(S1) Family member of foreigner(s) staying or residing in China or person who needs to come to China for personal matters (more than 180 days)
S1 visa
Based on a note from the Consulate General of the People's Republic of China in Sydney, from 15 September, 2025, all applicants are required to visit the website of the Chinese Visa Application Service Center in Sydney to fill in the application form and upload all necessary documents online. Detailed information regarding the application process,please click.
Currently, Chinese visa applications are divided into two stages: the first stage is online review, and the second stage is offline submission. All application materials must be submitted during the online review, and only the original materials must be presented during offline submission.
Service area: Ordinary visa applications for China by Australian citizens or third-country nationals residing in New South Wales, the Australian Capital Territory, the Northern Territory and Queensland.
Documents required to be uploaded:
(1) Passport
Original passport with at least 6 months of remaining validity and with at least two blank visa pages.
(2) Photo
One recently-taken Photo (size: 48mm x 33mm) attached. A photo must be:
- In colour
- Taken in front of a plain white background
- Taken bare-headed
- Face centred looking straight
- No glasses
- Taken within the last 6 months
(3) Proof of legal stay or residence status (only for those Applicants using non-Australian passport to apply for Chinese Visa): If you are not applying for the visa in the country of your citizenship, you must provide the original and photocopy of your valid Australian visa of residence, employment or student status, or other valid certificates of legal stay provided by the relevant authorities of the country where the Visa Centre is located.
(4) Photocopy of previous Chinese passports or previous Chinese visas (applicable to those who were Chinese citizens and have obtained foreign citizenship): If you are applying for a Chinese visa for the first time, you should provide the last Chinese passport held and a photocopy of its data page and the Australian PR visa (no include 155 visa).
If you have obtained Chinese visas before and apply for a Chinese visa with a renewed foreign passport that does not contain any Chinese visa, you should present the photocopy of the previous passport's data page and the photo page if it is separate, as well as the previous Chinese visa page (If your name on the current passport differs from that on the previous one, you must provide an official document of name change).
(5) Children of Chinese descent (Parent/Parents having or having had Chinese nationality) applying for Chinese visas for the first time are required as below:
1. Both original and copy of the birth certificate.
2. The parents' passports which were holding when gave birth to the child. The original and a copy of the data page of the passports are required.
3. If the parent/parents were holding Chinese passports when gave birth to the child, a copy of the foreigner visa or residence document which were holding at that time is required.
(6) Applicants who are going to visit their relatives residing in China and intend to stay for more than 180 days need to provide:
1. A photocopy of the inviting party’s passport and residence permit.
2. An invitation letter that contains:
a) Information of the applicant (incl. full name, gender, date of birth, etc.);
b) Information regarding the visit (incl. purpose of visit, intended arrival date, intended place(s) to stay, intended duration of stay, relationship between the applicant and the inviting party, and details of any financial support to be provided during the stay in China);
c) Information of the inviting party (incl. name, contact telephone number, address, signature of individual).
(3) Original and photocopy of notarized and authenticated certification showing the family relatonship between the applicant and the inviting party.
(7) Accompanying family members applying together with applicants of Z-Visa or X1-Visa need to provide:
1. A photocopy of the application documents of Z-Visa or X1-Visa.
2. An invitation letter issued by the inviting party. It should contain:
a) Information of the applicant (incl. full name, gender, date of birth, etc.);
b) Information regarding the visit (incl. purpose of visit, arrival and departure dates, place(s) to be visited, relationship between the applicant and the inviting party, financial support to be provided during the stay in China);
c) Information of the inviting party (incl. name, contact telephone number, address, signature of individual).
3. Original and photocopy of notarized and authenticated certification showing family relationship between applicants and inviting parties
4. An invitation letter issued by the employer in China for which the inviting party works, or the school in which the inviting party studies.
(8) Applicants who are going to China for private affairs and intend to stay for more than 180 days need to provide necessary documents identifying the nature of the private affairs, for example, hospital documentation for someone intending to receive long-term medical care.
We kindly remind you that:
Holders of S1-Visa must apply for a residence permit from the immigration department of the local public security authority in the place intended to stay within 30 days of entry to China.
Note:
(1) Unless the original version is required in particular, the invitation letter can be faxed, copied or printed.
(2) Consular officers may request an applicant to provide additional supporting documents or conduct an interview when deemed necessary.
(3) Whether a visa is to be issued or not, as well as the period of its validity, number of entries and duration of stay will be decided by consular officers according to the applicant’s actual situation.