Please remember that you'll need to get a visa well in advance of your trip. Make sure that you apply at the Chinese Embassy/Consulate in your country (step 3 below), no later than four weeks before your departure.

The required visa process for ICSE 2006 attendees is as follows:

1. Register for ICSE 2006 (either online, fax, or through mail), providing all requested information for a visa. Please provide a fax number as part of your registration.
2. After completing your registration, you will receive via fax a letter of invitation from the Shanghai Municipal Foreign Affairs Office.
3. Complete the Q1 Visa Application form available from the Chinese Embassy website as a PDF.
4. You will need to know your local Chinese Embassy or Consulate office (see below for the list).
5. Upon receipt of the invitation letter and visa materials, you then have two alternatives:
• Present these items along with your passport in person to your local Chinese Embassy/Consulate. In the United States, the Chinese Embassy does not accept mail-in applications. Within a few days (at least 4 business days), you will be able to return to pick up your approved visa and passport.
• Alternatively, some members of our community have reported positive experiences with professional visa services. These visa services will help process your visa application at an appropriate consulate for an additional fee. The fees for using these services are around $100 for United States citizens acquiring Chinese visas (professional visa services fees for other countries may vary), but does not require your presence at a Chinese Embassy or Consulate. You will still need the invitation letter from our local organizers and the completed visa application even if you use a visa service.

The ICSE registration form includes a place for denoting any accompanying persons who wish to visit China without being registered for the conference.

For more information, please read:

• Chinese Consulate Visa Procedure
• List of Chinese Embassies and Consulates Around the World (Consulate Offices within the United States)
• Unofficial overview of Chinese Visa requirements

Professional Visa Services

ICSE does not endorse any particular professional visa service, but merely provides informational pointers for your reference.

• US citizens: China Visa Service Center, VisaRite, and Atlas Services.
• British citizens: Thames Consular