Visa Expiration Date Question.

[Long Zhiren]

If my visa expires on Sunday 9 November, when exactly do I have to get out of China?

Can I leave on the 9th? Or will I have problems if I'm even still around with just 3 months to go? Thanks.

[Long Zhiren]

I dug up this answer from a visa service (My firewall prevents me from looking at the Chinese embassy's website and I'm not in China at the moment.):

Validity of Visa: A single entry Chinese visa is valid for 3 months from the date of issue, and a double entry visa is valid for 6 months. A China visa holder must enter China before the expiration date for the visa to remain valid.

Duration of Stay: The duration of stay is specified on a Chinese visa. Chinese visa holders must not stay beyond the specified date without extending their visas. Otherwise, they will be subject to stiff penalties.

Maybe I'm confusing visa with passport. Everybody seems to want a passport that's valid for at least six more months. The business of entering with at least three months validity in one's visa sounds to be merely hearsay.

[imron]

What type of visa do you have?

Most visas will have an "enter before" date specified on them. This is usually 3 months from the date the visa is issued. So, for that kind of visa, you have 3 months from the time the visa was issued to enter China, and then from your date of entry, you are allowed to stay in China for however long the duration of your visa is (30 days, 60 days etc).

If you have a visa similar to the one I described above, and the 9th is the "enter before" date, it would not be a good idea to leave on the 9th (assuming you're leaving from Sunnyvale CA), because by the time you arrive in China, it will probably be the 10th already. As you never know what will happen with flights being delayed or cancelled, it's probably not a good idea to leave on the 8th either.

[Rincewind]

Ditto with Imron. What visa do you have? are you in China already or are you going to come soon. Visa don't have an expiry date on them. When you come into the country a red stamp mark in your passport will indicate the date you must leave by.

If you have a residency permit (often confused with visa's as the look similar) then there will be a "valid until" field which means what is says, you must renew or leave before that date. Not on that day and not after that day.

The exact wording on your visa is important to answer your question properly.

[Long Zhiren]

Thanks. I have a 12 month multiple entry "L" visa. I've been in and out already; and am planning a repeat entry.

[imron]

Ah, that's slightly different then. The expiry date is the expiry date. As long as you leave China on/before that date you'll be ok. If you are in China after that date, then you have overstayed your visa.

[BaoMiHua]

Am i missing something or why is it "slightly different then"?

At least my 12 month multiple entry "L" visa didn't have expiration date, but only the "enter before" date and duration of each stay.

[imron]

As the OP said his visa expired on the 9th, I assumed that's because his visa had an expiry date rather than an entry date (some do). Again, it's difficult to know for sure without knowing what the visa actually says.

[gougou]

On thing worth mentioning in this context is that the enter before-date goes for all of the entries, not just the first one. I once found this out the hard way trying to get back into the country...

[Long Zhiren]

BaoMiHua has an interesting point.

Yes. My visa only has an "enter by" date and no expiration date. It says maximum 60 days duration of each stay.

So I can enter on Nov 8th and stick around until January? I wish that I could open up the Chinese embassy's website here...

[xuechengfeng]

I was informed that as long as you enter before the "enter before" date on your visa, you can stay the duration that is allotted for your trip.

I hope that's the case because my visa says August 6 and I'm going back from July 30 to September 15!!

[Rincewind]

Yes. My visa only has an "enter by" date and no expiration date. It says maximum 60 days duration of each stay.

So I can enter on Nov 8th and stick around until January? I wish that I could open up the Chinese embassy's website here...

Yes. The 'enter by' date tells you when you can come into the country. There is no such thing as an expiry date on a L visa (multi entry or otherwise). The date you must leave by will be stamped on the passport as you come in. So if your visa says enter by Nov 9th and you come on the 8th you'll get a stamp lasting you till Jan 7th.

[shuoshuo]

If my visa states that it is valid until the 15th, can I still be in China on the 15th or will I have to exit before the 15th?

[Bodice]

I am in China as I write this. I have read a great number of posts but I still don't think my question has been answered. I plan on staying in China for a couple of years. I applied for a visa in Chicago, IL and I was issued what I was told a "12 Month Visa". It is a tourist visa "L" and it is a Multi (M) Entriy. The duration of each stay in 90 days. The only reference to "12 Months" is the "enter before" date is 12 months from the day it was issued. The agent told me that I can stay for almost 15 months on the same visa. She said I have to leave every 90 days and I do not have to purchase a new visa until I exit after the "Enter Before" date.

It was issued 22SEP2011 and the enter before date is 22SEP2012. I was told I can go back and forth from Hong Kong or Malaysia or wherever within 90 days of the stamp. So I will leave on 21JAN2012, 20APRIL2012, 19JULY2012, 18SEP2012 and then leave China on 17DEC2012 and then buy a new "12 Month Visa".

I cannot find any information to substantiate this on www.china-embassy.org but the agency I dealt with handles allot of the Fortune 500 companies based in Chicago and there families.

Expats here from European countries have told me that my visa is only good for 90 days from the first time I enter and then I must buy a new visa. They have told me that the "enter before" date is just that, I have to enter before that date and it is no good 90 days later.

Who has an answer they can backup with experience or data.

Thanks,

Clay

[xiaoxiaocao]

I've met someone who did exactly as you plan on the same kind of visa just last year. Multi (M) does indeed mean you can enter China, stay for 90 days, exit and then re-enter for another 90 days. You can keep doing this until the 'enter before' date on your visa.

[Bodice]

Thank you for the answer. So am I able to stay after my "enter before" date as long as I leave within 90 days of my last stamp?

I have some friends from Europe that only get 30 day single entry visas from HK. Why is that? They can't believe what I get out of Chicago....

[xiaoxiaocao]

Thank you for the answer. So am I able to stay after my "enter before" date as long as I leave within 90 days of my last stamp?[/font][/color]

I have some friends from Europe that only get 30 day single entry visas from HK. Why is that? They can't believe what I get out of Chicago....

From my experience, Yes.

The type and duration of visa issued depends on your nationality and the country in which you are applying. I'm sure your friends in HK could get a longer visa if they went through an agent.