Fill out your Chinese tourist visa, or "L" visa, application form. The form can be found at the Chinese Embassy's website at: http://www.china-embassy.org/chn/hzqz/zgqz/P020070611087242661716.pdf
American tourists can opt for a single entry (three to six months), double entry (six months) or a multiple entry (12 months). All visa time allotments begin at the date of issue and not the date upon arrival.
Submit your application packet to your nearest embassy. The application packet should include the completed application, a 2-by-2-inch photo attached to the application and your passport, which must be valid for another six months and have one blank visa page.
Do not mail your application packet to the Chinese embassy. All mailed applications will be thrown away. You must either go personally to the embassy, entrust your application to a third party or hire an agent. America's Chinese embassies are in Washington, D.C., New York City, Chicago, San Francisco, Los Angeles and Houston. If you are planning on going personally to an embassy, keep in mind that only the embassy that has jurisdiction over your state can service your visa application. For example, if you live in Florida, you have to go to the embassy in Houston.
If you plan on hiring an agent, make sure that the agent is endorsed by the Chinese embassy. A list can be found on the embassy's website.
Give yourself enough time for the visa paperwork to process. The normal visa processing time is four working days. Express or same-day service can be requested for an extra fee. You can opt for a visa mail-back service though the embassy if you are more than 100 miles away. Provide a self-addressed, stamped envelope with your application. You must list yourself as the sender and provide a $5 handling fee.
Submit your visa payment. All "L" visas are $130 for American citizens (no matter the number of entries). Payments can be made by Visa, MasterCard (for all those going directly to the embassy), money order, cashier's check or cash. The embassies do not accept personal checks.
