Visa complication arising from emergency trip home

[ckc_ucl]

Hi Everyone,

I have spent the last couple of hours poring over all the visa & residence permit threads trying to find something relevant but nothing quite matches my problem...

I have to leave China in the next couple of days to return to London for a family emergency. I entered China on a 6 month F visa, but it is only single entry. What can I do about obtaining a new visa for when I return in a couple of weeks?

Incidentally, is it possible to get a residence permit on an F visa? I moved into an apartment last week and only heard about residence permits today online. How long does it take to obtain one? Am I in trouble for not currently having one and will I be able to leave the country?!

Many thanks for any help you can provide!

[roddy]

1) You'll need to see if you can get a re-entry permit from the PSB at Yonghegong. This may require a letter from your school (assuming you're a student) to show that they are expecting you to come back. I can't imagine they wouldn't give you one.

2) Distinguish residence permits and certificates of temporary residence (or something, can't remember the proper name). Residence permits are not necessary for F visa holders, so you don't need to worry about that. Everyone should have a certificates of temporary residence, issued by the local police station in the form of a little slip of paper. If you've been enrolled at a school and living in dorms, you've almost certainly got one somewhere - it might just not have been given to you. The PSB usually want to see it if you are renewing / extending / changing a visa. I'm not sure if they will want it in this case. The fact you've just moved may complicate things. Worst case scenario is that the PSB want to see it and the school won't give you yours as you've moved, so you have to go to the police station to get a new one. Best case is that the PSB dont care. If you do have it I wouldn't worry about the change of address - just don't mention it to anyone.

Let us know how you get on. It may, depending on where you live in the UK and how much time you're going to have to sort out visa stuff in each country, work out easier to leave the country and reapply for a visa in the UK. I doubt that would be the best option though, unless you happen to live round the corner from the Chinese embassy.

[toygirl]

has anyone gone through this before? i think i might end up in the same situation in the next couple weeks and could sure use some direction...

[cdn_in_bj]

For the original poster, it sounds like you will be back in London for a few weeks. This should be plenty time to apply for a new visa while you are home. Also, it is really easy to apply for an F (business) visa after you've already had one - you don't need to obtain another invitation letter from your company. The other option for you is to return to Hong Kong and apply for your visa there. I've been told it can be done the same day, but this is obviously more hassle and risk.

Toygirl - since you have the luxury of time (ie-have a couple of weeks time), you have more options. You can either apply for a new visa before you leave Beijing (but make sure you allow yourself enough time for processing). Or, you can get a new visa while you are home. You don't mention what type of visa you have, but if you are applying for an F visa in Beijing, you will need to bring with you your company's business license (original as well as a photocopy). Getting the business license can be a pain, from your company's point of view. However, the advantage with getting the visa in Beijing is that there is no 60 day restriction on the length of stay per visit, at least not with a multiple entry visa.