for the whole visa application process.
2. - Please DO NOT submit multiple applications. ONE qualified application can meet the requirements.
3. - It is the participant’s right and obligation to provide TRUE and ACCURATE information while registering, particularly when you apply for an invitation letter to support your visa application.
4. - The invitation letter will be processed when you have paid for your registration.
5. - In the Symposia Invitation Letter, we can ONLY clearly state to support your participation in the SFRB2024 in Beijing, China.
6. - Local organizers could NOT provide symposia invitation letters to accompanying personnel according to related regulations. We suggest that accompanying personnel apply for a tourism-type visa, which will be much easier and require less paperwork.
7. - Starting from August 30, 2023, China-bound travelers are no longer required to undergo a COVID-19 PCR test or Antigen Rapid Test (ART) before entering China. It is no longer required to declare the test result in the Health Declaration Form.

To avoid any travel delays and disruptions, we recommend that all travelers read and follow the instructions in the guidance issued by the official websites of Chinese embassies in your countries carefully.

Port Visa

• - Click here to learn all about Port Visa.

Useful Links

• - List of Chinese Embassies or Consulates:
  https://www.fmprc.gov.cn/eng/zwjg/
• - For visa types and apply procedure:
  http://cs.mfa.gov.cn/wgrlh/lhqz/lhqzjjs/201311/t20131101_961583.shtml
• - For specific visa application and inquiry, please contact the Chinese Visa Application Service Center (https://www.visaforchina.org/) in your area directly.