1. Scope of application
This guideline is applicable to the extension, renewal and re-issuance of visas after foreigners enter China with ordinary visas.
2. Evidence for approval
Exit and Entry Administration Law of the People’s Republic of China and Regulations of the People’s Republic of China on the Administration of the Entry and Exit of Foreigners.
3. Acceptance agencies
The National Immigration Administration entrusts the exit and entry management agencies of the public security organs at or above the prefecture-level cities (including the districts and counties under the jurisdiction of the municipality) to accept the visa documents of foreigners.
Upon the National Immigration Administration’s approval of the application from the entry and exit administration of the provincial public security organ, the entry and exit administrations of the county-level public security organs may accept visa documents for foreigners, as entrusted by the National Immigration Administration.
4. Application Requirements
After entering the country with ordinary visas, foreigners who need to stay in China for non-diplomatic or official reasons may apply to the exit and entry administration of the public security organ for visa extension, renewal and re-issuance in accordance with regulations. Foreigners should go through the relevant formalities at the exit and entry management agency of the public security organ. In any of the following circumstances, the inviting units or individuals, the applicant’s relatives, or the relevant specialized service agencies may apply on their behalf:
(1) Those who are aged under 16 or above 60 and have difficulty in mobility due to illness or other reasons;
(2) Those who are not entering China for the first time and have a good stay and residence record in China;
(3) The inviting unit or individual provides guarantee measures for the expenses required by foreigners during their stay in China.
5. Conditions for disapproval
If the applicant falls under the circumstances specified in Article 21 of the Regulations of the People’s Republic of China on the Administration of the Entry and Exit of Foreigners, the extension, renewal or re-issuance of the visa will not be approved.
6. Materials needed for application
1) To be accepted for application for visa documents, the applicant shall be required to go through relevant procedures and submit relevant materials:
(1) A valid passport or other international travel document;
(2) A filled visa application form for foreigners with a photo that meets the standards of the Guidelines for Photographing Entry and Exit Documents;
(3) Evidence materials related to the reasons for the application;
(4) Other procedures to be gone through and the supporting materials submitted.
2) Materials required to apply for visa extension
Foreigners who apply for an extension of the stay period on a visa should apply to the exit and entry administration of the public security organ 7 days before the expiry of the stay period indicated on the visa, and submit relevant application materials as required:
(1) Holders of a C visa shall submit a letter of certification issued by the relevant department of the people’s government at or above the county level or the local civil aviation, railway, highway, port and other transportation companies. The period of stay can be extended up to 30 days.
(2) Holders of a F visa shall submit a letter of certification issued by the inviting and receiving unit. Unregistered units shall also submit a registration certificate. The period of stay can be extended up to 180 days.
(3) Holders of a G visa should submit a letter of certification from the receiving unit and a plane (vehicle, boat) ticket with a confirmed date and seat for the country (region). The period of stay can be extended up to 30 days.
(4) Holders of a J2 visa should submit a letter of certification issued by the foreign affairs department of the provincial people’s government. The period of stay can be extended up to 30 days.
(5) Holders of a L visa should submit travel plans and itineraries, and group travel should also submit a travel agency certification letter. The period of stay can be extended up to 30 days.
(6) Holders of M visa should submit a letter of certification issued by the local inviting or receiving unit or individual, and units that have not filed a record should also submit a registration certificate. If the partner is an individual, the letter issued should be signed and submitted with the local permanent household registration certificate or the actual residence certificate. The period of stay can be extended up to 180 days.
(7) Holders of a Q2 visa should submit a letter of certification issued by the person to be visited, the identity certificate, and the family member relationship certificate. The period of stay can be extended up to 180 days.
(8) Holders of a R visa should submit the letter of invitation and the certificate of the reception unit, and the unit that has not filed the record should also submit the registration certificate. The period of stay can be extended up to 180 days.
(9)S2 visa-holding family visiting personnel should submit a letter issued by the person to be visited, a foreigner’s residence permit and a family member relationship certificate. Others should submit relevant certificates for dealing with personal affairs or for humanitarian reasons. For those who visit relatives, the period of stay can be extended not more than 180 days, and for other people, the period of stay can be extended not more than 90 days.
(10) Holders of an X2 visa should submit a letter of proof of study issued by an education and training institution in China. The period of stay can be extended up to 180 days.
