Apply for a Chinese Family Reunion Visa (S1, S2, Q1, Q2)

Purpose: This visa is intended for visits to family members residing in China for periods exceeding 60 days.

(For visits up to 60 days, a tourist visa "L-visa" is applied for)

China offers two different categories of family reunion visas:

• S-Visa: Specifically for foreign family members accompanying or visiting relatives.
• Q-Visa: Designed for former Chinese citizens and their relatives from abroad who wish to visit family members who have remained in China.

Differentiating Between Family Reunion Visas

Family reunion visas are differentiated by two factors:

a) nationality of the applicant
b) duration of stay.

Accordingly, visas are categorized into "small family reunion visa" (Q2/S2) for shorter visits and "large family reunion visa" (Q1/S1) for longer or permanent stays.

The small family reunion visa (S2/Q2) can be issued for single, double, or multiple entries up to 2 years with a stay of either 120 consecutive days or up to 60/90 days for multiple entries.

The large family reunion visa (Q1/S1) allows a stay of 30 days on a single entry, during which it must be converted at a local registration office (police) into a residence permit.

Apply for a Chinese Visa Online

1a Visa Consulting Limited processes visa applications from all regions in the UK. We offer daily free consultations at Tel. 020 - 3239 5990.

Important! Remember the Legalization!

For converting the "large" family reunion visa (Q1/S1) into a residence permit, you must have the necessary documents legalized by the Embassy of the People's Republic of China in UK beforehand.

Documents for Applying for a "Small" Family Reunion Visa

1. A properly formatted private invitation
2. Proof of kinship must be presented.

What is a Private Invitation?

The private invitation must include:

1. the address and
2. the phone number of the host as well as
3. the personal details of the invited person(s) (full name, date of birth). It must
4. specify a certain period (from ... to ...),
5. be handwritten signed,
6. and state the relationship.

If the inviting person is a Chinese national residing in China, the following documents are sufficient: copies of the front and back of the Chinese ID-Card for Q visas, or a copy of the passport for S visas.

If the inviting person is a foreign national residing in China, the invitation must always include two copies from the inviter's passport:

• the main page with the photo,
• the page with the valid residence permit.

When the application is made simultaneously with the visa application of a family member who will be taking up work in China (and thus does not yet have the residence permit entered in his/her passport), copies of the work permit with the name of the accompanying family member or the university admission notification of the relative must be presented. The invitation can be issued in China, scanned, and sent as an attachment to UK.

Permissible languages are English and Chinese.

Request a sample free of charge. We are happy to send you a sample of a formally correct private invitation free of charge by email upon request.

Applying for a "Large" Family Reunion Visa with Legalization and Health Certificate

Proof of kinship for the application of the visa (Q1, S1) must be provided in the form of photocopies of marriage and birth certificates, which must be legalized in UK by the embassy before entry. If the visa is to be converted into a residence permit in China, the documents must be presented again in legalized form. Some Chinese registration offices also require the presentation of a health certificate before issuing the residence permit.

Apply for a Chinese Visa Online