Apply Tibet Permit with F Visa, Visit Tibet with F Visa

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How to Apply Tibet with a F Visa?

The F visa (Business visa) is mainly for people who are engaged in exchanges, visits and investigations in China. It is no problem for tourists with F visas to travel to Tibet. When applying for a Tibet Permit. In addition to providing a scanned copy of the passport and the visa, an invitation letter must be provided as well. The invitation letter should have a stamp of the applicant’s inbound relevant unit with the name and the passport information listed, which proves that the inbound units in China invite the person to come to China for exchanges, visits, investigations and other related activities.

Tips for F visa application:

I. Required documents:

Passport: Original passport valid for more than 6 months with a blank visa page and a copy of the information page.

A visa application form and a passport photo: People's Republic of China Visa Application Form with a recent white-background passport-sized photo glued to it.

Invitation letters issued by relevant units or individuals in China. The invitation letter must contain the following information:

(1) Personal information of the invitee: name, gender, date of birth, etc.;

(2) The invited person’s visit-related information: the reason for coming to China, the date of arrival & departure, the places of visit, the relationship with the inviting unit or the inviting individuals, the source of the expenses, etc.;

(3) Information of the inviting unit or inviter: the name of the relevant unit or the name of the inviting individual, the contact number, the address, the seal of the unit, the signature of the legal representative or the inviter, etc.

II. Tibet Permit application procedure with F Visa

Foreign travelers entering Tibet must be organized tours with a reception unit and a confirmed travel itinerary. Tibet Permit is also required as a must entry pass issued by Tibet Tourism Bureau (TTB) to board the flight or Tibet train. Overseas Chinese and Taiwan residents need to get the Tibet Permit in the same way as for the international tourists. For residents of Hong Kong and Macau, there is no need to apply for the Tibet Permit. All you need to take is your HK/Macau SAR passport and Home Return Permit.

Step 1: Confirm with us about your travel time, travel itinerary, hotel reservation and other related details.

Step 2: Email us a scanned copy of your passport, your visa, and the invitation letter 25-30 days in advance.

Step 3: After confirming the tour group information, we will submit the documents to the Tourism Bureau to apply for your Tibet Permit. Usually the Tibet Permit will be issued 7 days before your Tibet trip starts. If you are taking a domestic flight in mainland China to Tibet, we will deliver the original Permit to the you. If you are going to take a train, we will send the scanned copy to you and you can just print it out. (the train passengers only need to take a copy of Tibet permit to board the train).

III. Who needs to apply for Tibet Permit?

1. Non-Chinese citizen ID card holder/Taiwan residents

2. Non-Chinese Passport Holder - Foreign Passport Holder

3. Overseas Chinese (Chinese with foreign passports) also need to apply for Tibet Permit

Note: Government officials, diplomats and journalists have to apply for the Tibet Permit through the Tibet Foreign Affairs Office and arrange receptions.

In addition to the Tibet Permit, other documents are required for travel to Tibet:

a. Frontier Pass

The frontier pass is the abbreviation of the “Border Security Pass”. If your itinerary includes border areas such as Medog, Zhangmu, Yadong, Dingri (Everest), Shiquan River in Ngari, Pulan, etc. you need to apply for a Frontier Pass in accordance with the Chinese law.

Domestic tourists are recommended to apply for a Frontier Pass at the police station where your household registration is located. Unless you prefer a Frontier Pass with Tibetan language on it for commemoration, you will have to apply for it in Lhasa. Other places such as Shigatse and Nyingchi can also be done, but they are more troublesome.

If you want to apply for a Frontier Pass in Lhasa, an easy way is to have a travel agency to handle it. Otherwise, you will start a complicated set of procedures.

For foreign tourists: Frontier Pass is generally arranged by the travel agency.

b. Alien’s Travel Permit

A Tibet Permit is good enough to visit Lhasa, Namtso, and Shigatse. But if you want to visit Nyingchi, Shannan, Changdu and other areas, you will need to apply for a Alien's Travel Permit. This permit can be applied by a travel agency with the application for your Tibet Permit.

Note: Only foreign travelers and Taiwan residents need to apply for an Alien’s Travel Permit. Mainland and HK/Macau tourists do not need to apply for it.