The extension of the visa period of stay shall not exceed the original period of stay indicated on the visa.
3) Materials required to apply for visa renewal
Foreigners who meet national regulations and need to change the reason for their stay, grant entry convenience, or need to stay in a group for objective reasons after entering the country with a new passport or group visa, should submit the following certification materials:
(1) To apply for renewal of a F visa, a letter of certification issued by the inviting unit shall be submitted, and a zero-, one-, two- or multiple-time visa with a validity period of not more than 1 year and a stay period of not more than 180 days can be renewed. For those who meet the relevant national regulations on foreign high-level talents and investors, multiple-entry visas with a validity period of not more than 5 years and a stay period of not more than 180 days can be issued.
(2) To apply for a J2 visa renewal, a letter of certification issued by the foreign affairs department of the provincial people’s government shall be submitted. A zero-entry visa with a stay period of not more than 30 days can be renewed.
(3) To apply for renewal of a M visa, a letter of certification issued by the inviting unit shall be submitted, and a zero-, one-, two- or multiple-time visa with an entry validity period of not more than 1 year and a stay period of not more than 180 days can be renewed.
(4) To apply for the renewal of a Q2 visa, the letter issued by the person to be visited, the identity certificate, and the family member relationship certificate should be submitted. A zero-, one-, two- or multiple-entry visa with a validity period of not more than 1 year and a stay period of not more than 180 days can be renewed.
(5) To apply for the renewal of a R visa, one should submit the certification materials that meet the requirements for the introduction of foreign high-level talents and urgently-needed specialized talents, as determined by the relevant authorities of the Chinese government, as well as the certification letter issued by the inviting and receiving unit. A zero-, one-, two- or multiple-entry visa with a validity period of not more than 5 years and a stay period of not more than 180 days can be renewed.
(6) To apply for an S2 visa, the person visiting relatives should submit a letter issued by the person to be visited, the residence permit for foreigners and the proof of family relationship. Other personnel shall submit relevant certification materials with humanitarian reasons. It is possible to re-issue a zero- or one-time visa with an entry validity period of not more than 3 months and a stay period of not more than 180 days.
(7) To apply for the renewal of a X2 visa, a letter issued by the education and training institution in China and the admission and enrollment certificate shall be submitted. It can be renewed for zero, one or two times with a validity period of not more than 1 year and a stay period of not more than 180 days.
(8) Foreigners who change to new passports due to the fact that their passports are about to expire or their visa pages are used up, etc., should submit the passports they hold at the time of entry or the relevant information issued by the embassies and consulates of their countries in China from which the passports they hold at the time of entry have been withdrawn. It can be proved that the visa can be renewed with the same type of visa, entry validity period, duration of stay and the remaining number of valid entries of the original visa. The number of visas will be renewed according to the number of valid entries remaining on the original visa.
(9) Foreigners who add accompanying persons after entering the country shall submit the passport they hold at the time of entry, and the accompanying person’s birth certificate. Visas may be renewed with reference to the preceding provisions of this article.
(10) Foreigners who enter the country with a group visa and apply for a stay in a group shall submit a letter of certification from the receiving travel agency and other materials, and can refer to the preceding provisions of this article for replacement.
The period of stay for the renewal of the visa shall not exceed one consecutive year from the date of this entry.
4) Materials required for application for visa re-issuance
Foreigners who apply for a re-issuance of a visa due to the loss, damage or theft of their visa after entry shall submit the following certification materials:
(1) If the visa is lost or stolen, the certificate of loss of the passport or the note from the embassy or consulate of the country to which it belongs, as well as a new valid passport or other international travel documents shall be submitted.
(2) If the visa is damaged, the damaged passport or the note from the embassy or consulate of the country to which it belongs, as well as a new valid passport or other international travel documents shall be submitted.
(3) If the group visa is lost, stolen or damaged, a letter of certification from the local receiving travel agency and a photocopy of the group visa shall be submitted. The visa can be reissued with the same type of visa, entry validity period, duration of stay and the number of valid entries remaining on the original visa.
7. Procedures and handling methods of
1) Application. Foreigners who apply for visa extension, renewal or re-issuance should go through the relevant procedures at the exit and entry administration of the public security organ in person. If the relevant regulations are met, the inviting unit or individual, the applicant-s relatives, or relevant specialized service agencies may apply on their behalf.
