Open 24/7 on WhatsAppinfo@apkavisa.pk+92 370 6357322
ApkaVisa
List your business

🇨🇳 Visit visa guide

China Visit Visa from Pakistan: Tourist L Visa, Documents and Process

China visit visa from Pakistan: the L tourist visa and family visit visas through the visa centres in Islamabad, Karachi and Lahore, documents and timing.

Message us on WhatsApp+92 370 6357322

Last checked against official sources on 25 September 2026

QUICK ANSWER

How much does a Chinese visit visa cost from Pakistan, and how long does it take?

There is no visa fee: the Chinese Embassy exempts Pakistani ordinary passport holders from all Chinese visa fees, though the visa centre charges its own service fee. The embassy usually processes an L, Q2 or S2 visa in 4 working days after it receives your passport, so allow 3–6 weeks and apply about a month before travel.

Checked on the official sites on 13 October 2026. Fees and times change, so confirm them on the linked page before you pay. Visa centre charges and any consultant's fee are extra.

Visa fee
None
Pakistani ordinary passports are exempt; the visa centre's service fee is separate
Embassy of China in Pakistan ↗
Processing time
4 working days
usual embassy time after it receives the passport
Embassy of China in Pakistan ↗

At a glance

What you are applying for

For a visit to China, Pakistani passport holders apply for an L visa for tourism, or a Q2 or S2 visa to visit family living there. You fill in the application online, then hand in your documents in person at the Chinese Visa Application Service Center in Islamabad, Karachi or Lahore.

The category decides everything. For tourism, the centres in Pakistan ask for a tourist group invitation issued by the tourism authority in China at the request of a Chinese travel agency, so a trip planned entirely on your own does not fit the checklist. Every applicant aged 10 and over also needs a police character certificate. A file in the wrong category, or without these, fails at the first step.

Most refusals come down to one of four

  1. The right category
  2. A police certificate
  3. The group invitation
  4. A complete invitation letter
Shanghai skyline
China · Visit visa
Visa
L for tourism; Q2 or S2 for visiting family in China
Where you apply
Chinese Visa Application Service Center in Islamabad, Karachi or Lahore, after filling in the form online
Tourist visa needs
A tourist group invitation issued in China at a Chinese travel agency's request
Police certificate
Required from every applicant aged 10 and over
Processing
Usually 4–6 working days, depending on the centre
Visa-free transit
Not open to Pakistani passport holders, beyond 24 hours airside

Is this the right guide?

Who it is for

Applying on the wrong visa is one of the quickest ways to a refusal, so read both lists before anything else.

You’re in the right place if you are

  • A tourist on an agency package

    Tourists travelling on a package through an agency that works with a Chinese partner agency.

  • Visiting Chinese relatives (Q2)

    Families visiting relatives who are Chinese citizens or permanent residents (Q2).

  • Visiting Pakistani family in China (S2)

    Families visiting Pakistani relatives who study or work in China (S2).

  • Travelling for treatment (S2)

    Patients and their companions travelling for treatment, with the hospital's documents (S2).

Wrong visa — take this route instead

Document checklist

Documents you will need

The base list for this visa. Your own checklist is built around your case — a salaried applicant and a business owner do not submit the same file.

0 / 12ready in your file

Tick as you gather — saved on this device.

Get my checklist on WhatsApp

Everyone

For a tourist (L) visa

For a family visit to Chinese citizens or permanent residents (Q2)

For a family visit to foreigners living in China (S2)

Step by step · with timings

How to apply, and how long it takes

In the order it happens. Each stage waits on the one before it, so the date you start decides the date you finish. Ranges, not promises — the mission owns the clock.

START TO FINISH3–6 weeksapply about a month before travel
  1. First

    Pick the right category

    L is for tourism. Q2 is for visiting relatives who are Chinese citizens or permanent residents, and S2 for visiting relatives who are foreigners living in China, such as a son studying there. The consular officer decides which category fits your purpose, and a file in the wrong one is refused whatever else it contains.

  2. 1–2 weeks

    Arrange the invitation

    For tourism, book through an agency whose Chinese partner can request a tourist group invitation from the tourism authority. For a family visit, your relative writes the invitation and sends copies of their ID and status.

  3. 1–3 weeks

    Get the police certificate early

    Everyone aged 10 and over needs a police character certificate covering the period since birth. If it has no verifiable QR code, it must be apostilled by Pakistan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs, so allow time for both.

  4. Fill in the form online

    Complete the online application form and print the confirmation page with your photo. The centres do not fill in forms for you.

  5. 4–8 working days

    Hand in the documents in person

    Take the file to the centre in Islamabad, Karachi or Lahore; passports are not accepted by post at present. The Karachi centre asks Q2 and S2 applicants to come in person for an interview every time.

  6. Collect and check the visa

    The consular officer sets the visa's validity, number of entries and permitted stay, so check all three when you collect your passport. You may also be asked to report back after the trip.

Rather have it handled?Visit, tourist and family visas — filed properly the first time.Our Tourist & Visit Visa service

Money

What it costs

The official figures are in the quick answer at the top, as checked on 13 October 2026. They change without notice, so each line here says what a cost depends on and where the current figure is published.

