Automatic Visa Extension Due to Virus?

[ZhuoMing]

I am on the 10 year tourist visa with a 60 day duration of stay. My visa expires soon, and I had plans to go to Taiwan for a visa run, but my flight was cancelled because of the virus. I read that a few days ago the Chinese government started offering 60 day visa extensions. I was unclear whether this would apply to simple tourist visas, and I heard somewhere that it only applied to people with residency permits, so I went to the 出入境 office in my city and asked for an extension. The lady saw I was on a tourist visa and told me they are giving everyone an automatic 60 day extension, and there was nothing I had to do.  So I think I am fine, however the lady did say something to me that I didn't totally understand in regards to my living situation. Can anyone confirm I am fine to stay for another 60 days on a tourist visa? 

[889]

“疫情防控期间在华外国人所持签证或停居留许可到期的，停居留期限自动延长60日。延长期限内可凭原签证、停居留许可在华停居留或出境，无需办理延期手续。”

 

http://gdga.gd.gov.cn/hdjlpt/detail?pid=537349

[ZhuoMing]

Thank you!

[roddy]

16 hours ago, ZhuoMing said:

So I think I am fine, however the lady did say something to me that I didn't totally understand in regards to my living situation.

The only thing I can think of that might have been is to make sure your registration with the local police station is up to date.

[StChris]

My own visa is due to expire next month, so I asked my school about this. So long as the government deems that China is still in the 疫情防控期间 then the automatic 60 day extension should still apply. What happens if tomorrow they declare that the country has officially exited the 疫情防控期间 is anyone's guess. Hopefully they will give a little leeway, especially given the situation in the rest of the world, but it would be advisable to have a plan to leave the country if your visa expiry date is April or later.

[HoppyBunny]

Is this extension only for visas that would expire during this period or does it also apply to the duration of stay? For example my visa expires in July 2025 but the last day for my current stay will be April 1st, 2020. If I don't leave will the 60 day extension be applied?

[889]

I read it as applying to permitted stay. Doesn't make much sense otherwise. But no harm asking at the PSB if you're concerned.

 

[Ori_A]

I have asked the 出入境管理局 both in Baoshan and in Kunming, and they both said the same thing, which is:
1. The expiration date of your visa doesn't matter. The extention applies to your current stay (I'm on a tourist vise, but it applies to other types as well).
2. The extention is automatic. They both said that they can't produce any formal paper for me to show anyone who would want to see it, and that if I come across some kind of a problem (let's say in a hotel, buying bus tickets, or just random police officers), I can ask them to call the 出入境管理局 and they would approve of this. Any local PSB won't do it, and only the Immigration Administration are authorized to handle this.
3. If my stay duration ends while China is still under these special circumctances, then I automatically get an aditional two months, *even if everything goes back to normal before I reach the end of the extention*. For exmaple - I was originally permitted to stay until March 23rd. I am now allowed to stay until May 23rd, even if China declares that the 疫情防控期间 is over before that time. Even though I was told this same thing in two different cities, I hope this doesn't cause any trouble in the future, when trying to leave, or while moving from place to place inside China.
4. They couldn't say anything about what happens if this whole thing is not over (or gets worse) after two months, but that is to be expected, I guess.

Officers in both cities had known about all of this before I got there, and I didn't need to explain anything. Hotels and guesthouses, however, are not likely to know about this. 
You can try and show this to them:
https://mp.weixin.qq.com/s/LspxjrZuUD18Y5YAF4TXcw
The second video and the paragraph below it discuss just this issue, and this is an official press conference conducted by the government at the beggining of this month. If this doesn't satisfy them, simply explain to them that the police doesn't produce any 证明, and make them call the local 出入境管理局.

Hope this helps.

[roddy]

That's really useful info, thanks.