The Ultimate Guide for how to Travel to China from the USA
China is such a magical and vast place. It is a world completely different from the U.S. with so many tantalizing smells, tastes, and textures. Whether you’re a foodie, nature lover, history buff, or culture enthusiast, China checks all the boxes.
Although, to travel to China from the USA, they do not make it easy. AND for me, as a Chinese-American who was born in China, they made it even harder. I have planned dozens of trips and this one takes the cake for being the most tedious and time consuming.
When I started to research into traveling to China, I was pretty lost and had SO many questions like – how much of the the language do I need to know? How long does the visa process take? Is it safe for Americans? Will my phone work? I HAVE to go to D.C.?
That being said, China was one of the best trips I’ve taken. You can easily be immersed in the culture and see how people there truly live. I’ll dive deeper into what to do, see, and taste in another article.
So here is your ultimate guide for how to travel to China from the USA and answer all the questions you might have!
Some notes before you start
- Decide how you want to travel: plan your own trip, tour group, or hire a personal tour guide/translator. I personally just planned my own trip, but it’s up to you.
- You will need a visa before you go AND ideally before you start booking anything.
- For the visa process, you will need to go in-person to the Chinese Embassy in Washington D.C. and stay for at least 4 days while they process your application.
- It CAN be longer if you need further paperwork or need further questioning – I had to wait 2 weeks. Although, you can also have someone go in and apply for you as well as pick it up for you if you don’t live near D.C., for example I lived in Baltimore, Maryland, so I easily took the train down, but for my mom who lived in Tennessee, I was able to bring all her paperwork and they were able to process it all for her and I picked it up.
- The cost of the visa is $140 per person. You can also pay extra for it to be expedited.
- You can pay a company to do the in-person Embassy work for you, but it can be pretty pricey. But if you don’t live close to D.C. or know anyone who lives in D.C., then spending the night for 4+ nights on hotels and a flight can outweigh the costs. I would recommend Oasis as it is a reputable agency, but just do your research and make sure it is a legit agency.
- Emailing or calling the Chinese Embassy is usually a lost cause – they are very slow to respond due to the amount of work they are doing. Here are some FAQ’s on the Chinese Embassy’s website.
- Be cautious of travel advisories or warnings before you book your travel, they can be found on the U.S. Government website. To be honest though, with the way our governments are, there is never going to be a “perfect” time to go, so just use your own caution and judgment.
- China is extremely safe. Of course don’t make yourself a target or go places you shouldn’t, but I personally never felt in danger, even walking around at night or alone. I would say it’s safer than a lot of U.S. cities I’ve been to.
- Most of your American apps will not work there: Gmail, Google translate, banking apps, most social media, etc. so be aware of that before you leave.
- With the exception of hotel and airport staff, most people do NOT speak English. Learn some Mandarin, buy a pocket Mandarin language book, or have a translation app.
- If you are flying within China, you cannot check into your flight online so make sure to get to the airport extra early.
Now that you have those caveats, let’s get to the actual planning!
1. Apply for a Visa ($140 pp)
Americans traveling to China for tourism need a tourist (L) visa before you go. The visa process can be tedious so make sure you read everything thoroughly and have all your paperwork whether you’re going into the Chinese Embassy or through an agency.
You will need to fill out the COVA visa form online, print, and sign it. Apply for the 10 year visa. (note: on the application form it will ask you for your flight and hotel information, you can leave this blank or put in an estimated time frame)
Additional documentation you need:
- Printed COVA visa form (typed, handwritten is not accepted)
- A valid U.S. passport
- Must be signed
- Must have 2 blank pages
- Must be valid for 6 months
- A state issued driver’s license
- 2 professional passport photos
- Photocopy of your passport (can be B&W or color)
Further documentation you MIGHT need:
- If you are Chinese-American and born in China, you need your ORIGINAL Chinese passport (not photocopies), U.S. green card before naturalization, and naturalization certificate.
- An employee letter stating your purpose of visiting China. This must be a professional document addressed to the Chinese Embassy, a letterhead of your company, your name and job title, and dated and signed by your employer. If you are self-employed this can be written by you.
- In special cases you might also need to undergo an interview and fingerprinting
2. Go to the Chinese Embassy in Washington D.C.
Plan your trip to the Chinese Embassy in Washington D.C. You cannot make an appointment, it is walk-in only so make sure to get there right when they open at 9:30am. They get crowded quickly. You will walk in and they will give you a number to wait your turn.
- Make sure to go to this address for visas: 2201 Wisconsin Avenue, N.W. Suite 110, Washington, D.C. 20007 and not the other embassy location.
- Hours: 9:30am-2:30pm, Monday to Friday, except for holidays
Once you submit your application at the Embassy, you can go back 4+ days later to pick up your visas. YAY!
Now you can officially start booking your trip!
3. Book plane tickets and accommodations
- Buy early – tickets can get very pricey from the U.S. I personally use Google flights to find the cheapest routes, but use whatever works for you.
- Flying into a major airport always keeps flight costs lower. Then when in China, you can fly or train into the smaller cities/areas.
- Keep in mind flight time will probably be around 24+ hours, so plan for that when booking your accommodations.
- Pick a hotel that is in the city center or close to public transportation – this always makes a huge difference in your experience and makes it easy to get to where you want to go.
- Depending on what hotel you stay at, make sure they check into the police station for you. Every time you change locations of where you are staying, you will usually need to check into the local police station, but most hotels will usually do this for you now.
