1. Documents Required for Visa Extension
The foreigner who wishes to extend his/her visa shall apply for such extension to the exit/entry administration department of the local public security bureau 7 days before the expiration date and provide required supporting documents when submitting such application:
1) The C visa holder, for the purpose of visa extension, shall submit supporting documents provided by the exit/entry authority under the local government at or above the county level, or provided by the local transportation company such as civilian aviation, railway, highway, port companies. The extension will not exceed 30 days.
2) The F visa holder shall submit supporting documents provided by the inviting and hosting organization, which, if not in the registry, shall also provide supporting registration documents. The extension will not exceed 180 days.
3) The G visa holder shall submit supporting documents provided by the hosting organization as well as the onward air (train or ship) ticket with confirmed date and seat to the destination country or region. The extension will not exceed 30 days.
4) The J2 visa holder shall submit supporting documents provided by the foreign affairs department of the provincial government. The extension will not exceed 30 days.
5) The L visa holder shall submit his/her tour itinerary. Package tourists are also required to provide supporting documents provided by the travel agency. The extension will not exceed 30 days.
6) The M visa holder shall submit supporting documents provided by the inviting or hosting organization or individual. The inviting or hosting organization, if not in the registry, shall also provide proof of registration. If the partner is an individual, the supporting documents shall be signed by this individual and the supporting documents of this partner's household registration or domicile shall also be provided. The extension will not exceed 180 days.
7) The Q2 visa holder shall submit supporting documents provided by the visited individual, including proofs of ID and familial relations. The extension will not exceed 180 days.
8) The R visa holder shall submit supporting documents provided by the inviting or hosting organization, which, if not in the registry, shall also be supported by proofs of registration. The extension will not exceed 180 days.
9) The S2 visa holder, for the purpose of visiting a family member, shall submit the supporting documents provided by the visited individual, including proofs of stay or residence permits and familial relations. Other applicants shall submit proofs of personal affairs or humanitarian reasons. The duration of stay for the family-visiting applicant will be extended by no more than 180 days; for other applicant, no more than 90 days.
10) The X2 visa holder shall submit supporting admission documents provided by the education and training institution in China. The extension will not exceed 180 days.
The extended duration of stay will not exceed the original duration of stay specified on the visa.
2. Supporting Documents Required for Visa Replacement
1) The foreigner who needs to replace his/her visa due to reasons allowed by applicable laws and regulations, including change of purpose of visit, entry facilitation, change of passport, or the need for a common visa after entry due to his/her separation from the visiting group, shall submit the following supporting documents:
a. The F visa applicant shall submit supporting documents provided by the inviting organization and may apply for a zero-, one-, two-, or multiple-entry F visa whose validity shall not exceed one year, with each stay not exceeding 180 days per entry. The foreigner who are selected by national talent programs or qualified for certain investment criteria may be awarded a multiple-entry F visa whose validity shall not exceed 5 years, with each stay not exceeding 180 days per entry.
b. The J2 applicant shall submit supporting documents provided by the foreign affairs department of the provincial government. The replaced visa shall be zero-entry, with the stay not exceeding 30 days.
c. The M visa applicant shall submit supporting documents provided by the inviting organization and may be awarded a zero-, one-, two-, or multiple-entry visa whose validity shall not exceed one year, with each stay not exceeding 180 days.
d. The Q2 visa applicant shall submit supporting documents provided by the visited individual and proofs of ID and familial relationship and may be awarded a zero-, one-, two-, or multiple-entry visa whose validity shall not exceed one year, with each stay not exceeding 180 days.
e. The R visa applicant shall submit supporting documents to prove that he/she is qualified for the criteria set for leading and urgently needed foreign experts by the relevant authorities of the Chinese government, together with the supporting documents from the inviting or hosting organization, and may be awarded a zero-, one-, two-, or multiple-entry visa whose validity shall not exceed 5 years, with each stay not exceeding 180 days.
f. The S2 visa applicant shall submit supporting documents provided by the visited individual as well as proofs of foreigner's residence permit and familial relationship. Other individuals shall submit supporting documents to prove humanitarianism associated with their visits. The applicant may be awarded a zero- or one-entry visa with each stay not exceeding 180 days.
g. The X2 visa applicant shall submit supporting documents provided by the education or training organization in China, including proofs of enrollment or admission, and may be awarded a zero-, one- or two- -entry visa whose validity shall not exceed one year, with each stay not exceeding 180 days.
