For Temporary Journalists and Relevant Staff

The following documents shall be sent to the Press Section of a Chinese embassy:

1) An application letter signed by the head of the foreign media organizations and the detailed schedule in China, including the name list, the arrival and departure time, the interview place and the content of the interview.

2) The invitation letter provided by the interviewee or the relevant organization.

3) The applicant's passport, copy of the credentials or documents identifying the applicant as a professional journalist and contact information.

4) Visa application form with photo.

5) Equipment Declaration Form if there is any.

To Station a Resident Journalist and Relevant Staff in China

I. A permanent bureau shall be set up in China first before the foreign media organizations send any stationing resident journalists. The foreign media organizations shall first submit an application to the Information Department of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (hereafter referred to as the Information Department), directly or through a Chinese embassy, consulate. The application should be signed by the legal representative of the organization and should include:

1) A profile of the media organization concerned.

2) Name of the permanent bureau to be set up, intended city, business scope, number of the staff as well as personal information of the bureau chief and other staff such as name, gender, age, nationality, capacity and working experience.

3) A copy of the media organization's registration certificate issued by its own country.

II. For foreign media organizations which have set up the permanent bureau in China and intend to station resident journalist, shall first submit a written application to the Information Department, directly or through a Chinese embassy, consulate. The application should be signed by relevant management personnel (such as a chairman, president, vice president, editor-in-chief, deputy editor-in-chief, radio/TV station president, deputy radio/TV station president, etc.) in the organization's head office and should include:

1) A profile of the media organization concerned.

2) The name, age, gender, nationality, capacity, CV, and intended city of the journalist to be sent.

3) Credentials or documents identifying the applicant as a professional journalist.

III. If two or more foreign media organizations intend to appoint the same journalist as their resident journalist in China, they should go through the above-mentioned application procedures separately and indicate in their respective applications the posts the journalist will concurrently hold.

IV. Approved resident foreign journalists and their families shall apply for J-1 visas at a Chinese embassy, consulate, or visa-issuing institutions authorized by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Other staff of foreign media organizations' permanent bureaus and their families shall apply for Z visas. The families shall provide the documents to prove they are related.