# Q2 visa requirements: the family document checklist

[Service guides](https://app.chinaentryvisa.com/guides) › [China family visit visa: plan a reunion, one document at a time](https://app.chinaentryvisa.com/guides/china-family-visit-visa) › Q2 visa requirements: the family document checklist

Build the applicant and inviter sides of your Q2 packet, check your consular office’s instructions and distinguish a ten-year visa request from the stay actually granted.

## Two sides of the Q2 packet

| Applicant’s side | Inviter’s side |
| --- | --- |
| Current passport, online application and photo, US residence evidence, and relevant prior China visa or residence permit | Invitation from the relative living in China |
| If applicable: lawful US status, former Chinese passport, naturalization and name-change documents | Chinese citizen: Chinese identity card, front and back |
| Child or unresolved identity history: use the separate guide and ask the office for case-specific requirements | Foreign permanent resident in China: passport biographical page and Chinese permanent residence card, front and back |

The Embassy’s Q2 list requires the invitation and inviter identification. Unlike its Q1 list, it does not list relationship-certificate originals as a universal Q2 requirement. That does not prevent the office requesting proof in your case.

- [Chinese Embassy in the US: visa requirements (September 22, 2025)](https://us.china-embassy.gov.cn/eng/lsfw/zj/notice/202509/t20250920_11712385.htm)

## Check the office for your residence

These are source comparisons checked on October 1, 2026, not five interchangeable checklists. Each office’s linked page gives its jurisdiction and current submission instructions.

| Responsible office | Detail to check in its own instructions |
| --- | --- |
| Washington, DC — Embassy | Passport: more than six months remaining and at least two blank visa pages; Q2 invitation and inviter ID uploads |
| New York | Distinguishes uploaded materials from original passport, barcode page and other originals for submission |
| Chicago | Q2 requires invitation and inviter ID; also apply the general-document list |
| San Francisco | Separate first-visa evidence for children under 16; parents’ status at birth may need documentation |
| Los Angeles | The current table specifies at least one blank visa page and more than six months’ passport validity; follow its upload/physical-document columns |

- [Chinese Embassy in the US: visa requirements (September 22, 2025)](https://us.china-embassy.gov.cn/eng/lsfw/zj/notice/202509/t20250920_11712385.htm)
- [New York: visa requirements (September 24, 2025)](https://newyork.china-consulate.gov.cn/eng/lsfw/Visa/rhsq/202509/t20250924_11714483.htm)
- [Chicago: visa requirements (September 25, 2025)](https://chicago.china-consulate.gov.cn/eng/lmbf/zytz/202509/t20250925_11716329.htm)
- [San Francisco: visa requirements (September 25, 2025)](https://sanfrancisco.china-consulate.gov.cn/eng/lsfw/lszj/zgqz/202509/t20250926_11717536.htm)
- [Los Angeles: visa documents and submission methods](https://losangeles.china-consulate.gov.cn/eng/visa/chinavisa/)

## Ten years, multiple entries and length of stay

US citizens may request a Q2 multiple-entry visa valid for up to ten years under the China–US arrangement described in the Los Angeles notice of November 12, 2014. That notice establishes the option; use current office instructions for passport and document requirements. The consulate decides what to issue.

| Visa field | What to check |
| --- | --- |
| Validity / enter-before date | The period in which the visa may be used for entry; not ten years of continuous residence |
| Entries | How many entries are permitted; do not assume a requested multiple-entry visa was granted |
| Duration of each stay | The permitted stay shown on the issued visa; Q2’s category boundary is not an automatic 180-day stay |

- [Los Angeles: long-validity visas (November 12, 2014)](https://losangeles.china-consulate.gov.cn/eng/lghd/201411/t20141113_4278718.htm)
- [Chinese Embassy in the US: visa FAQ (updated September 2025)](https://us.china-embassy.gov.cn/eng/lsfw/zj/qz2021/202309/t20230919_11144908.htm)

## Before sending the packet

- Match names, birth dates and passport numbers across the form and invitation.
- Check both sides of identity cards and that scans are legible.
- Keep prior-passport and name-change evidence together where applicable.
- Wait for the online passport-submission status and prepare the barcode page and originals requested by your office.
- Confirm CEV order receiving instructions before mailing originals if you have purchased a visa handoff service.

If a parent has died, the proposed inviter cannot provide an identity document, or a relationship record is missing, describe the actual situation to your office and ask what evidence it requires. This guide cannot supply a universal substitute or exemption.

- [Annotated family invitation](https://app.chinaentryvisa.com/guides/china-family-visit-visa/invitation-letter)
- [Plan time for review and return](https://app.chinaentryvisa.com/guides/china-family-visit-visa/processing-time)

## Related guides

- [Overview: China family visit visa: plan a reunion, one document at a time](https://app.chinaentryvisa.com/guides/china-family-visit-visa.md)
- [Q2 family invitation letter: an annotated example](https://app.chinaentryvisa.com/guides/china-family-visit-visa/invitation-letter.md)
- [Former Chinese citizens: old passports and your first China visa](https://app.chinaentryvisa.com/guides/china-family-visit-visa/former-chinese-citizens.md)
- [US-born children: visa or Chinese travel document?](https://app.chinaentryvisa.com/guides/china-family-visit-visa/children-born-in-us.md)

## Official references

Follow the current instructions of the Embassy or Consulate handling your application. These references do not confirm CEV service availability or an order-specific receiving address.

- [Chinese Embassy in the US: visa requirements (September 22, 2025)](https://us.china-embassy.gov.cn/eng/lsfw/zj/notice/202509/t20250920_11712385.htm) — verified on 2026-10-01
- [New York: visa requirements (September 24, 2025)](https://newyork.china-consulate.gov.cn/eng/lsfw/Visa/rhsq/202509/t20250924_11714483.htm) — verified on 2026-10-01
- [Chicago: visa requirements (September 25, 2025)](https://chicago.china-consulate.gov.cn/eng/lmbf/zytz/202509/t20250925_11716329.htm) — verified on 2026-10-01
- [San Francisco: visa requirements (September 25, 2025)](https://sanfrancisco.china-consulate.gov.cn/eng/lsfw/lszj/zgqz/202509/t20250926_11717536.htm) — verified on 2026-10-01
- [Los Angeles: visa documents and submission methods](https://losangeles.china-consulate.gov.cn/eng/visa/chinavisa/) — verified on 2026-10-01
- [Los Angeles: long-validity visas (November 12, 2014)](https://losangeles.china-consulate.gov.cn/eng/lghd/201411/t20141113_4278718.htm) — verified on 2026-10-01
- [Chinese Embassy in the US: visa FAQ (updated September 2025)](https://us.china-embassy.gov.cn/eng/lsfw/zj/qz2021/202309/t20230919_11144908.htm) — verified on 2026-10-01

Content updated: 2026-10-01

[View service details](https://app.chinaentryvisa.com/services/china-visa-form-review)

[Visit China Entry Visa](https://www.chinaentryvisa.com/)