I. Scope of application

This guide applies to the application for extension, change or reissuance of visas after entry of foreigners with ordinary visas.

II. References of approval

Exit and Entry Administration Law of the People’s Republic of China,

Regulations of the People’s Republic of China on Administration of the Entry and Exit of Foreigners

III. Organs of service

National Immigration Administration entrusts the exit-entry administrations of public security organs of prefecture level or higher level (including districts and counties of municipalities directly under the central government) to handle the formalities of foreigners’ visas.

After the exit-entry administration of a provincial public security organ gets the approval of the National Immigration Administration, the exit-entry administration of a county public security organ can issue foreigners’ visas with the delegation of the National Immigration Administration.

IV. Conditions of application

Foreigners who need to stay in China for non-diplomatic or official purposes after entry with ordinary visas may apply for extension, change or reissuance of visas with the exit-entry administrations of public security organs according to provisions. The applicant shall handle relevant formalities with the exit/entry administrations of public security organs in person. Under any of the following circumstances, the inviting entity or individual, the relative of the applicant or the specialized service agency concerned may file the application on behalf of the applicant:

(1) The applicant is under the age of 16 or over the age of 60 or it would unduly inconvenience the applicant due to illness or other reasons;

(2) The applicant’s current entry is not his or her first entry into China and the applicant has a good record of stay or residence in China; or

(3) The inviting entity or individual has guaranteed to cover the necessary expenses of the applicant incurred in China.

V. Prohibitive requirements

Under any of the circumstances stipulated in Article 21 of the Regulations of the People’s Republic of China on Administration of the Entry and Exit of Foreigners, the application for extension, change or reissuance of visas won’t be approved.

VI. Application documents

(I) When applying for a foreigner’s visa, the applicant shall fulfill relevant formalities and provide relevant documents:

1. Valid passport or other international travel documents;

2. Fill out a visa application form for foreigners and submit a photo compliant with the criteria of Guide for photo of exit-entry certificate;

3. Supporting materials related to the purpose of application;

4. Other due formalities and required supporting materials.

(II) Supporting materials necessary for application of extension of visa

Foreigners who apply for extension of stay period of visa shall file the application to the exit-entry administrations of public security organs at latest 7 days before expiration of the stay period indicated on the visa and submit relevant supporting materials for application according to the requirements:

1. The applicant with a visa C shall submit the certificate issued by the competent authority of the county or higher-level government or transport companies of civil aviation, railways, roads and ports. The stay period can be extended for no more than 30 days.

2. The applicant with a visa F shall submit the certificate issued by the inviting or receiving entity. The unfiled entity shall submit the registration certificate. The stay period can be extended for no more than 180 days.

3. The applicant with a visa G shall submit the certificate issued by the receiving entity and the plane (vehicle, ship) ticket with fixed date and seat for the destination country (region). The stay period can be extended for no more than 30 days.

4. The applicant with a visa J2 shall submit the certificate issued by the foreign affairs office of the provincial government. The stay period can be extended for no more than 30 days.

5. The applicant with a visa L shall submit the travel schedule plan. In case of group tourism, the applicant shall also submit the certificate issued by the travel agency. The stay period can be extended for no more than 30 days.

6. The applicant with a visa M shall submit the certificate issued by the local inviting or receiving entity or individual. The unfiled entity shall submit the registration certificate. If the partner is an individual, the certificate issued shall be signed by the individual, and the certificate of local household register for permanent resident or the certificate of residence in the actual domicile of the individual shall be submitted. The stay period can be extended for no more than 180 days.

7. The applicant with a visa Q2 shall submit the letter, identity certificate and certificate of family relationship issued by the person to be visited. The stay period can be extended for no more than 180 days.

8. The applicant with a visa R shall submit the certificate issued by the inviting or receiving entity. The unfiled entity shall submit the registration certificate. The stay period can be extended for no more than 180 days.

9. The applicant with a visa S2 to visit the family shall submit the letter, the foreigner’s residence certificate and the certificate of family relationship issued by the person to be visited. Other applicants shall submit the materials proving their purpose of private affairs or humanitarian reasons. For the applicant visiting family, the stay period can be extended for no more than 180 days. For other applicants, the stay period can be extended for no more than 90 days.

10. The applicant with a visa X2 shall submit the studying certificate issued by the education or training institution in China. The stay period can be extended for no more than 180 days. The total of extended stay period of visa shall not exceed the original stay period indicated on the visa.

(III) Supporting materials necessary for application of change of visa

Foreigners who need to change the purpose of stay, get convenience of entry or be separated from their group to stay for application of change into ordinary visas for objective reasons after entry with a new passport and a group visa according to national regulations shall submit the following supporting materials:

1. To apply for change into a visa F, the applicant shall submit the certificate issued by the inviting entity, and then his/her visa can be changed into a zero-entry, single-entry, double-entry or multiple-entry visa valid for no more than 1 year with a stay period of no more than 180 days. For an applicant who is a foreign high-level talent or investor according to national regulations, his/her visa can be changed into a multiple-entry visa valid for no more than 5 years with a stay period of no more than 180 days.

