All US passport holders entering mainland China must acquire a visa in advance. Your passport must have at least a 6 month's validity and two blank pages. Visa applications normally take 4-5 working days to process and visas are valid from one to three months. You must apply at the nearest consulate, either in person or through a travel agent, as most will not accept mailed in applications.

A visa application form must be filled out electronically, printed and signed. You need to submit one passport size photo along with a flight itinerary with your application. The form can be downloaded from the consular website closest to you. For your reference, we have included the link below . Please visit your local consular's website for the most up to date information about visa applications.
China entry visa procurement

Visitors entering Mainland China must follow the regulations of the General Administration of Customs of the People's Republic of China. China Customs exercise the supervision and control over the means of transportation, goods, and articles entering or leaving the territory; collect customs duties and other taxes and fees; uncover and suppress smuggling; and manage customs statistics.

The complete list of articles prohibited from entering the country and those from leaving the country can be found at the General Administration of Customs of the People's Republic of China here. (Click Here)

Chinese currency is called Renminbi, issued by the People's Bank of China. The unit for the Renminbi is Yuan, Jiao and Fen. Denominations of the currency are ¥100, ¥50, ¥20, ¥10, ¥5, ¥2, and ¥1. There is no legal private money-changing in mainland China. Rates are fixed throughout the country at all outlets of foreign exchange. You may change your money at branches of the Bank of China or desks administered by the bank in your hotel or at major department stores and restaurants in major cities. Unused Renmenbi may be converted to your own currency prior to your departure with the Bank of China. Ensure to keep your foreign currency exchange receipt as that is needed to convert any unused Renmenbi to your local currency, within three months of your original exchange.

Internet access is widely available throughout China via internet cafes, broadband and WiFi in hotel rooms, lobbies and cafes.

The whole of China is on Beijing time, 13 hours ahead of Eastern Standard Time and the country does not observe daylight saving time.

Water in China is not potable. It is best to drink bottled water.

China uses a 220 voltage system, alternating current is 50 cycles. Visitors from the US will need to bring an adapter as most hotels may not have sufficient supply for you to borrow. Several varieties of outlets are used throughout China: outlets with three-flat-pins, outlets with two round pins, and those with one pin broader than the other. China is quite modern and most department stores will offer adapters for sale.

Henan province speaks the Zhongyuan dialect of Mandarin Chinese. In the early 20th century, a standard form based on the Beijing dialect was adopted as the national language. Thus the Chinese will normally speak both the national and local dialect of Mandarin Chinese. Although most major hotels will employ staff with fluent knowledge of English, it is advisable to have addresses or instructions written down in Chinese to show a taxi driver should you need to get around the city.

Henan Provincial Tourism Administration US Representative Office
828 E Valley Blvd # C
San Gabriel, CA91776
Tel: (213) 880 - 6860
Email: contacts@visithenan.org