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S1 visa for China: the invitation letter, proof of kinship and the residence permit for personal matters

Unofficial summary · Sources checked

A family member applies for an S1 visa with an invitation letter written by you, photocopies of your passport bio-page and residence permit, and an original certificate proving the family relationship. Once they enter China, they have 30 days to apply for a residence permit, and for a visiting family member that permit is the residence permit for personal matters.

Who counts as a family member for an S1

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs' Visa Application Instructions of the People's Republic of China — the Ministry's general instruction for all Chinese missions, published on its China Consular Services site — names the relationships for an S1 visa as spouses, parents, sons or daughters under the age of 18, and parents-in-law. The UK embassy's list repeats that set and labels it "immediate family members". The US embassy's list gives the same set and adds that S1 covers cases where the intended duration of stay exceeds 180 days; the Ministry's instruction and the UK list, as used here, state no duration figure.

The inviter in every one of these texts is the foreigner who stays or resides in China for work or studies — that is, you.

What goes with the application

Document Ministry's general instruction US embassy list UK embassy list
Invitation letter From the inviting individual; required contents listed below From the inviting individual; contents given in its Annex 1 From a foreigner who stays or resides in China for work or studies; no contents list given
Inviter's documents Photocopies of the inviter's passport bio-page and residence permit Photocopies of the inviter's passport bio-page and residence permit A photocopy of the inviter's passport and residence permit
Kinship proof Original and photocopy of certification: marriage certificate, birth certificate, kinship certification issued by the public security police station, notarized kinship certificate, etc. Original of certification (marriage certificate, birth certificate, etc.); upload the photocopy online Original certification: marriage certificate, birth certificate, certification of kinship issued by the Public Security Bureau, or notarized certification of kinship
Other private affairs Not covered in the text used here Supporting materials provided upon request Not covered in the text used here

The Ministry's own instruction states that requirements are "as required by the Chinese Embassy or Consulate-General in your locality", so a mission's page still governs an individual application. The US notice, dated September 2025, applies to applications made to the Chinese Embassy in Washington through the new COVA system launched there on 30 September 2025; consulates-general and other missions may differ. The UK page is the wording used by the UK missions.

What the invitation letter has to contain

The Ministry's general instruction says the letter must contain:

  • Personal information of the invited person: name, gender, date of birth, etc.
  • Information about the visit: reason for coming to China, intended date of arrival, intended place of residence, intended duration of residence, relationship with the inviting individual, and who will pay for the travel.
  • Information about the inviting individual: name, phone number, address and signature.

The US embassy's Annex 1 sets out a fuller version of the same letter: the inviter's name, gender, date of birth, Chinese ID number or foreign passport number or Chinese permanent residence card number, current address in China, contact phone number and email; a statement inviting the relatives for a short-term visit or long-term residence with the planned date of entry and number of days; the invited person's name, gender, date of birth, nationality, passport number and relationship to the inviter; and the inviter's signature and the date.

After entry: the 30-day step

Both the Ministry's general instruction and the UK embassy list state the same rule: within 30 days of entry, the S1 holder must apply for a residence permit at the exit-entry administration of the public security bureau of the people's government at or above the county level of the intended place of residence.

Which residence permit: personal matters

The Regulations of the People's Republic of China on Administration of the Entry and Exit of Foreigners (State Council Decree No. 637) place family visitors in the residence permit for personal matters. Article 15(5) says that permit is issued to spouses, parents, children under the age of 18 or parents-in-law of foreigners residing in China for work, study or other purposes who apply for long-term visit to China, as well as to persons who need to reside in China for other personal matters.

Article 16 sets out how the application is made. The applicant submits their passport or other international travel document, qualified photos and material relating to the purpose of application, goes through the formalities in person with the exit and entry administration authority of the public security organ at or above the county level in the proposed place of residence, and provides biometric identification information such as fingerprints. Article 16(5) adds that for a long-term visit the applicant must submit, as required, proof of kinship and the residence permit of the foreigner to be visited. The same article requires a health certificate when the permit applied for is valid for more than one year; a health certificate is valid for six months from the date of issue.

What the service guide asks for, and how long the permit can run

The National Immigration Administration's service guide for issuing, extending, replacing and reissuing foreigners' residence permits is published in Chinese; the English below is this site's translation of that text. For the personal matters category it states that an S1 entrant visiting relatives must submit a letter from the person visited explaining the relationship — spouse, parents, spouse's parents, or children under 18 — together with that person's residence permit, and that a permit matching the visited person's period of residence in China may be issued. Other applicants must submit supporting material on the personal matter concerned, and may be issued a permit with a period of residence of no more than one year.

So the practical shape of the file is the one document set used twice: your letter and your residence permit carry both the visa application abroad and the residence permit application in China.

Questions people ask

Does the invitation letter have to come from the school?

None of the official documents listed under Sources names a letter from the school. They all name the inviting individual — the foreigner staying or residing in China for work or studies — as the source of the invitation letter.

How long can the residence permit be issued for?

Under the National Immigration Administration service guide, a visiting relative may be issued a permit matching the visited person's period of residence in China; for other personal matters, the period of residence does not exceed one year.

Is a health certificate always required?

The Regulations require one only when the residence permit applied for is valid for more than one year, and state that the certificate is valid for six months from the date of issue.

Where does a family member apply after arriving?

At the exit-entry administration of the public security bureau at or above the county level for the intended place of residence, in person, providing fingerprints. The Ministry's instruction and the UK list both give the 30-day deadline from the date of entry.

Do all Chinese embassies ask for the same documents?

The three lists compared above differ in wording, and the Ministry's own instruction defers to the embassy or consulate-general in your locality. Use the page of the mission that will handle the application.

Sources

Checked 11 October 2026

This page is an unofficial summary of those documents, is not legal or immigration advice, is not published by the bodies named above, and if anything here differs from the official text or from the instructions of the visa office or exit-entry office handling your case, that text and those instructions prevail.

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