How to legally stay in China for about 3 months

[fabiothebest]

My gf called SISU because they didn't reply fast to my email. They told her they won't have a course in that period even if it's written in the website It was perfect. Now I still don't know what to do.

[laowang]

Any solution for coming to Chongqing now?

[fabiothebest]

I decided to book flights because there was an offer that was about to end. I have a flexible flight for the return date so that I can eventually change it. I'll go to Chongqing in July, I'll stay at my gf's apartment..I think the consulate will give me a 1 month tourism visa and hopefully I will be able to extend it in Chongqing up to 2 times (1 month each). I hope I'll be able to stay at least for 2 months.

 

I could study at Chongqing University or SISU now till the beginning of July but lessons started in February..besides I wanted to be in Chongqing for the end of July because I'll attend a wedding ceremony..and my gf will be on holiday on August..I hope I'll be able to stay with her enough. About studying Chinese I'll study on my own, I'll try to get as much exposure as possible and if I want I'll take private lessons there when I want..for the university studies...I'll plan it for the future eventually..

[Adka]

Hi Fabio, I was interested: did you get 30-days visa even though your flight ticket showed a longer trip? I am in almost the same situation and submitted the application today and I have been hoping that my application won't be rejected. 

 

Cheers

[fabiothebest]

When I called the consulate they told me that it could be possible to get a few extra days (5-15 max) so I think it could be fine. (If you booked your return flight for a date that is further than this acceptable time frame, I don't know whether they would accept it or not, I doubt but I'm not sure). Anyway a few days more weren't so important for me, I wanted to stay longer if possible. I contacted the consulate and even some private agencies that deal with the embassy and they all told me that they usually issue 30 days visa (I'm talking about tourism visa now and about Italy, I heard Americans got 1 year multiple entries visa without problems, that's life ).

 

Then I purchased a round trip flight ticket when price was still low, for the duration of 30 days. I'll leave on July 1st, so I'll request my visa during the month of June, I don't wanna get the visa too much in advance because visa is valid for 3 months, I explain to you what I mean. I should get a visa for 30 days, but I hope I can extend the temporary residence permit at the public security office of the Chinese city where I'll stay. Usually it can be renewed each time for the duration of visa. If I get a 30 days visa, the single extension can be up to 30 days and usually it can be extended up to 2 times, within the 3 months of validity of visa that starts from the day they issue it.

 

If I request visa now, that is almost 2 months in advance, I may not be able to extend my residence permit because I wouldn't have days left, that's why I'm waiting. I don't wanna request it just 3-4 days before the flight because it would be too riskful, but up to a couple of weeks before it should be fine. They usually issue the visa in 3-4 days, up to a week. It's also possible to request the express service and they do it faster.

 

Since you applied for visa today, you just have to wait a few days and you'll know what they decided. I hope you don't lose the money of the flight ticket, that's the thing that would bother me the most. I purchased my round trip ticket with a fixed date for departure and a flexible date for return, so if they let me extend my stay I edit the ticket and stay longer, else I go home.

[roddy]

"usually it can be extended up to 2 times, within the 3 months of validity of visa that starts from the day they issue it."

Fabio, where are you getting this information from? My knowledge is out of date ,but as far as I know there's no such validity period for extensions (there is for your first entry on the visa).

 

Like I say, I'm out of date, but this is new to me. 

[fabiothebest]

@Roddy At first I only knew that I could enter the country within 3 months since the issue date of the visa and I didn't know either that it was possible to extend the temporary residence permit (do you have info about extension?), then I found some info somewhere online, I don't remember where. Then I also found here that a mandarin school could help extending visa for up to 2 months. (1 month visa + 2 months extension = 3 months in total). My gf is Chinese and she called the public security bureau of her city, they told her too that the max stay is 3 months and it depends on how long time passed since the visa was issued. From what I understood we can enter the country within 3 months and also the extension period must be within those 3 months. It should be true, hopefully someone can confirm this. I'll go to China on July and then I'll try to extend the temporary residence permit for 1-2 months and at that time I can let you know if I could really do it or not. If someone has different info, he/she can write here.

[leeovisa]

You need to ENTER BEFORE the date written on your L visa. After entering, you can stay as long as the DURATION OF EACH STAY (yours is 30-day, isn't it?). Before the 30 days end up, you can go to Chongqing Public Security Bureau to extend it for another 30 days. 

L tourist visa can only be extended once now, instead of twice. At least in Beijing, it is true. It carried out from Sep. 1, 2013, when the new Foreigner Entry-Exit Administration Regulations took into effect. You can ask your gf to call the Chongqing Public Security Bureau to confirm.

 

For more information, you can refer to http://www.cn-visa.com/china_visa_faqs.asp

[fabiothebest]

Thanks @leeovisa for your feedback. Well, I hope I can extend it at least once. I'll verify it directly when I'll be in China.

