Tourist visa invitation letter or not ?

Question

Currently wading through visa application for online. I have return flights, internal trains and all the hotel information booked and documented. Do I still need an invitation letter ? I organised all of this independently via trip.com and not a tour company. Anyone have latest advice as I can’t seem to get past this section on form even if I say not applicable.

As an aside Do you think I need to provide train ticket evidence too ?

Thank you in advance

Answer

For a standard Chinese tourist visa (L visa), if you are traveling independently and have already booked all your accommodation and transport, you generally do not need an invitation letter. The invitation letter is mainly required for travelers who are visiting friends, family, or are being hosted by an organization or tour company inside China. Independent tourists can instead provide proof of their hotel bookings and flight itineraries to show their travel plans.

When filling out the online visa application, there is a section asking for an "inviting person or organization." If you are traveling independently, you can select “Not Applicable” or write “Self-planned trip” or “No inviting organization – independent travel” in that field. However, the online form may still require some fields to be filled before it allows you to proceed. In that case, you can enter your first hotel’s information as a placeholder (hotel name, address, and phone number), since hotels are acceptable as your accommodation contacts for visa purposes.

As for supporting documents, the key items for a tourist visa are:

Your confirmed round-trip flight tickets (into and out of China)
Proof of hotel bookings covering your entire stay in China (matching your travel dates)
A completed and printed visa application form with your digital photo uploaded
A copy of your passport’s main information page

Train tickets for internal travel are not required for visa application purposes. These can help demonstrate your itinerary if you already purchased them, but Chinese consulates typically only require international entry and exit proof (flights) plus hotel confirmations. Many travelers successfully get their visas approved without submitting any domestic transport details.

To make the process smoother, you can also prepare a simple itinerary listing your planned dates and cities, along with corresponding hotel names. This helps the visa officer see that your travel plan is organized and self-managed.

In summary:

Invitation letter: Not required for independent travelers with full hotel and flight bookings.
How to fill the form: Use your first hotel as “inviting organization” if the form requires it.
Train tickets: Optional — not needed for the visa application.

With all your hotel reservations and return flight details ready, your application should be sufficient for a tourist visa without needing an invitation letter. Just ensure that all bookings clearly show your name and travel dates matching your form.

Tourist visa invitation letter or not ?

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