4. Make sure you have a phone plan that will work
Tell your phone provider the dates of your travel and you need international data during that time. If you have T-mobile as a provider they have free international data – just see what your phone plan allows.
Although that being said, my T-mobile data worked on my Iphone, but not my husband’s. He has an Android and we couldn’t get it to work so just keep some of this in mind. We just had to use mine the whole time. You are also able to get an e-sim at the airport when you land.
Just be mindful, you will need some kind of phone plan.
Side note, I brought a universal adapter to charge my devices, but most places had universal USB ports.
5.Download apps ahead of time
- WeChat – this is the end all be all for China. This is how they pay for everything, communicate, and more. Make sure you have a working WeChat account and connect your Visa or Mastercard credit card to it. It can only be these two brands of cards, as they are the only ones China accepts.
- Apple Translate – this was a lifesaver. I took 2 years of Mandarin lessons before coming, but while in practice it’s hard to apply, especially reading the characters. Use the camera feature and hold it over whatever you need to translate and it will do it automatically, it’s so helpful for restaurant menus and signage!
- Apple Maps – I’m usually a Google maps girlie, but like I said nothing Google will work here. Apple maps is great at navigating to where you need to go and looking up specific areas and restaurants.
- Didi: This is their local ride-sharing app. It makes getting places extremely easy and it is subsidized by the government so it is also extremely cheap. We had an hour ride from the airport to our hotel in the city center and it was only $11 USD. Just be aware, none of the drivers will speak English.
6. Withdraw some of the local currency – Chinese Yuan
China skipped the credit card game and went straight from cash to electronic payments. So, on the off chance, your WeChat malfunctions or stops working, make sure you can still pay for everything with Yuan.
This actually happened to me, even though my husband and I share a credit card, I put his card on my WeChat account..and let’s just say WeChat did not like that. There was a 50/50 chance if our payments would go through and getting service or tech help from WeChat is next to impossible, I got an email 2 months later regarding my service request.
As you can imagine this was extremely stressful, we thankfully found a bank that we could get cash from, but to save you this headache, make sure to get money out beforehand at your local bank or at the airport (I know airports have a hefty exchange rate though).
7. Make reservations ahead of time
If there are certain sites you really want to see like the Forbidden City, Tiananmen Square, The Great Wall, etc. Look into making a reservation beforehand, we thought we’d be able to walk into some of these places, but they are very strict on having a reservation made and some are booked for weeks out.
We were able to see sites like the Forbidden City and Tiananmen Square from outside and other spots, but weren’t able to go fully in without a reservation.
For The Great Wall, we were able to get a tour the next day through the hotel we were staying at, but just in case I’d suggest making reservations ahead of time if there are any must-do’s for you.
8. Make a list of your itinerary to send to family and friends
This is purely cautionary in the rare case something happens, they know your whereabouts and can reach out for help.
Ideally doing this for most trips would be a good practice. Include flight numbers, hotel names and addresses, and dates of departure/arrivals.
9. Get familiar with the cities you go to and learn local transportation
China is so big and can get confusing. Get to know the area of the hotel you’ll be staying at, what you can walk to, what you will need to use transportation for and how to use it, etc.
This will just ensure everything will go smoothly and you can enjoy your time without stress instead of trying to figure everything out that morning.
10. Try to learn some Mandarin
I know, I know, it is an extremely difficult language. BUT, having a little bit of prior knowledge like learning pronunciation and some basic words can help you feel a little less helpless while there.
Especially when ordering at restaurants, learn some phrases like “wo xihuan” which translates to I’d like ___ (whatever dish). Pointing to it on the menu is also fine. I suggest apps like Duolingo or getting practice work and a guidebook. Here is one I used while I took lessons.
Tips when in China
Always have your passport on you
Whenever you are walking around ALWAYS have your passport on hand. You’d be surprised at the amount of times they will need to see it, such as getting into a museum, a store, or just walking around.
Police might stop you to verify who you are, especially if you look like a tourist, you might get stopped more often. Plus leaving it at your hotel could be risky. I had a belt bag I wore around my chest that kept it safe and handy at all times.
Have toilet paper on you!!
Public toilets will not have toilet paper, so especially for you women out there, buy some pocket toilet paper that you keep in your purse or bag at all times.
They thankfully have public toilets everywhere, just know most of them will not be your typical western toilets, but holes in the ground that you will need to squat for.
Practice those squats now, ladies.
Be aware of your surroundings and know local dos and don’ts
Just look around at what the locals are doing around you. Typically don’t j-walk, dress a bit more modest (definitely not a lot of cleavage), don’t point at people, and you don’t have to tip at restaurants.
Get a water bottle with a filter
The water is not safe for Americans to drink, so instead of buying a bunch of plastic water bottles, I suggest getting a water bottle with a filter. You can fill it at your hotel, restaurants, or around town without worries. This is the one I purchased and love it.
Maybe stay away from the street food for the first couple of days to get your body adjusted
This was a tip given to me by someone who lived in China for awhile, but Chinese food can be very intense and different for some western stomachs, it can really upset it with the different oils and products they use.
Although, I did not listen to this advice and was perfectly fine – just know your own body’s limits.
Embrace the culture and all the differences
This post was to guide you in how to travel to China from the USA. You should have gotten all the steps and tips needed to start. So happy planning!
