Before you leave
- Make sure your passport is in order and that you have a minimum validity of six months.
- Get the visa or permit.
Before entering Chinese territory must obtain the appropriate visa, residence or work permit issued by the Embassy or Consulate General of PR China in Spain or in your place of residence.
To stay in the country longer than the visa allows you is a punishable offense under the Law of the People’s Republic of China. It is also illegal to work in China without proper work permit.
Once in Chinese territory, if you need to extend or make any changes of visa, you should contact the Entry and Exit Bureau of the Ministry of Public Security of the city where you are in (公安局 出入境 管理 处 - "gong'anju churujing guanglichu" - Exit-Entry Administration of the Public Security Bureau).
- Hong Kong and Macau.
It is very important to remember that there is a border between Hong Kong and Macao and the rest of China, something to take into account when applying for a certain number of entries in the Chinese visa.
In certain conditions it is possible to travel to Hainan Island without a visa if you are traveling in an organized group of more than five people and, of course, you will arrive to it from Hong Kong or from a destination other than the PR of China. To travel from Hainan to mainland China a visa is required.
Links of interest:
- Check the documentation you should legalize before traveling
China is not part of the Hague Convention Apostille (1961) that abolishes the requirement of legalization for Foreign Public Documents.
Consequently, for a document issued in Spain to have legal validity for Chinese authorities needs to be correspondingly legalized.
You should be reported by relevant Chinese authorities on what documents should be legalized for further proceedings.
- Get the vaccine and/or necessary medical coverage
Once in China
- Consular Registration (only for Spanish citizens)
- Currency and currency exchange.
The official currency is the Yuan/RMB. Dollars, Euros and other international currencies can be exchanged at banks and at authorized exchange centers within China's borders.
Major banks in China: