The Short Answer
Yes. You do not have to go to the Chinese Consulate or Embassy yourself. The official guidance lets the applicant submit in person or have someone else, such as an agency, submit and pick up the passport for them. What no one can do is mail the application to the visa office: it must be handed in at the window.
What the Official Guidance Says
- San Francisco Consulate: you may submit in person, or entrust someone else or an agency to submit on your behalf; submissions and pickups can be made by the applicant or others.
- Washington DC Embassy: you can submit in person or through an agent during office hours. The Embassy does not provide mailing services for visa applications.
- New York Consulate: once COVA shows "Passport to be Submitted," the applicant or agent visits the visa office to submit the passport, the printed application information page with the barcode, and the required originals.
Who Can Submit for You?
A family member, a friend, a travel agency or an independent visa service such as ChinaVisaMail. Whoever goes needs your passport, the printed COVA application information page with the barcode, and any originals the checklist asks for. If someone fills in your COVA form for you, COVA asks for their details and relationship to you in the filer section.
What You Still Do Yourself
- Check every detail in your COVA application and sign the statement. You are responsible for the information in it.
- Be in the United States when you apply. The San Francisco Consulate notes that applicants who are not physically in the U.S. cannot apply at a Chinese Embassy or Consulate here.
- Respond if the visa office asks for corrections or more documents during the online review.
How ChinaVisaMail Does It
ChinaVisaMail is an independent China visa service, not a Chinese Consulate, Embassy or official visa center. You complete COVA, mail us your passport, and ChinaVisaMail arranges the in-person submission and pickup at the San Francisco, Los Angeles or New York Consulate or the Washington DC Embassy, whichever serves your state, then returns your passport by tracked USPS Priority Mail. Mandy personally manages and reviews every ChinaVisaMail case. Payment is not required before mailing your passport. You may pay before mailing or after we receive it, unless Mandy gives different instructions for your case.
Standard is $449 and Express is $494 per person, total — see pricing. Not sure which office serves you? Check here.
Let Us Handle the Visa Office for You
Apply online. Mandy replies within 1–2 hours with your mailing instructions, payment options and a document checklist.
Apply Now →Frequently Asked Questions
Can someone else submit my China visa application for me?
Yes. The Chinese Consulates and Embassy in the U.S. accept applications submitted by the applicant or by someone else, such as an agency. Applications cannot be mailed to the visa office; they are handed in at the window.
Do I need to go to the Chinese Consulate in person?
Usually not. Someone you entrust, such as ChinaVisaMail, can submit and pick up your passport. You must be in the United States when you apply.
Can I mail my China visa application to the Consulate?
No. The Chinese Embassy says it does not provide mailing services for visa applications, and the Consulates also take applications in person. A mail-in service receives your passport and submits it in person for you.