I. Visa Fee will be Waived for 1 (ONE) Registered Family Member Per Athlete
In support of 2007 SOWSG, the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs has decided to waive visa fee for the following three categories of participants: athletes, coaches and designated personnel, whom will be issued visitor visas (F visas) to China.

Designated personnel refer to HoDs, Assistant HoDs (AhoDs), Additional Staff (AS) and ONE registered family member per athlete.

Please note:
This particular family member, who is eligible for visa fee waiver , does not count as member of the official delegation.

In case an athlete has more than one accompanying family members, please identify one of the family members as eligible for visa fee waiver.

II. Family Members Eligible for Visa Fee Waiver
Family members who are eligible for visa fee waiver must fill in Family Members Visa Information Form (FMVIF), which can be found in the attachment. The FMVIF helps the Games Organizing Committee (GOC) of 2007 SOWSG collect information about registered family members and issue 2007 Special Olympics World Summer Games Visa Notice Form (VNF), a document required for applying for visitor visas (F visas) to China. The VNF will serve as an official letter of invitation to the 2007 SOWSG.

Information contained in the FMVIF will be verified against the family members’ registration information. If no inconsistency is found, the GOC will issue VNF.

III. Other Registered Family Members
Other family members registered with the 2007 SOWSG can
1) either go straight to a Chinese Embassy/Consulate and apply for tourist visas (L visas). In that case, there is no need to complete the attached FMVIF.

2) or, if assistance is needed, complete the attached FMVIF. Chinese foreign affairs authorities will issue visitor visas (F visas) without waiving visa fees.

IV. Collection and Submission of FMVIFs
The Head of Family of each Special Olympics Program or the HoD whose responsibilities include family registration is required to collect FMVIFs and submit them to the Family Reception Center of the GOC by August 1, 2007.

V. How to Fill in the FMVIF
1. Name, gender, nationality, passport number
Please make sure that the information is consistent with that on your passport.

2. Embassy/Consulate to apply for visa
Please apply for visa at your nearest Chinese Embassy/Consulate. Please inform us as soon as possible should you want to apply at another embassy/consulate.

3. Estimated Duration of Stay in China
Please choose the estimated duration of your stay: 15/20/30 days.

The GOC will issue VNF based on the information received in the FMVIF, so please make sure that all the information that you provide is accurate.

VI. Documents Required for Visa Application
a. Passport of the applicant
Please make sure that your passport will remain valid for at least 6 months beyond the date of visa application and has blank visa page(s). Otherwise, please apply for a new passport or a passport validity extension in advance.

b. VNF (original copy)

VII. Means of Delivering VNFs
We will deliver VNFs to the Head of Family of each Special Olympics Program or HoD by courier service as soon as possible. Please carefully verify the information in the form upon receipt and promptly notify us of any error.

If you have any further questions, please feel free to contact us by e-mail at family_visa@2007gsc.org.

Download:
1.Visa Application Procedure for Registered Family Members
2.Family Members Visa Information Form (FMVIF)