General Visa Policy

Participants from most countries will be required to obtain a visa to enter the People's Republic of China. Please check with your Chinese Embassy or Consulate General or Chinese Visa Application Centre (CVASC) which serves your residence area for your visa application details at your earliest convenience. Without exception, you must have a passport valid for at least six months. Early application is highly recommended.

For more information：
List of Agreements on Mutual Visa Exemption between the People’s Republic of China and Foreign Countries:
http://cs.mfa.gov.cn/wgrlh/lhqz/lhqzjjs/201202/t20120207_961630.shtml
List of Chinese Embassies or Consulates:
http://www.fmprc.gov.cn/mfa_eng/wjb_663304/zwjg_665342/
For visa types and apply procedure:
http://cs.mfa.gov.cn/wgrlh/lhqz/lhqzjjs/201311/t20131101_961583.shtml
You could also check the information about visa for China at
http://www.visaforchina.org/

In general, a Tourist Visa (L Visa) will suffice for your attendance. You might not need to present an invitation letter to apply for a Tourist Visa. However, if it is required or a Business Visa (F Visa) is a must, you probably need an Invitation Letter from the Symposium.

1. Register in the system and provide TRUE and ACCURATE information as accordingly requested. Select "Yes" when you see the question asking if you need a visa and provide the relevant information requested.
2. Proceed to make the payment after registration.
3. Download a Symposium Invitation Letter to support your visa application after your payment has been successfully made. Please log in and go to "My XMAS => Ticket" (https://xmas.aconf.org/control.php/ticket.html), there is a link underneath the QR code to download the invitation letter.

If you still have problems/difficulties in obtaining your visa, please contact us at xmas@xmu.edu.cn

144-hour Visa-free Transit Policy

Citizens from countries that are listed in the 144-hour Visa-Exemption Transit Policy can transfer to China via any of the following ports of entry including Xiamen Gaoqi International Airport, Wutong Port, or Xiamen International Cruise Terminal without Chinese visas by supplying their own valid international travel documents and onward flight/vessel/train tickets to a third country/region with confirmed date and seat within 144 hours upon their arrival.
After having successfully applied for 144-hour visa-exemption transit at one of the above-listed ports of entry, transit passengers are allowed to stay within the restricted administration precinct of Xiamen City ONLY.
For more information, please refer to the requirements for foreigners to apply for 72/144-hour visa-free transit in China:
https://english.www.gov.cn/policies/featured/202311/24/content_WS65608167c6d0868f4e8e199f.html

Note:

• Please DO NOT submit multiple applications. ONE qualified application can meet the requirements.
• It is participant’s right and obligation to provide TRUE and ACCURATE information while registration, particularly when you apply for an invitation letter to support your visa application.
• In the Symposium Invitation Letter, we can ONLY clearly state to support your participation in the 2025 Xiamen Symposium on Marine Environmental Sciences, in Xiamen, China.
• Starting from August 30, 2023, China-bound travelers are no longer required to undergo COVID-19 PCR test or Antigen Rapid Test (ART) before entering China. It is no longer required to declare the test result in the Health Declaration Form.
• To avoid any travel delays and disruptions, we recommend that all travellers read and follow the instructions in the guidance issued by the official websites of Chinese embassies in your countries carefully.