2) Acceptance. The acceptance agency decides whether to accept or not after review. The application matters are within the scope of the authority of this administrative organ. If the application materials are complete and meet the requirements, it shall be accepted on the spot and a receipt of acceptance shall be issued. If the procedures and materials for applying for a visa are incomplete, the applicant shall be informed of the procedures to go through and the application materials to be supplemented and corrected at one time.
3) Review. The entry and exit administration department of the public security organ shall strengthen the verification, verifying the authenticity of the reasons for the application through interviews, telephone inquiries, on-site investigations, etc., and verifying that the applicant is of foreign nationality. If the applicant or the relevant unit or individual is notified for the interview, and the applicant fails to accept the interview within the agreed time without justifiable reasons, the visa certificate may not be issued in accordance with the law.
4) Decision. If the conditions and standards are met, the decision-making agency will make a decision to grant the administrative license and issue a visa of the corresponding category.
8. Period of handling
Upon review, if the application for a foreigner’s visa documents meet the acceptance conditions, the application shall be accepted and a receipt of acceptance shall be issued, and a decision on whether to issue or not shall be made within the validity period of the receipt of acceptance. The validity of the receipt of acceptance of the visa application shall not exceed 7 working days from the date of acceptance.
9. Evidence for handling fees and charge standards
1) Evidence for handling fees
Reply Letter of the State Planning Commission and the Ministry of Finance on Agreeing to Adjust the Mainland Public Security Organs’ Visa Fees for Foreigners (Document No. 392 [2003]).
2) Charge standard
(1) Zero- and one-time visas (non-equivalent country): 160 yuan per person;
(2) Secondary visa (non-equivalent country): 235 yuan per person;
(3) Half-year multiple (including half-year) visa (non-equivalent country): 425 yuan per person;
(4) One-year (including one-year) multiple visas (non-equivalent country): 635 yuan per person;
(5) Increasing or decreasinge the number of passengers (non-equivalent country): 160 yuan per person;
(6) An equivalent country is charged according to the standard set by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
10. Visa collection
Approved and issued foreigner visas must be collected by the applicant himself at the exit and entry management agency of the public security organ with the receipt of acceptance on the spot.
11. Rights and obligations of administrative counterparts
1) According to the relevant laws and regulations, the applicants shall enjoy the following rights:
(1) Those who meet the statutory conditions and standards shall have equal rights to obtain administrative licenses in accordance with the law;
(2) They have the rights of statement and defense for the implementation of administrative licensing by administrative organs;
(3) They have other rights stipulated by laws and regulations.
2) According to relevant laws and regulations, the applicants shall perform the following obligations:
(1) They must truthfully submit relevant materials to the administrative organ and reflect the real situation, and be responsible for the authenticity of the substantive content of the application materials;
(2) They must cooperate with the administrative organ in interviews, telephone inquiries, on-site investigations, etc., to verify the authenticity of the application materials;
(3) They must fulfil other obligations stipulated by laws and regulations.
12. Other matters needing attention
1) Family members: including spouses, parents, parents-in-law, children, siblings, grandparents, grandparents, grandchildren, grandchildren, and spouses of children.
2) Proof of family relationship and kinship: marriage certificate, birth certificate, adoption certificate, other kinship certificate and relevant notarization issued by the relevant state department; marriage certificate, birth certificate, proof of family relationship, proof of change of name and other information, etc.
3) The marriage certificate, birth certificate, kinship certificate, name change certificate, etc. issued by the foreign competent department or notary department shall be authenticated by the Chinese embassy or consulate in that country.
4) Identity certificate: The identity certificate of mainland Chinese residents refers to the local permanent residence certificate or the actual residence certificate for more than 6 months and the resident identity card; the overseas Chinese identity certificate refers to the Chinese passport and the foreign settlement certificate; the Hong Kong and Macao resident identity certificate refers to the mainland travel permit for Hong Kong and Macao residents; Taiwan resident identity certificate refers to the mainland travel permit for Taiwan residents; foreigners’ identity certificate refers to the permanent residence permit for foreigners. Overseas Chinese and residents of Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan should also submit a residence certificate for more than 6 months in the actual place of residence.
The relevant foreign language certification materials should be translated into Chinese.
Appendix:
1. Approval flowchart for extension, renewal and re-issuance of visas
2. Visa application form
3. Sample of application materials