China Visa Extension thread
Replies: 445 - Last Post: May 23, 2013 5:20 AM Last Post By: Giora
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China Visa Extension thread
As obtaining a Chinese tourist visa appears to have gotten much easier, that long sticky thread has now been released to float. OTOH there appear to be increased concerns and lots of issues related to obtaining a tourist visa extension.It is my intention to search through and try to collect some posted information here in this thread but would appreciate others offering first hand information and questions here rather than starting multiple threads.
For starters, Leshan has consistently been reported to be a good place to apply for an extension. Several reasons, one, it can be done same day if you drop off your passport in the morning. Two, they add 30 days to the date of expiration, not to the date of application for the extension. Three, Leshan makes an interesting place to visit at least for a day.
Beijing has consistently been reported to NOT be a good place to apply for an extension. Again. Several reasons. One, they require financial information often including evidence of your finances. Two, processing takes several days. Three, you need something to show where you are staying.
Guilin has been reported in 2008 to be a good place to apply for an extension. A US passport holder got 2 30 day extensions there for 160 yuan (US passport holders normally are required to pay the yuan equivalent of 131 USD). This individual reported that "The visit went very smooth and easy. They want a photo, your passport, copies of your passport information page and current visa." There is no indication of how long it took to get the extension.
Shanghai This is a report from this summer 2008
"WE HAD NO PROBLEM AT ALL GETTING AN 'L' VISA EXTENSION IN SHANGHAI!!!!!
Only issue is it will take 7 days to process (we received a printout saying we have the visa extension to 13 July 2008 and to collect our passports next Tuesday). The officer also said we could apply for a further extension at the end of the extended visa expiring but that that would be the last extension (ie as per the previous policy). Whether a different visa officer would have taken a different approach at the same office I don't know.
Anyway, we required:
1. Pink registration slip from our hotel;
2. Completed visa application form (available from PSB);
3. Single photo (although advisable to take 2 as the second can be used with your receipt as a defacto passport).
We did not require proof of funds, hotel bookings or return flights. The whole process took about 10 minutes after a very short and comfortable half hour wait (plus the most sanitised western toilets I have ever encountered in China). We only need to pay the standard 160Y each when we collect our passports."
Lhasa It has never been easy to get an extension in Lhasa and it is assumed that this continues to be the case. In the past, an extension in Lhasa was provided for 5-10 days or enough time to get out of Tibet and out of China.
Ruth
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Lhasa It may be difficult to get any sort of visa extension, the PSB guy claims that the guesthouse and the tour agency should remind their customers that their visas were going to be expired, so...... if you turn yourself up at the PSB in Lhasa one or two days before the visa expires, your guesthouse or tour agency may (*may*) get into some small trouble, not sure if it's true or not.2
Xiamen seems relatively easy to get a 30-day extension but be prepared to stand in line for a while. When I went, there was only one officer processing applications and handing out the passports for those picking up their extensions (7 days later). Your extension supposedly is dated the day (I think mine was the next day) your application is received. Make sure you have all the documentation and two photos or else you will stand in line a long time only to be rejected and told to come back. Your documentation should include a hotel registration slip (or other supporting documentation if you are staying at a local residence like I was) but you do not require proof of funds or any flight booking confirmation.On the day you pick up your extension you must first of all get the application officer (on the 2nd floor) to stamp your receipt (it seems acceptable to jump the queue to get this). Then you pay your 160 rmb to the guy on the first floor who won't accept payment unless you have that stamp (I think it acknowledges your visa is ready for pick-up). After that it is back in line to pick up your passport with the new visa.
The office hours are from about 9:15-12:00 in the morning and then something like 2:30 - 6:00 in the evening.
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And >> Leshan is really way to far ! unless you are out for a tourist trip in the farthest spot of china Not for me thanks Ruth7
2 of us - UK and Thai passports extended in Zhongdian in March. Just before the Lhasa trouble. Very friendly and fast.Back there in October and just walking past the office the woman inside saw us and came out to talk on the pavement. "Your back! You want to extend your visas again?" We'd only just arrived so the answer was no. She asked where we were going, and told us all the places we planned to go - Litang, Garze, Dege, Kangding etc were still closed to foreigners. We said never mind, made our own travel plans and got everywhere without hassle.
Neil
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I'm on a UK Passport. Extending an L visa in Shanghai (submitted on 2008-12-27), I was given two options: 0 entries (Y160) or 1 entry (~Y450). Both are valid for a maximum of 30 days total (i.e. if you take 1 entry, you don't get an additional 30 days on re-entry).I was told to collect today (there were 3 days of public holiday for western New Year) and got a pleasant surprise when I saw my expiry date was now 2009-02-01. I thought I'd get 30 days from my date of submission (taking me up to 2009-01-26). As my last visa was due to expire on 2008-12-31, I was either given 32 days on top of that, or as the issue date is given as 2009-01-05, maybe I was given 27 days on top of that (with the entry/exit bureau allowing 3 days for processing). Checking my last Chinese visa extension at the same office the issue date is 2008-05-14, with expiry 2008-06-10, so again 27 days. So this could well be the case, if anyone is remotely interested(!)
