Renewing visa in country other than home or HK - ok?

[magores]

In the past, I've gone back to the States at the end of my visa to get it renewed there. And, I know many people go to HK to renew theirs there.

But, next time, I'm thinking of going to Australia, Greece, or Ireland.

So, my question is...

Does anyone have any experience with renewing their visa in a country that isn't their home country?

-I'm fully prepared to go to the Chinese Embassy in whatever country and have it processed by them. Will they look at me overly oddly if I'm an American renewing in AUS?

-The Embassy will keep my passport for a couple days to be processed. What do I do about the fact that I'm walking around in another country without my passport?

-It will be after the Olympics if that matters.

Thanks for any insight.

[simonlaing]

I have done renewal of my EU Irish passport in Switzerland as my parents live just outside Geneva and I argued that it was closer than going to Paris to get my Visa.

You generally have to give a good reason, and sometimes they may make you come early before 10:30 am for same day service but it could be possible. It took some arguing and pleading to get it done. Looking like a student helped as well.

Switzerland is a European country, and the Passport I was using was Irish. The US embassy sometimes has difficult criteria for visas so I am not sure if that will affect you. But I think technically what you're asking is possible.

Good luck

[gougou]

Also see the discussion here.

[rob07]

It can definitely be done in Australia. You can even see on the website of the Australian Chinese embassy a table setting out differential visa application fees depending on the nationality of the passport it is being put into. I myself have had the Chinese embassy in Australia put a visa into an Irish passport with no issues.

[magores]

Cool. Thanks for the info.

(I actually did search for a thread on this topic before I asked, but I didn't find the one gougou pointed to.)

Thanks again,

[leeovisa]

Why bother to go to other countries to renew a Chinese visa?

If you are outside of China mainland, you can have your Chinese visa done in an Embassy (Consulate or visa office).

If you are already in China mainland, you can get a visa issued by Public Security Bureau (PSB).

Normally, tourist (Category: L) visas can be extended twice, with 30 days of each time. You yourself can turn to PSB for that.

If you need a longer visa, you'd better turn to a visa agent to have your L converted to a longer F (The longest one is 6-month thanks to the Olympics) or extend your F. You don't need to leave, of course.

Compared with the cost of travel, the fee by an agent is less.

And one more advantage, the visa issued by PSB has NO limitation of each stay. It means during 6-month's time, if you wish, you can stay without leaving China mainland.

But there is another rule:

F-visa holders can stay in China mainland without leaving for consecutive 1 year from the last entry date.

[Rincewind]

-The Embassy will keep my passport for a couple days to be processed. What do I do about the fact that I'm walking around in another country without my passport?

Depends on the country. Not all countries require people to carry ID. I can't comment on Australia or Ireland but in the UK, nobody has the power to demand to see ID. So in the UK you could walk around without your passport and not encounter any problems.

[magores]

leeovisa

Why bother to go to other countries to renew a Chinese visa?

But there is another rule:

F-visa holders can stay in China mainland without leaving for consecutive 1 year from the last entry date

Answered your own question.

I leave the mainland once a year. In the past, I've always gone back to the US to see friends and family, and to do the visa.

But this year, my parents will coming to China shortly before the end of my year. So, parents here for a week, therefore I don't need to go to the US to see them 1 month later. Friends will understand if I go to Greece/Ireland/Russia (ancestors) or AU (sun and beaches) instead of back to the US this year.

Why bother? Because, as far as I understand it, I HAVE to go somewhere. Might as well go somewhere I've never been.

[here2learn]

When my year was up I went to Mongolia and got a new L visa. I don't know if they give all visas there or what, but an L was no problem. Their embassy is only open MWF before 11am or something, which means you need to get online like 8:30am to get in the door for sure. The line will suddenly multiply after 9am.

I took a train there; the ride itself was part of the adventure for me, though some people would go nuts. It took about a day and a half to get there. If you can wait til warmer weather you can do neat stuff like go sleep in a ger in the desert for a couple days.

I've definitely heard of people going to Macau and Korea with no problems.

[leeovisa]

I heard someone mentioned if you went to Korea to apply for a Chinese tourist visa, you had to go through a travel agency?

If with an official invitation letter, you can go directly to the Embassy to apply for an F visa.

[Lu]

-The Embassy will keep my passport for a couple days to be processed. What do I do about the fact that I'm walking around in another country without my passport?

I can't say for sure, but I believe that as long as you stay out of trouble, and maybe bring a driver's licence or a good copy of your passport in case anyone needs to see your ID, you should be ok.