When does my visa expire, 30 days after entry?

[Teashop]

I have a tourist visa, it says :

Duration of stay "30 " days after entry.

So, when do i start counting?

I came in on February 11th. So day number 1 is the 11th or the 12th?? And do i have to leave on day 30, or day 31??

Is it serious to overstay one or 2 days? Im leaving from Shanghai, by train to Hong Kong.

Thanks!

[Teashop]

Oh and i know that i can get the visa extended in Kunmig, or in my last stop, Shanghai, but i would just need 1 or 2 days more.

How much does it cost to extend a tourist visa??

[abcdefg]

If you entered China on the 11th of February, then the 11th is counted as day one. And you need to leave on day thirty, which in this case would be March 12th.

It's not usually serious to overstay one or two days, by which I mean that you won't be shot in the back of the head or sent to a forced labor camp/penal farm. It can, however, result in a fine of 500 RMB a day. Furthermore an overstay can result in a "black mark" by your name in the national computerized system which will make it harder to get another China visa at some later time.

Best not to gamble on leniency, and if you need more time in country, apply for a visa extension in a timely manner. The cost is usually the same as the cost of your original visa, though this might vary according to your nationality.

[jasoninchina]

On my first visit to China, I stayed 1 calendar month. For example, June 30 to July 30. The problem was, that was 31 days. It was a knucklehead mistake. When I went through immigration, the guy stared at it for a long time, then took it over to another guy to look at. Finally, he let me go. I was fortunate.

Moral of the story: don't push it. Like abcdefg said, they can fine you or put some restriction on your next visit. It's really not worth it if you can avoid it.

[valikor]

I recall a time where both the PSB *and* my school both calculated 90 days as 3 calendar months. I believe I even pointed out the mistake, as I was trying to confirm things and be on the safe side, but they did not care.

It ended up working out in my favor, if I recall correctly, although I forget the details...

EDIT: So, you might get lucky and they'll do the same thing in your case, giving you 2 extra days

EDIT2: Wait, that would actually give you fewer days if they counted like that

[Teashop]

jaja... thank u. i think i will get an extension or try to get it, im worried i read u need to leave ur passport for a week, and i dont intend to stay a whole week in kunming... anyway... thanks for all the answers!

[zhouhaochen]

make sure you have all the documents ready for the extension. In Beijing this would be

- your police registration (if you stay in a hotel, they can do this for you, but you need to ask them in advance)

- prove of 3000 USD in a Chinese bank account. Some banks will let you withdraw the money a few days later, others just one month (!!) later. Check and ask around.

- your passport picture and the form filled out (thats the easy one)

I assume Kunming should not be too different. If I was you, I would adjust my travel times, if you have nobody helping you to do it, the visa extension will be almost full two days of work.