Please send TDS your current valid and signed passport, plus one photocopy of the vital information page. It must not expire within 6 months and must have at least one blank visa page. If you do not have any blank visa pages in your passport, TDS can assist you in applying for additional pages. If your passport expires within 6 months, you must renew your passport and then we will secure your visa with the new passport.

Please send 1 recent professional passport-type photograph.
Passport Photo Guide - Click Here

Applicants under the age of 18 must provide a copy of their birth certificate.

Copy of round-trip air tickets, or travel agency/airline itinerary required if you are requesting "Rush" processing.

This is not required for "Regular" or "Express" processing

Please Send One Completed and Signed Application
Note: Application form MUST be typed, hand written applications will NOT be accepted. All questions MUST be answered, do not leave any question blank, type N/A if need be.
Note: All applicants must sign the application form even if the form is completed by another person, except that a parent or legal guardian may sign on behalf of an applicant under the age of 18.

You must complete the Online Order Form.

The order form gives TDS your name, address, shipping information and payment method. Multiple applicants can be entered using one order form. You only need to complete one TDS order form per request. Please print two copies of the confirmation page. Include one copy with the documents you ship to TDS and keep one copy for your records.

While completing the online order form in this step, you will be asked how you want to pay TDS fees. You may pay our fees online with a credit card or enclose a personal or business check or money order.

Please forward the completed requirements detailed above to:

TRAVEL DOCUMENT SYSTEMS, INC.,
3 Embarcadero Center
Lobby Level, Suite 2
San Francisco, Ca 94111

Urgent applications should be shipped to TDS using only the FedEx Company.
Please use FedEx Priority Overnight. Do NOT ship "First Overnight." This will delay the delivery of your package.

First time applicants whose former nationality was Chinese, shall write down his/her Chinese name in the application form and submit his/her original Chinese passport and a photocopy of the information page of the passport; if the name in the new passport is different from that in the old one, an official document for name change should be provided; applicant who was formerly Chinese and has acquired a new US passport, if there is a Chinese visa in the old passport, he/she shall submit his old US passport or the photocopy of the Chinese visa.

Documentations for a child with Chinese descent born in US
A child with Chinese descent born in US applying visa for the first time should provide the original and a photocopy of either parent's foreign passport or green card and Certificate of Birth besides other regular materials.

A child with Chinese descent born in US applying for a visa who has had a Chinese visa before could provide a photocopy of the former visa instead of either parent's foreign passport or green card or Certificate of Birth.

Validity of The China Tourist Visa is usually valid for three months from date of issue, for length of stay not to exceed 30 days. Applications for a touristic stay exceeding 30-90 days are not usually granted, except from persons of Chinese origin.

Date Format - Please Note - Chinese visas use the yy/mm/dd format

If Applications require Same-day or 24 hours Processing please send to TDS using only Fedex Priority Overnight Service
Multiple Entry "L" visas for tourist visits and family visit travelers valid for six months or twelve months are also available. Submit a written explanation of why a Multiple Entries Visa is required. You may apply for a 6 months or 12 months validity visa, with stays in China of up to 30-90 days each visit
-or- U.S. citizens of Chinese origin who were born in China (including Hong Kong, Taiwan, and Macau), may apply for up to 24 months months validity visa, with stays in China of up to 30-90 days each visit. A written application for stays up to 6 months may be considered.

Smart Traveler Enrollment Program (STEP)

By connecting on the Smart Traveler Enrollment Program, State Department will be able to assist you better in the case of an emergency, such as if you lose your passport or it is stolen while you are abroad.