Joe’s Diary – Week 4
I will leave for China soon once I settle my visa application.
You can submit your visa application to China’s embassy in Washington D.C. or consulate in New York, Chicago, San Francisco, Los Angeles, and Houston. There are 8 types of Chinese visa: for example, Resident (D) Visa is issued to foreigners who are migrating to China, and Student (X) visa is for foreign students who go to China for study or intern practice for more than 6 months. I will be on a business trip to China this time which is within 6 months, and therefore the Business (F) visa is applicable.
In general, the application forms for different types of visa are almost the same. One thing that should be noted is that even though there are some optional questions it is better to fill in answers completely as required. For instance, there is one question asking about cities where you will stay in China. In this case, you can write down a list of cities you are going to visit. Contact information, if applicable, can be included as well. As for multiple entry visa application, cities or countries where you are going must be stated clearly. During the visa interview, it is better to be honest.
After filling out the applications and passing the interview, you can collect your visa, which takes about 4 working days. If you need to get your visa 1 or 2 days earlier, it will cost you $ 20 USD for the express service. Additionally, the Embassy is closed during Chinese public holidays, and hence, the processing time for visa application becomes longer.
When applying for a visa, you may encounter many different kinds of problems. Remember, the Embassy’s website can provide you with all the useful information you will need.
马上就要去中国了，办签证的事情迫在眉睫，下边就来说说办签证要注意的各个事项吧。
办签证的话，当然要去使馆或领事馆办理。中国目前在华盛顿设有一个大使馆，另外在以下一些城市设有总领事馆：纽约、芝加哥、圣弗兰西斯科、洛杉矶以及休斯顿。一旦去错地方，可能会导致签证过程手续繁琐，时间拖得太久，甚至被申请被拒。
签证有不同的类型。到中国去，共有八种签证类型。比如，D签证是发给要在中国永久居住的人。X签证时发给要在中国学习或实习长于六个月的人。我这次是要到中国出差做生意，且时间不超过六个月，所以我要办的是F签证。
一般说来，申请表的格式都大同小异。要注意的是，虽然有些问题看似可填可不填，但是要尽量填写完整。例如，其中有一项是，需要在中国哪个地方停留。这时候，就可以列出几个停留的城市名称。有联系方式的话，也尽量写在表格里。多次入境时，即使有时不被批准，也要尽量将要去的国家、地区写清楚。此外，在面签时，一定要诚实回答面签官的问题。
填好表格、面签以后，就是等拿签证了。一般4个工作日就可以拿到。如果时间紧急，想要提前一两天拿到签证，这时候就要花费20美元了。记住，中国公假期间，大使馆并不工作，所以如果这段时间申请的话，工作日时间就会相应延长，超过4天了。
这里只列出了几个小点。实际过程中还会出项各种各样的问题。这个时候，不要忘了，大使馆的网站是你信息的来源。
The table below is part of the visa application form of the People’s Republic of China. Read carefully and try to fill in the form.
个人信息 Section 1: Personal information