2) The foreigner who needs to replace their old passport due to exhaustion of visa pages shall submit the passport he/she used for the most recent entry or supporting documents provided by the embassy/consulate of his/her home country in China which proves that his/her passport has been recovered. The new visa issued will be the same as the original visa in terms of type, expiration date, duration of stay and the remaining number of entries.
3) The foreigner who has a dependent person shall submit the passport he/she used for the most recent entry, together with the birth certificate of such dependent person. The visa replacement shall be processed pursuant to provisions hereof.
4) The applicant who has entered China on a group visa but needs to stay separately from the group shall submit supporting documents provided by the travel agency. The visa replacement shall be processed pursuant to provisions hereof.
The applicant who has obtained a replaced visa shall not stay continuously for more than one year from the date of his/her most recent entry.
3. Supporting Documents Required for New Visa Application
The foreigner who has lost, had his/her visa damaged, robbed or stolen shall submit the following documents for a new visa:
1) The foreigner who has lost, had his/her visa robbed or stolen, shall submit proof of loss, or the diplomatic note provided by the embassy/consulate of his/her home country in China, together with the new valid passport or other valid international travel permit.
2) The foreigner who has had his/her visa damaged shall submit the damaged passport, or the diplomatic note provided by the embassy/consulate of his/her home country in China, together with the new valid passport or other valid international travel permit.
3) The group who has lost, had their group visa robbed, stolen or damaged, shall submit supporting documents provided by the local hosting travel agency together with the photocopy of the original group visa.
The new visa issued shall be the same as the original visa in terms of type, expiration date, duration of stay and the remaining number of entries.
4. Application Procedure
The foreigner who applies for a visa or any other permit, shall accept questioning by the exit/entry administration department of the public security authorities in his/her jurisdiction. If such exit/entry administration department needs to verify circumstances with the inviting organization/individual, such organization/individual shall be cooperative. If the applicant or the inviting organization/individual fails, without good reason, to attend the face-to-face interview by such exit/entry administration department, the application may be rejected.
The foreigner who applies for a visa or any other permit shall fill in Visa/Permit Application Form and provide his/her passport or other international travel permit, together with a photo and other supporting documents as required.
5. Return Receipt
For the application that meets the criteria, the exit/entry administration department shall process the application, issue a return receipt and decide whether to issue the visa/permit or not within the term of the return receipt. Such term for visa or stay permit application will not exceed 7 working days from the date when the application is processed; such term for residence permit application will not exceed 15 working days from the date when the application is processed.
If the applicant's passport or other international travel permit is kept by the exit/entry administration department, he/she may use the return receipt as legal proof of stay. The applicant may also apply to recover his/her passport or other international travel permit if there is good reason; however, the passport or the international travel permit shall be returned within the term of the return receipt to facilitate visa/permit issuance by the exit/entry administration department.
6. Processing Time
The exit/entry administration department of the public security authorities will decide whether to issue the visa/stay permit within 7 working days after accepting the application; whether to issue the residence permit within 15 working days after the accepting the application.
The applicant may also apply to the exit/entry administration department of the public security authorities to expedite the processing of his/her application if he/she has good reason; upon such request, the exit/entry administration department may provide such convenience where appropriate.
7. Authority
The applicant who is covered by Articles 21 and 31 of the Exit and Entry Administration Law of the People's Republic of China will be disqualified for visa/permit qualification. The decision made by the exit/entry administration department of the public security authorities not to extend or replace the applicant's visa or stay/residence permit, or not to issue a new visa or stay/residence permit, shall be deemed as final.
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