In accordance with their status and the types of passports they hold, different aliens coming to China shall be issued diplomatic, courtesy, service or ordinary visas respectively. Ordinary visa shall be marked with different phonetic letters and issued to different aliens according to their stated purposes of visit to China.
Visa D to aliens who are to reside permanently in China.
Visa Z to aliens who come to China to take up posts or employment and to their accompanying family members.
Visa X to aliens who come to China for study, advanced study or job-training for a period of six months or more.
Visa F to aliens who are invited to China on a visit or study, lecture or business tour, for scientific-technological or cultural exchange, for short-term refresher course or for job-training, for a period of more six months.
Visa L to aliens who come to China for sight-seeing, visiting relatives or other private purposes. A group visa may be issued to a group of nine or more aliens on a sight-seeing trip to China.
Visa G to aliens passing through China.
Visa C to train attendants , air crew members and seaman operating international services, and to their accompanying family members.
Visa J-1 to resident foreign correspondents in China;
Visa J-2 to foreign correspondents who make short trip to China on reporting tasks
