Foreign Affairs Office of Shanghai Municipal People’s Government

The application of passport and visa for business is handled by persons specially assigned for the job (where the persons specially assigned for the job can not personally do the work on various accounts, they shall be responsible for examination on the application materials and issue a written entrustment so as to entrust someone to do the job).

I. The following materials are needed in applying for a passport:

1. Letter of recommendation from the unit of the person specially assigned for handling the application of passport;

2. Task approval document or task notice and confirmation document on going abroad for business which meets the specifications;

3. Approval document on political examination or form on political examination being put on file;

4. Completed“Form of Proceedings on Applying for a Passport and Visa for Business of Shanghai”;

5. Completed“Application Card for a Passport for Business and Permit”(with the signature of the applicant), attached with the photocopy of the applicant’s ID card;

6. Three pictures of the applicant, one of which shall be pasted on the passport registration card.

The following basic materials are needed in applying for a visa:

1. Valid passport with the signature f the applicant (term of the validity shall be at least another 6 months counted from the date indicated on the passport on which the applicant shall return to the People’s Republic of China);

2. Completed Visa Application Form meeting the requirements of the country the applicant is bound for (with applicant’s picture pasted in advance on the Application Form if required);

3. Qualified invitation letter from the foreign country which the applicant is bound for (including such particulars as address, telephone number, fax number on the letter paper of the party inviting the applicant, name of the invited person, when to visit the foreign country, scheduling program, detailed information on the purpose of the visit, who bearing the expense and signature of the inviter).

4. Additional materials needed in examination work done by the country concerned in granting a visa (for detailed information, please visit the website of Foreign Affairs Office of Shanghai Municipal Government: WWW. SHFAO.GOV.CN)

III. Requirements for the picture for the use of passport for business

1. A 2”colored bear-headed colored picture taken within the recent 6 months; the dimension of the picture is: 28- 33 mm from the top to the jaw of the person in the picture, 21—24mm for the width of the head of the person in the picture; for those wearing glasses, light reflection point from the glasses must not be in the eye socket; picture in which glasses whose lenses color changes with the change of light are used is forbidden.

2. Background of the picture shall not be decorated, with the color being white or light blue, and such deep color as red, brown and black shall not be used.

3. It is the front view of the applicant to be shown in the picture, who shall be bear-headed, and must not be in uniform. In the picture, the applicant bears natural looks, and he or she shall not wear make-up.

4. Copied picture, stained picture or digital picture is forbidden. Staples or clips shall not be used to take the picture so as not to damage the picture.

5. To indicate the name of the applicant on the back of the picture.

6. Some countries ask for special requirements on pictures used in applying and granting visa. For detailed information, please visit the website of Foreign Affairs Office of Shanghai Municipal Government.

Notice on signature on passport:

1. It must be the passport holder who signs his or her name at the place designated for the signature on the passport, and anyone other than the passport holder must not sign the name on behalf of the passport holder.

2. Chinese characters(or characters of the native language of minorities) must be used in signing the applicant’s name. Pinyin, English or other foreign languages must not be used in signing the name.

3. Ink pen or brush pen must be used in signing the applicant’s name, and ball point pen or pencil must not be used.

4. Signature on the picture must be the same as the one on the visa application form.

Notice on obtaining passport and visa

1. On obtaining passport, the applicant shall check against the Chinese characters and Ping Yin of the name on the passport, picture, sex, birth date and birth place on the passport, and check if there are steel official seal and read official seal of the Foreign Affairs Office of Shanghai Municipal Government on the passport. Anyone applying for a certification on going abroad shall check whether the passport holder’s name and serial number of his passport are the same as the ones on the passport, whether the country he is bound for is correct, read official seal of the Foreign Affairs Office of Shanghai Municipal Government is distinct, and whether the term of validity is correct.

2. After getting a passport, the passport holder shall personally sign his name, and anyone other than the passport holder must not sign the name on behalf of the applicant.

3. On getting a passport, the passport holder shall check whether contents on the passport signed by embassy or consulate of the foreign country in China are correct, including such contents as Ping Yin of the passport holder’s name (for the visa in which scanned picture is used, the picture shall also be checked), his birth date, visa type, valid for how many trips, how long he is to stay in the foreign country, term of validity and date on which the visa is issued, etc.)

4. For the above items, all persons specially assigned for the passport and visa job and applicants shall be responsible for the checking work. If any mistakes are found, the persons concerned shall come to Passport and Visa Administrative Department of the Foreign Affairs Office of Shanghai Municipal Government for correction, so that the persons concerned will not be detained in leaving the People’s Republic of China or declined to getting into the country at the port of the country just because of the mistakes in the passport and visa.