  • No visa fee

    The visa centre's service fee

    The Chinese Embassy charges Pakistani ordinary passport holders no visa fee. The visa centre adds its own non-refundable service fee, and the current schedule is on the centre's fees page.

    FIGUREThe visa centre
  • Optional

    Express service

    Express service costs more where it is offered: Islamabad offers it, Karachi has suspended it and Lahore has none.

    FIGUREThe visa centre
  • Paid in Pakistan

    Police certificate and apostille

    Police certificates and Ministry of Foreign Affairs apostilles are paid for separately.

    FIGUREEach office
  • Priced by the agency

    Tour packages

    Tour packages that include the group invitation are priced by the agency.

    FIGUREThe agency

Where the current rules and figures are published

LAST CHECKED 25 SEP 2026

This is general guidance. Rules change, sometimes without notice, and your case will have specifics this page cannot know about. Check anything decisive on the official pages, or send us your situation and we will tell you where you actually stand.

Read before you apply

Why China visit visa applications are refused

The grounds that come up most on files from Pakistan. Most of them can be dealt with before you submit.

  • The wrong category

    Applying in the wrong category — for example, a tourist visa for what is really a buying trip.

  • No valid police certificate

    No police character certificate, or one without a verifiable QR code that has not been apostilled.

  • No tourist group invitation

    A tourist application without the tourist group invitation the centres ask for.

  • An incomplete invitation letter

    An invitation letter that leaves out what the checklist requires, or relationship documents that are not apostilled.

  • Bookings that do not match

    An itinerary and bookings that do not match the stated purpose.

  • A form or photo that fails

    An incomplete form or a photograph that fails the specification.

  • Already been refused?

    Send us the refusal letter before you do anything else. It states the grounds, and they decide whether applying again is worth it or would just cost you the fee a second time.

    Send the letter

Start here

Ask us about your case

Two agents cover WhatsApp between them, so this reaches a person rather than an inbox. The first assessment is free and you get a straight answer, including when that answer is no.

YOUR MESSAGE PREVIEW

ApkaVisa · live agentonline now

Assalam-o-Alaikum! I'd like a free assessment. Service: Tourist & Visit Visa Destination: China (ref: form-guide-visit-visa-china)

Opens WhatsApp with your details filled in — you press send. Free assessment, no obligation, and we never share your number.

Straight answers

China visit visa questions

What people ask us before they apply.

Ask us something else

No. China's 240-hour visa-free transit and its visa-free entry schemes do not cover Pakistani passport holders. The only exemption is staying airside for up to 24 hours while changing planes to a third country.

RANKED · PK → CN

Top 10 China visit visa consultants in Pakistan

Rather compare agencies? These list the China visit visa in ApkaVisa's directory, across all ten cities.

All 20 agencies →
#ConsultantCityGoogle ratingVisas listedContact
01Satti Consultancy & ServicesListingIslamabad 4.9 (575 reviews)China visit visaEurope student visaEurope work visa+8 moreCallWhatsApp
02Expert Opinion: Study Abroad & Immigration ConsultantsListingLahore 4.8 (168 reviews)China visit visaUK student visaUK business visa+18 moreCallWhatsApp
03Zain International Travel LLCListingKarachi 4.9 (147 reviews)China visit visaUK visit visaUAE visit visa+4 moreCallWhatsApp
04Streamline Consultancy - China Visa SolutionsListingKarachi 5.0 (123 reviews)China visit visaChina student visaChina business visaCallWhatsApp
05Joshua Visa ConsultantListingGujranwala 4.8 (36 reviews)China visit visaUK student visaUK work visa+41 moreCallWhatsApp
06Ninja Travel & Tours - The Premium Travel Agency in Gulberg, LahoreListingLahore 4.9 (31 reviews)China visit visaUAE work visaUAE visit visa+2 moreCallWhatsApp
07CONSULINE GLOBAL (PRIVATE) LIMITED - Study Abroad ConsultantListingPeshawar 5.0 (28 reviews)China visit visaUK student visaUK visit visa+8 moreCallWhatsApp
08ClearVision Abroad (study & visa consultant)ListingPeshawar 4.8 (11 reviews)China visit visaUK student visaUK business visa+9 moreCallWhatsApp
09ApkaVisaRuns this directoryLahoreNo rating yetChina visit visaUK student visaUK work visa+43 moreCallWhatsApp
10HR Consultancy and Logistics-China Visa ConsultantFree listingKarachi 4.9 (69 reviews)China visit visaChina student visaChina business visaCallWhatsApp

Ranked by listing tier — Sponsored, then Featured, Verified and Free — and within each tier by how many public Google reviews the agency has. The ratings are Google's, as its listing showed them; we don't check them or vouch for them, and paid places are always labelled. You contact the agency directly; ApkaVisa doesn't sit in between. How the Top 10 is ordered

Keep reading

More on China

The other guides we have written for this country — each covers one visa in full.

Browse every guide →