So, how do Chinese Visas work?

[Ben2015]

Hi there!

 

I have an issue with the Student X1 Visa which ought to be easily solved but I am unsure of the technical aspects. Here it is:

 

So I am going to study in China beginning in September 2015. The Chinese university will be issuing me the relevant JW202 form which will mean getting the X1 visa is no problem.

 

Issue:

 

This year (May 2015) I will graduate from another chinese university. Because of this I ALREADY have a temporary residents permit in my passport which is valid until the 31 AUG 2015.

 

My question is: Can I simply renew this temporary residence permit & specifically, can I renew it in my home country (UK).

 

From May I will be returning to the UK from China and I won't be going back until the new term starts in September. In an ideal world I am hoping that I can renew the residents permit in the UK without having to go through the whole process of getting a X1 Visa, arriving in China and then converting this into a residence permit. 

 

Alternatively, I could arrive in China a little bit before the start date of my course and renew it there but I am not sure if this is possible (because it is a different university in a different province).

 

One other issue is that in August I will be travelling in Asia and my outbound and return flights both have (less than 2 days) transfers in China. So my other worry was that IF i get the X1 visa when I am in the UK in the summer, then maybe when I am transferring through China they will stamp the X1 visa RATHER than giving me the 3-day transit or 24hour transit visa. This would then mean I couldnt re-enter China again when I return in the beginning of September.

 

 

I understand this sounds pretty complicated but any help would be greatly appreciated as I am stuck in quite a rut over this!

 

Thank you! 

[roddy]

1) No chance of renewing a residence permit out of country. They're issued by a specific local PSB, not by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, to people who have turned up to work or study at a specific place. An embassy overseas won't even have the right sticker to put in your passport. I guess you might be able to skip the X1 visa and turn up on your old residence permit and have it renewed - more accurately replaced with a new one - but I wouldn't try it without checking with the university first. And by the sound of it you could be cutting it fine.

2) Your second question is an interesting one, and I have no idea. My only suggestion is that you could turn up to the airport early on your way out and find someone to ask at immigration - I remember Beijing Capital used to have a supervisor's office or something near immigration for dealing with overstayers and queries. However I did Google up this - "Remember to tell the officer that one wants to use the 72-hour free transit if he/she already has a valid visa for China."

 

Simplest thing, I think, would be to wait until you're back in the UK after your trip to Asia and get the X1 visa then. Is there time for that?

[Ben2015]

Thank you for your post, Roddy.

 

1) Well that problem is quickly solved then! Looks like I will only be able to renew it when I return to China in September. As a follow up: Since my current temporary residents permit expires on 31 AUG 2015, could I walk into the local PSB on that day and simply renew? Would they be miffed about this? (Reason being is that the course doesn't start until the first week of Sept so no need to be there unnecessarily early.

 

2) Seems interesting. By that wording it would indeed be possible to get the X1 during the summer and simply get the 72-hour visa free on my transits through China without having the X1 stamped. I might try to ring this office in Beijing and see if they can help me out.

 

Finally - It is very tight. I would have exactly 3 working days from when I land back in the UK to when I depart to China in which to get the visa. Could be risky. I wouldn't mind paying for express service with a third party visa service business but if anything went wrong that it would really mess things up!

[tardis]

Here's something I'd like to know.  Can you have multiple valid visas in your passport?  For example, if you have a 10 year tourist visa, then later get a business or working visa for a while, is the 10 year tourist visa still valid after the later ones expired?

[roddy]

In every case I've heard of they've canceled the existing visa / residence permit when issuing a new one. 

[889]

The rule for most countries, apparently including China, seems to be one-visa-in-one-passport.

But as an aside, it seems the U.S. does allow two visas in the same passport, so long as they aren't the same type.

"Q: Can I hold two different types of visa at the same time?

"A: Yes. An applicant cannot hold two valid visas of the same type in his or her passport. However, it is possible for an applicant to apply for and be issued another type of visa even if they hold a valid visa of different type in their passport."

http://insight.amcham-shanghai.org/amcham-visa-discussion-depth-read-new-visa-policy/