[Adka]

This might be helpful for you Fabio, I am already in China, and as I mentioned, came here with 30-days tourist visa, which I had applied for with a hostel reservation. In the arrival card I, however, put the address on a friend of mine I am staying with since I came and nobody checked if there is a (mis)match, so I don't think it matters much what you put on the forms regarding your stay.

If you're staying at the private accommodation, you have to register at the local police station and it's good to take the person you're staying with, with you, since there is nobody likely to speak English. They give you a piece of paper (which is very important when you want to extend the visa, since they check you in the system, if you had registered somewhere).

And one week before my visa expired I had gone to the Entry-Exit Administration Bureau to extend it (they say you need to come there 7 days prior the expiration, but I saw on the extension, that it had been processed 2 days after I had applied, so technically, if you forget or something, 3-2 days should be doable - no guarantees though). I needed my passport, the registration from the police station, the letter of invitation a friend of mine wrote for me as to show them she would like me to stay with her (I have the sample, can send it to people if the need) and a picture (in BJ you can take the picture there as well). And I didn't need any proof of funds and I had it and asked if they wanted it, they said NO, so that's safe. I came early in the morning and left in half an hour, it's fairly straight forward process. And I got extension of another 30 days, it is valid from the point my old visa expired.

I hope you'll have such smooth process too!

[Adka]

oh, and yeah, there is only one extension possible according to new regulations..

[roddy]

Adka, thanks very much for posting that!

[fabiothebest]

Thanks a lot..last month my gf talked to some Chinese girls who have a foreign bf on Douban (a Chinese website) and they said it was possible to get 15 days extension lately, but actually I doubted it is true. They already limited the number of extensions from 2 to 1. I think if we get a 30 days visa it should be possible to get 30 days extension. Your case confirmed that. I hope I'll get 30 days too. I leave for China on 1st July. That's a good thing that they didn't ask you to show a proof of funds. I never did it and I think I'd need cash, or a bank account with those money and show the proof, I don't know exactly which document they would accept. If they don't ask it, better. The picture is a normal passport picture format? I read somewhere that near the PSBs there is usually a shop where you can take pics that are "approved" by the PSB but I don't know if there is a difference. A normal passport picture that I already have, should be fine, right?

Then about the invitation letter. Do they want the same invitation letter that I used when I applied for visa or a new invitation letter that contains the new period that I will be hosted during the extension?

[Lu]

If you're staying at the private accommodation, you have to register at the local police station and it's good to take the person you're staying with, with you, since there is nobody likely to speak English.

To my knowledge, you have to bring the person you're staying with, and that person needs to bring their rental contract/proof they own the house, to prove that the person you stay with knows you're staying there and is allowed to have you stay there. This regardless of your host's Chinese ability.

Leeovisa has it right about entry date, the 'enter before' date on your visa is only relevant to the date you enter the country. Once you've entered China, that date no longer does anything.

[fabiothebest]

Thanks Lu. Ok, I already mean to go to the PSB with the person that will host me. I also have a copy of the ownership contract of the apartment because it seemed it was required also for applying for visa, together with the invitation letter. They told me it was required when I phoned the consulate, then when I went there they didn't take it, anyway I still have it, so no problem .

[Matty]

When registering my accommodation I've always been required to bring either the owner or a copy of their national id.

 

L extensions in my experience can be extended to the lesser of (a) your current visa period [or] (b) 30 days.

 

So if you have a 60 day tourist visa you should be able to extend it for 30 days.

If you have a 5 day tourist visa you should be able to extend it for only another 5 days.

 

Oh, and if you have $3,000,000 USD or some number in the millions they're more charitable with visas too. The PSB always ask me if I have that when I have visa troubles, since it would make it easier, it always makes me sad to say no.

[fabiothebest]

3000 dollars or 3000000 dollars?  They ask for really that much just for an extension? 

I heard people should have about 100 dollars/day so for 30 days, 3000 dollars would make sense.

 

Eheh instead for getting a green card, although there are some other methods, it's all about money as well:

Can get a permanent residence permit:

 

1. • Those who invested over 500,000 USD through companies encouraged by the Foreign Investment Industrial Guidance Catalog  
   • Those who invested over 500,000 USD in western parts of the country or in counties involved in national poverty alleviation schemes
   •  Those who invested over 1 million USD in central regions
   • Those who invested over 2 million USD in China

    

   Even if we marry a Chinese citizen we have to sweat (maybe in vain) for getting a Chinese permanent residence permit. Anyway I was just saying, but it's off topic because we were talking about visa validity and its extension.

[Matty]

Sorry, I should have expressed myself better, for a normal visa extension, it's just $100 USD per day. (IIRC)

 

These huge number ones seem to be for when all other rules just seem to fall away and they're just happy to have you there. - I guess they really like big spenders.