Individual Port Visa
Service Overview: This service allows foreign nationals planning to enter China through Shanghai ports to have an online pre-application for an individual port visa submitted on their behalf by an inviting person in China or an inviting entity in Shanghai. Invited foreigners can present their pre-application records and apply for a port visa upon arrival at a Shanghai port.
Target applicants: Individuals
Service category: Visa & Immigration
Service nature: Online pre-application
Administrative level: Municipal
Service platforms: Website of the Exit-Entry Administration Corps of the Shanghai Municipal Public Security Bureau; Government Online-Offline Shanghai
Laws and regulations: Exit and Entry Administration Law of the People's Republic of China
Eligibility
Foreign ordinary passport holders who are invited to urgently enter China for activities that are neither diplomatic nor official may apply if they are unable to obtain a visa abroad in time. Eligible purposes vary depending on the inviter.
Enterprises and public institutions in Shanghai may invite foreign nationals for business, visits, flight duties, work, internships, and other eligible purposes. Individuals in China may invite foreign nationals for family visits, attending a funeral, visiting a critically ill relative, domestic service in Shanghai, or study in Shanghai, limited to primary and secondary school students.
Required documents
Applicants must provide a valid passport or other international travel document, along with supporting documents that prove the urgent reason for entry.
For example, applicants traveling to China for urgent business activities should provide an invitation letter and supporting documents demonstrating the urgent need for entry. Click here for more details.
An inviting person in China or an inviting entity in Shanghai can apply in advance on behalf of the invited foreign national through Government Online-Offline Shanghai or the "Individual Visa Application Notice" section of the website of the Exit-Entry Administration Corps of the Shanghai Municipal Public Security Bureau.
After the pre-application is approved, the inviter must download and print the Foreigners' Port Visa Acceptance Notice. An inviting entity must affix its official seal while an individual inviter must sign the notice before sending it to the invited foreign national.
Validity and stay
• A port visa is valid for a single entry and permits a stay of up to 30 days.
Electronic Port Visa
- The port e-visa has the same legal validity as a physical visa. Applicants may enter and remain in China by presenting their passports and e-visas.
- E-visa holders may enter China through any of Shanghai's open ports and depart through any open port nationwide. The e-visa is valid for a single entry, with an entry validity of 15 days and a period of stay not exceeding 30 days. The Shanghai Municipal Public Security Bureau issues F (visit), M (business), R (talent), Z (work), and S2 (private affairs) e-visas.
- Inviting entities in Shanghai can submit electronic port visa applications on behalf of invited foreign nationals through Government Online-Offline Shanghai or the Online Platform for Government Affairs of the Exit-Entry Administration Corps of the Shanghai Municipal Public Security Bureau. Eligible foreign nationals working in Shanghai may also apply on behalf of invited foreign nationals for S2 (private affairs) electronic port visas through the platform.
- For applications submitted by inviting entities, after the electronic port visa is issued, the inviting entity must download the Confirmation Letter in the PDF format and send it to the applicant. For applications submitted by eligible individual inviters, after the application is approved, the inviter will receive a notification by email or SMS and must log in to the platform to pay the visa fee. After payment and issuance of the electronic port visa, the inviter will receive an issuance notice and can download the e-visa from the platform.
📞 Hotline: +86-21-12367