All in all, it's quite an easy experience to get a visa extension in Shanghai, although there are long queues sometimes.
John
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For western China: this information is over a year old, but the hills are tall and the emperor is far away so it might not have changed much. I was travelling on a British passport.You can't get a visa extension in Dunhuang, or in Liuyuan.
You can get an extension in Jiayuguan, but only on weekdays and only if your visa has less than three days remaining. It'll take three days to process.
Hami is an good place to get an extension. It costs 160RMB; take a photocopy of your visa and information page of your passport. The process takes no more than an hour or two, and they extended my visa starting from the day after the expiry date. Highly recommended.
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Just to let you know: On the 11th of March 2009 I successfully got my visa extended in Guilin.Some more details:
My nationality: Dutch
I had a double entry visa (2 times 30 days) that was valid till 26th of February 2009 and entered China on the 15th of February 2009. (I've only used one entry, but because the visa was expired on the 26th of February I could not use the second entry any more)
I had to give:
1. Pink registration slip from my hotel;
2. Completed visa application form (available from PSB);
3. Single photo (which could be bought from a photo booth inside the same building for 65 Yuan (...but I was lucky, when I payed with 100 Yuan he gave me 65 Yuan change :-)).
I brought my passport to the Guilin Public Security Bureau on the 11th of March 2009. On the 18th of March I could pick up my passport in the afternoon. (5 working days later).
When picking up my passport I had to pay 160 Yuan.
New visa was valid till the 11th of April (1 month after I had brought my visa to the PSB, so not 1 month after my visa was valid...)
Opening hours of the Guilin Public Security Bureau are:
8:30 - 12:00
14:30 - 18:30
The address (according to a Chinese person that helped me) is: Guilin Shi Jia Yuan, chu ru guan li chu.
Bus number 6 stops in front of the PSB. You can also take bus: 25, 27 or 33, but then you might have to walk a bit to find the PSB.
Good luck with extending your visa,
Ward
Edited by: ward
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Visa extension in new Dali / XiaguanThe Public Security Bureau in Xiaguan has moved recently. The address in China's Southwest Lonely Planet Oct 2007 is not correct any more.
I don't know the new address. The lady of my hostel just gave me a paper with Chinese strokes to show to the bus driver. ...If you ask the same to your hotel, you'll find it! :-)
Officially it takes 5 working days to get the visa extension in Xiaguan Public Security Bureau. Although I've heard stories from people getting it from 30 minutes up to 5 working days.... You just got to have some luck. (But count on 5 working days)
Cheers,
Ward
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in beijing , it is possible to get L to F, or F visa extention.but 2009 is a special year for China, it's a bit difficult to get working visa than before.
for more information about chinese visa policy ,you can check http://www.aboutchinesevisa.blogspot.com/
or any question about your visa renewal or extention in China ,welcome you to contact my skype account: chinavisahelp
Edited by: chinesevisa
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In Xining posted 1 May 2009Short note from Xining posted by wichanee
Visa extension (this is specially for Everbrite)
You can have your L type visa extended for another 30 days in Xining. PSB office is at 35 Bei Dajie. Office hours 0830 am-1200 and 0230 pm-6pm.
You can pick your extension up the follwoing day at 2.30 pm. You need to provide
1. A hotel registration form signed and stamped by your hotel. (Our forms were provided by Tibetan Connections as our hotel has never heard of visa extension, let alone the registration form).
2. Photocopies of your passport page showing your personal data and copy of the L type visa with the entry stamp when you entered China.
(in case you don't have these copies with you, a shop 3 doors from PSB will do it for you for a grand sum of 1RMB).
We were quite impressed with Agent no. 011325. She speaks perfect Englsih and is very helpful.
Ruth
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I plan to get my 30 day 'L' visa extended in a week or two, and was intending to head to Leshan, due to the multiple threads here that have recommended it (and it also fits my intinerary as a place to visit!). I am a little concerned though, as some of the posts recommending Leshan are up to 3 years old. Has anybody heard recently whether or not they are still being 'friendly and efficient' in Leshan? My fear is that the local PSB will now be a little sick and tired of every foreigner who's visited the LP forums rocking up for a visa renewal!Also - can anybody recommend how many days before my visa expires I should make the application? My visa expires on the 29th May - should I make the application 1 week before hand? One day before hand? (I plan to leave China on the 20th of June - if that's any help)
Any advice would be greatly appreciated.
Cheers
Jimmy
