[dude924]

Hey I just received my Tourist Visa from China today Sept 30,2008. I have a misdemeanor criminal record ( Driving under the influence of Alcohol), from 2 years ago. I checked off on the application that I had a criminal record. On a separate sheet I wrote down the date of arrest, the date of guilty plea, the fact that it was a misdemeanor, and it was non-violent. I also said I was sorry and learned from my mistake. The person looked at it and asked if it was driving with drugs or alcohol. When i told her alcohol she seemed a bit more relieved. She then told me that getting the visa should not be a problem, which turned out to be true. I also was dressed in business casual clothes and spoke politely and was friendly. My advice is if you have a non-violent criminal misdemeanor, let them know about it and include the information I wrote about and you should have no problem. Also, make sure the application is filled out fully, you have plane reservations and hotel reservations as well. Having a job seems to also be important, as they rejected one women in her 20's because she didn't have a job. As far as felonies are concerned, my best guess is it will depend on how long ago it was and what it was for. In either case make sure you have all the other requirements met so as your criminal record is the only strike against you.