Visa and flights

[Jordan620]

I was wondering if someone could help answer a couple questions. I am studying at BNU next year.

1.) The Visa information BNU sent me has the dates from Sept. 2007 to June 2008. I would like to stay over the summer 2008 also to do some traveling and see the Olympics. Do I need to get a separate Visa for that? Will BNU let me stay in my dorm over the summer?

2.) When staying abroad for a long period of time, how do you arrange flights? Do I book a one-way flight now, and then book another one-way flight home from China later?

Thanks

[Shadowdh]

1 - you can get a visa for a year (thats what I will be doing) and then do some travelling or whatever after your course finishes... not sure if they will let you stay in the dorms though... but there are plenty of places that you can stay in...

2 - you can book a return trip with the ticket covering the whole year..

[adrianlondon]

if you're studying for two semesters, you'll get a 12 month visa. It starts the day your passport gets stamped on your arrival in China (NOT the day your embassy issues the visa) so you can stay a full 12 months in the country.

If you get a multi-entry visa, you can leave and come back, too ;) I think all 12 month visas are multi-entry so you'll be OK. If not, then tell BNU you want to leave for a holiday and they'll sort out getting you a re-entry visa on your behalf. It doesn't cost much.

You should be able to stay in BNU dorms over the summer but the rate changes. I think it doubles. I know that a single room in Dorm 3, student price of 80 (or 85?) yuan a day is charged at 160y a day for non-students or outside semester time.

In the Summer they should be empty-ish, but I tried to book a week in Dorm 3 for end of May and they're totally full. Of course, that's cos the students are all still there.

However, after a year of living there, you may want to spend the Summer somewhere else - stay in a hostel in Houhai, or live in Chaoyang for a while, or get the hell out of (swelteringly hot) Beijing completely and spend the Summer in Yunnan.

So many options. Lucky you! Enjoy.

Oh, as for flights, if you're under 26 many airlines do "student specials" which are usually a bit cheaper and they'll sell you a 12-month open ticket. This means you pick your return date nearer the time.