April 28, 2026
By Chou Qiu
A couple months back, a Millersville University professor walked into my office with his passport, itinerary, and a stack of documents. He needed a China visa. I took everything, filled out his COVA application, prepped his photo, and sent the whole package to the consulate through my courier.
Two weeks later, I got an update. The consulate wanted his parents' passport. He didn't have it. Couldn't get it.
So I sat down and wrote a letter explaining exactly why he couldn't produce that document. He signed it, I sent it back to the consulate, and three days later his visa showed up with a 10 year validity stamp.
That's the difference between filing paperwork and actually knowing how consulates work. I just wrapped up visas for a group of 8 faculty and professors from Millersville. All 10 year approvals. None of them had to call the consulate, write letters, or figure out what went wrong.
I'm Chou Qiu. Millersville University alum, been working China travel since 2025, and I run visa applications for clients in 44 states out of my Lancaster office. If you're reading this because you need a China visa and don't want to mess it up, here's what actually matters in 2026.
Most visa guides you'll find online are outdated. They'll tell you to print forms and mail documents like it's 2019.
On September 30, 2025, China rolled out the COVA system. China Online Visa Application. Every single applicant has to complete it before the consulate will even look at your passport. No COVA profile, no application ID, no visa. The Chinese Embassy won't accept paper submissions anymore.
The system is clunky. Field labels aren't always clear. You'll get halfway through and realize you need a document you don't have scanned. That's why I handle the whole COVA process for my clients. They drop off a passport and pick it up when it's done.
The State Department lists the requirements, but here's what that looks like in practice.
Your Passport
Six months validity from your entry date, minimum two blank pages. If your passport expires in less than two years, renew it now. You might still get a visa with 18 months left on your passport, but the consulate will probably cap you at a year or single entry instead of the full 10 year multiple entry.
Photo
Recent color photo, Chinese specs: 48mm x 33mm, white background, no glasses, taken within six months. I prep and edit photos for every client. No charge. Saves a week when the consulate kicks back applications for a photo that's 2mm off or has a cream background instead of pure white.
Proof of US Residence
Driver's license works. State ID works. Utility bill if you don't drive.
Old China Visas
If you've been to China before, they want to see your previous visa. Bring your old passport if that's where it is.
The COVA Application
This is the part that trips people up. I fill it out for clients because one wrong checkbox and you're restarting from scratch.
For Tourist Visas Specifically
That's it. No invitation letter. No hotel bookings. No flight confirmations. Helpful to have your rough itinerary ready when you call for intake, but the consulate doesn't need to see it for a standard L tourist visa.
You don't pick. Your state picks for you. The US has six Chinese consular districts:
Pennsylvania goes through New York. I work with all six districts, so wherever you're applying from in the lower 48, I can run it.
The consulate posts 4 business days for standard processing. That's just the consulate's piece. Actual start to finish:
I tell people to start 5 to 6 weeks out minimum. Three to four months is better. Consulates don't work on your schedule. They process applications in the order they receive them, and if Beijing decides to hold a batch for extra review, your 4 business days turns into 10.
1. Waiting Until the Last Minute
Somebody books a flight to Shanghai six weeks out and then remembers they need a visa. Now they're scrambling. Now they're paying for expedited service. Now they're calling me asking if I can get it done in 10 days.
Sometimes I can. Sometimes the consulate's backed up and I can't. Don't put yourself in that spot. Four to six months before your trip, get the visa sorted. Then book the flight.
2. Passport Expires Too Soon
Official rule: six months validity. Unofficial rule if you want the 10 year visa: two years left on your passport.
I've seen people get 10 year visas with 18 months left. I've also seen the consulate hand out single entry visas to people with perfectly valid passports that just happen to expire in 14 months. They don't tell you why. They just stamp what they stamp.
If your passport's close to expiring, renew it first. Save yourself the headache.
3. Thinking They Don't Need a Visa
Every couple months somebody calls me from the airport. They read about the 144 hour transit visa waiver online. They figured they'd fly into Beijing, hang out for five days, fly to Tokyo.
The 144 hour program exists. So does the 240 hour program. But you have to be transiting to a third country. You can't loop back to where you came from. You're limited to certain cities. Your airline has to confirm your onward ticket before they'll even let you board.
If you want to actually travel around China, see multiple cities, stay as long as you want, get a proper tourist visa. It's good for 10 years. Use it.
People ask me this constantly. Is the 10 year multiple entry visa still available for Americans?
Yes. Every single one of those 8 Millersville professors got 10 years. But the consulate makes the call, not you, not me. They look at your travel history, your paperwork, and whatever internal criteria they're using that week, and they stamp what they want to stamp.
Most US citizens applying for tourist visas get 10 years. Some get less. There's no appeals process. You get what they give you.
You can absolutely do this yourself if you've got time and your situation is straightforward. Lots of people do.
Hire me if:
That Millersville professor who needed his parents' passport? He had maybe a week to respond. I wrote the letter, he signed it, we got it back to the consulate same day. Visa came through three days later. That's what I do.
Most visa services hand you a checklist and tell you to fill out forms. I don't work that way.
You bring me your passport and whatever documents you've got. I build your COVA profile, fill out the application, prep your photo to exact Chinese government specs, put together the whole package, and send it to my bonded courier who hand delivers everything to the consulate.
Your passport gets tracked the entire way. When it comes back, local clients pick it up at my office. Out of state clients get it by insured mail.
What you actually do: drop off a passport, provide some document copies, wait three to four weeks, pick it up. That's the whole process from your end.
Pricing: $350 if you're local to Lancaster and can drop off in person. $400 for mail service if you're out of state. Both prices include the consular fee. The Chinese government sets that fee and it's nonrefundable once I submit your application, so make sure you're actually going before you hand over your passport.
If you're in Pennsylvania, your application goes through the New York consulate. Two ways to do this:
Local drop off: 246 Manor Ave Suite B, Millersville, PA 17551. Appointment only. You hand me your passport, I handle everything, you come back in three to four weeks and pick it up. $350 total.
Mail service: Send your passport to my partner agency (I'll give you the address after we talk). Same process, just add a few days for shipping each way. $400 total.
If you're anywhere near Lancaster, do the drop off. Faster, cheaper, and you don't have to trust USPS with your passport.
Everything in this guide pulls from official government sources:
China visas in 2026 aren't complicated, but the system changed in September and half the information online hasn't caught up yet.
Start early. Four to six months before your trip is ideal. Give yourself room for the consulate to ask questions.
Get your documents right the first time. Every piece of paper you submit should match. Passport validity, travel dates, everything.
If you want somebody to handle it, call me. 717-229-6790. Or email info@loongexplorer.com. Free intake call, we'll figure out exactly what you need. Full service details at loongexplorer.com/services/visa-assistance.
Chou Qiu runs Loong Explorer out of Millersville, Pennsylvania. Millersville University alum, handles China visa applications for 44 states, plans tours for people who want to actually see China instead of just checking boxes. More at loongexplorer.com.