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In August '23 I intended to visit the People's Republic of China under a Tourist Visa and therefore completed and saved/(submitted) the China Online Visa Application (COVA). I also printed the required documentation (photo, travel statement, COVA, other answer sheet) and visited the PRC's consulate in my area.

Unfortunately, their visa processing required that they hold my passport for several days and so I decided, in person, not to formally submit my paperwork and documentation for the visa.

After some time has passed, I am now ready to submit my paperwork/documentation for the visa and am wondering if I must re-save/submit a new version of the online COVA form? Or must I simply return to the consulate with the paperwork I printed out in August?

Ghost Koi
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Theoretically, as long as the application hasn't been processed – which seems to be the case here: you declined to leave your passport, so your application was not received and you left – you can still use it.

However, there are details in it that do not match your situation now, including dates of travel. And if memory serves, once you print it out (as PDF anyway, in their system), it is finalized, and cannot be edited anymore. Check that part – I haven't done one since, like you, last August, so my memory is fuzzy. This might require you fill out a new one, but it should be fast enough, as you have everything on hand.

Also, while we're at it, I would advise to prepare, on a separate sheet, your intended itinerary, even if it is sketchy and not overly precise. Between my own application and my wife's 2 applications, a pattern emerged: they want to see an itinerary, with dates and addresses. Even for people like us, HK residents who are planning to go every week for food and shopping. In our case, we only documented the first trip – completely bogus, but with accurate addresses of shopping malls, and a hotel reservation. This itinerary was actually requested during the document check at the Visa Centre. The employee herself, the first time around, helped out, and assured us it was purely formal, but had to be done if we wanted a visa...

dda
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    Thank you! This is helpful. I am a U.S. and I believe they just waived the need for travel documentation or a letter of recommendation. I am going to fill out a new COVA app and book a slot at the Consulate. – Ghost Koi Feb 18 '24 at 16:52