If you are considering china travel, the first thing needed to know is that most likely
you have to apply for a visa to enter China. Unfortunately, China does not have the visa exemption agreement with most western countries. Especially when you Travel to Tibet, additional entry permits are required depending on your destinations in Tibet. However, your passport is good enough for you to enter China in some certain occasions. Below I will explain in details about types of China visa, their requirements and contacts of Chinese Embassies in U.S.
Although there are 9 types of China visa for American citizens, generally only 1 of them is for average travelers. The type L visa is for tourists or visiting relatives or friends in China. The duration of visa L is one year, but single, twice, or multiple entries can be applied. If you are applying for multiple
entries visa, the passport must be valid within at least one and a half years. As I said earlier in the first paragraph, additional travel permits must be applied at the same time. My suggestion is to contact with local travel agencies in Tibet, asking them to apply certain permits for you. Otherwise, you have to call the Tibet Tourism Bureau for details and their phone is 86－891－6834313. The required documents include:1) visa application form which can be downloaded from the website of Chinese Embassies; 2) one piece of recent 2 by 2 inches photo; 3) original passport with at least 2 available pages; 4) former Chinese visas and their copies if applicable.
Exceptions for China visa may be applicable for destinations of Hong Kong and Macao. For Hong Kong, American citizens do not need a visa for a short-period visit and stay in Hong Kong for 90 days. Currently, 36 countries, such 
as U.S., and Canada, have the exemption agreements with Macao area. Even if you are not the citizens of these countries, you can still apply for the visa on arrival at the airport. But without a China visa, you are not allowed to visit mainland from either Hong Kong or Macao.
Usually the visa is ready to pick up at the forth business days after submitting the application and required documents. For example, if you submit the application on Wednesday, you can pick up the visa on coming Tuesday. There are also expeditious services if you want to get visa sooner or in the same day of submission, but the speed is subjective to the number of applicants on that day. For visa pick-up, applicant must enter the waiting hall before 2:30pm as after this time the office is closed for public.
The application fee for single, twice or multiple entries visa is $140. And the extra expeditious service fee is $20 for next or third day to pick up and $30 to get visa on the same day. The ways to pay the application fees are credit
cards (Visa or Master cards), money order, or company check. Cash is not accepted by them.
The last tip is for finding Chinese Consulates or Embassy in U.S. The Chinese Embassy locates in Washington D.C., while there are other five Consulates accepting applications of visa. These cities are New York, Chicago, San Francisco, Los Angeles, and Houston. Each consulate is responsible for applicants of different states. You need to find out the proper Consulate depending on your residence and incorrect Consulate may defer your application. Before you are heading for application, make sure to check the holidays on their official websites. These Consulates will be closed on both American and Chinese holidays.
Do not worry about rejection stuff, because usually you will get the visa successfully. Sometimes, you may be asked show your reservation of hotels or airlines to prove that you are visitor. For Beijing Hotels information, you can check and book online easily.
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