Passport renewal? But what about my current visa app form with old passport number?

[nazreal]

Hello,

V sorry if this has been covered but I've suddenly found myself in a real pickle and am hoping someone might be able to shed light on this...

So I'm going to Tsinghua to study for 6 months and have got my visa application form through with my current passport number. HOWEVER, I've deliberately only invested in 1 semester study because I want to be able to flexibly extend my study/ find work. Which means I might have to change my F visa into an X visa....the problem is, if I extend my stay and change to an X visa after my study is over, my passport will only be in validity for 12 months. This presents a problem as for X visas, you need to have a passport within 18 months of validity. So my question is:

1. Do I renew my passport now whilst being in the country I'm a national in (UK) and then somehow rock up to the Chinese Visa Centre with my old passport (whose number is on my visa application form) and my new passport?

2. Don't renew my passport and stress about it once I'm in Beijing and if I need to renew, send bits and bobs off to HK for a British passport renewal if needed?

Any help would be so great - thanks!

nazreal

[gougou]

Wouldn't you be able to renew your passport at the British embassy in Beijing? The German embassy certainly offers that.

[roddy]

They send them to Hong Kong for processing now - something to do with having to have a piece of your retina embedded in the photo page. Not sure if it makes any practical difference. But yes, you can turn up to the British Embassy (or their consular section at the Kerry Section last time I looked), hand over your old passport, and get a new one back some time later.

[nazreal]

oh right. yeh maybe I shouldn't stress out about it as my mum's like 'get it done NOW whilst you're in the uk' cos if I have to update my application form from the uni I can imagine having to wait AGES for another one to come in the post....talk about delays....

thanks for the advice guys!

[attarian]

The french embassy also offer to renew your passeport.

They cancel the old one, give you a paper telling that you change your passport.

Your visa is in the old one and you need to get the both passport with you instead of one.

You have to go to the police station to tell them your passeport number have changed.