(S1) Family member of foreigner(s) staying or residing in China or person who needs to come to China for personal matters (more than 180 days)

2026-08-26 · Long term staying

(1) Passport
Original passport with at least six months of remaining validity and with 2 blank visa pages, a photocopy of the passport's data page and the photo page if it is separate.

(2) Visa Application Form
The application forms shall always be print-out version and hand-written forms are not accepted.There are two ways to prepare your application form. You may complete an  Online Application Form (where a Visa Centre provides such service), print it out and sign it; or, you can download the application form from our website and fill it in by computer, print it out and sign it. Please remember to bring to the Visa Centre, the complete visa application form and the signed CONSENT FOR PROCESSING PERSONAL DATA AND BIOMETRIC DATA , when submitting your application.


(3) Passport Photo
One recently-taken colour passport photo (bare-head, full face) against a white background (size: 48mm x 33mm).
  Photo Requirments.

(4) Copy of inviter’s Chinese ID in support of a personal invitation letter; copy of business license (registration document at the Chinese chamber of commerce) from the Chinese inviting organization in support of a business invitation.

(5) Employer Statement that contains information including position, years of employment and salary; Registration of school enrollment including study program and years of enrollment. For people who is retired or unemployed, one shall present his or her bank statement and proof of payment for his/her trip to China. For self-employed applicant, one should provide a copy of KVK registration and a copy of his/her most recent tax report (BTW aangifte).

For non-dutch citizens, proof of legal status (applicable for those not applying for the visa in their country of citizenship) is needed. You must provide the original and photocopy of your valid Dutch residence permit, employer statement, student status proof, or other valid certificates of legal stay provided by the relevant authorities of the country where the Visa Centre is located.

(6) Photocopy of previous Chinese passports or previous Chinese visas (applicable for those who were previously Chinese citizens and have obtained foreign citizenship).
If you are applying for a Chinese visa for the first time, you should provide the last Chinese passport held and a photocopy of its data page.
（7）Applicant who is under 18 should provide with birth certificate, declaration letter of the applicant's parents or legal guardian and identification copy of the applicant's parents or legal guardian.

If you have obtained Chinese visas before and apply for a Chinese visa with a renewed foreign passport that does not contain any Chinese visa, you should present the photocopy of the previous passport's data page and the photo page if it is separate, as well as the previous Chinese visa page (If your name on the current passport differs from that on the previous one, you must provide an official document of name change).

Applicants who are going to visit their foreign relatives residing in China and intend to stay for more than 180 days need to provide:
1. A photocopy of the inviting party’s passport and residence permit.
2. An invitation letter that contains:
(1) Information of the applicant (incl. full name, gender, date of birth, etc.);
(2) Information regarding the visit (incl. purpose of visit, intended arrival date, intended place(s) to stay, intended duration of stay, relationship between the applicant and the inviting party, and details of any financial support to be provided during the stay in China);
(3) Information of the inviting party (incl. name, contact telephone number, address, signature of individual).
3. Original and photocopy of certification (notarized and authenticated marriage certificate, birth certificate or certification of kinship) showing the relationship of family members between the applicants and the inviting parties.
"Relatives" refers to spouses, parents, sons or daughters under the age of 18, parents in law.
Accompanying family members applying together with applicants of Z-Visa or X1-Visa need to provide:
1. A photocopy of the application documents of Z-Visa or X1-Visa.
2. An invitation letter (issued by the foreign applicant who applies for Z or X1 visa) that contains:
(1) Information of the applicant (incl. full name, gender, date of birth, etc.);
(2) Information regarding the visit (incl. purpose of visit, intended arrival date, intended place(s) to stay, intended duration of stay, relationship between the applicant and the inviting party, and details of any financial support to be provided during the stay in China);
(3) Information of the inviting party (incl. name, contact telephone number, address, signature of individual).

3. Original and photocopy of notarized and authenticated certification (marriage certificate, birth certificate or notarized certification of kinship) showing the relationship of family members between applicants and inviting parties.
"Relatives" refers to spouses, parents, sons or daughters under the age of 18, parents in law.

We kindly remind you that:
Holders of S1-Visa must apply for a residence permit from the immigration department of the local public security authority in the place intended to stay within 30 days of entry to China.

(1) The invitation letter must be complete and clear. The letter may be in the form of fax, photocopy or computer printout. However, if necessary, the consular officer may require the applicant to submit the original version of the invitation letter. The issuer of such an invitation letter who is an individual in China should also provide a photocopy of his/her Chinese ID.

(2) The documents in Dutch language shall always be translated into English or Chinese upon submission of one’s application.

(3) If necesssary, the consular officer may require the applicant to provide other proof documents or supplementary materials, or require an interview with the applicant.
(The official website of che Chinese Embassy in the Netherlands:
nl.china-embassy.org/chn/ls/fhqz/t1211526.htm)

(4) The consular officer will decide on whether or not to issue the visa as well as the visa’s validity, duration of stay and number of entries in light of specific conditions of each applicant.
(5) To avoid unnecessary cost, please do not issue the payment for your air ticket and hotel reservation.

Holders of a J1,S1,Q1,X1,Z or D Visa must apply for a residence permit from the immigration department of the local public security authority in the place intended to stay within 30 days of entry to China.