2. To apply for change into a visa J2, the applicant shall submit the certificate issued by the foreign affairs office of the provincial government, and then his/her visa can be changed into a zero-entry visa with a stay period of no more than 30 days.

3. To apply for change into a visa M, the applicant shall submit the certificate issued by the inviting entity, and then his/her visa can be changed into a zero-entry, single-entry, double-entry or multiple-entry visa valid for no more than 1 year with a stay period of no more than 180 days.

4. To apply for change into a visa Q2, the applicant shall submit the letter, identity certificate and certificate of family relationship issued by the person to be visited, and then his/her visa can be changed into a zero-entry, single-entry, double-entry or multiple-entry visa valid for no more than 1 year with a stay period of no more than 180 days.

5. To apply for change into a visa R, the applicant shall submit the supporting materials proving that he/she complies with the conditions and requirements for importing foreign high-level talents and urgently needed specialists defined by the competent authorities of Chinese government as well as the certificate issued by the inviting or receiving entity. His/her visa can be changed into a zero-entry, single-entry, double-entry or multiple-entry visa valid for no more than 5 years with a stay period of no more than 180 days.

6. To apply for change into a visa S2, the applicant to visit family shall submit the letter, the foreigner’s residence certificate and the certificate of family relationship issued by the person to be visited. Other applicants shall submit the materials proving their humanitarian reasons. Their visa can be changed into a zero-entry or single-entry visa valid for no more than 3 months with a stay period of no more than 180 days.

7. To apply for change into a visa X2, the applicant shall submit the letter and the certificate of admission issued by the education or training institution in China. His/her visa can be changed into a zero-entry, single-entry or double-entry visa valid for no more than 1 year with a stay period of no more than 180 days.

8. A foreigner who needs to get a new passport due to immediate expiration of the passport or using up of the pages for visas shall submit the passport he/she held for this entry or the certificate of withdraw of the passport he/she held for this entry issued by the embassy or consulate of his/her country in China. He/she can get a new visa with the same category, period of validity for entry, stay period and remaining effective number of entries as the original visa. The number of visas in the new passport shall be equal to the remaining effective number of entries of the original visa.

9. A foreigner who has an accompanying person after entry shall submit the passport he/she held for this entry and the certificate of birth of the accompanying person. His/her visa can be changed according to the above provisions of this article.

10. A foreigner who enters China with a group visa but applies for staying separated from the group shall submit the supporting materials such as the certificate issued by the receiving travel agency. His/her visa can be changed according to the above provisions of this article.

The accumulated stay period of a changed visa shall not exceed 1 year from the date of this entry.

(IV) Supporting materials necessary for application of reissuance of visa

A foreigner whose visa is lost, destroyed or stolen after entry shall apply for reissuance of visa with the following supporting materials:

1. If the visa is lost or stolen, the applicant shall submit the certificate of declaration of loss of his/her passport or a note from the embassy or consulate of his/her country in China and a new valid passport or other international travel documents.

2. If the visa is destroyed, the applicant shall present the destroyed passport or a note from the embassy or consulate of his/her country in China and a new valid passport or other international travel documents.

3. If a group visa is lost, stolen or destroyed, the applicant shall submit the certificate issued by the travel agency and the photocopy of the group visa. A visa with the same category, period of validity for entry, stay period and remaining effective number of entries as the original visa can be reissued.

VII. Basic process and handling method

(I) Application. A foreigner who applies for extension, change or reissuance of visa shall fulfill relevant formalities with the exit/entry administration of public security organ in person. If the applicant meets relevant provisions, the inviting entity or individual, the relative of the applicant or the specialized service agency concerned may file the application on behalf of the applicant.

(II) Acceptance. The competent organ shall decide whether to accept the application after examination. If the application is within the power of the administrative organ and that the application documents are complete and compliant with requirements, the administrative organ shall accept the application and issue a receipt of acceptance. If the formalities and documents for visa application are not complete, the administrative organ shall, in a one-off manner, notify the applicant of the procedure(s) to be followed and the materials to be supplemented and corrected.

(III) Examination. The exit/entry administration of public security organ shall improve the verification, verifying the authenticity of the purpose of application by means of interview, telephone inquiring and on-site investigation and confirming the foreign nationality of the applicant. If the applicant or the relevant entity or individual is informed of the interview but fails to accept the interview on the agreed time without any justified reason, the exit-entry administration can refuse to issue the visa according to law.

(IV) Decision. The decision-making organ shall give the administrative approval to the application compliant with the conditions and the criteria and issue the visa of the corresponding category.

VIII. Time limit of settlement

After examination, if the application for the foreigner’s visa complies with the conditions of acceptance, the application shall be accepted and a receipt of acceptance shall be issued. The decision on whether to issue the visa shall be made within the period of validity of the receipt. The period of validity of the receipt for application of the visa shall not exceed 7 working days from the date of acceptance.

IX. Charging basis and standard

(I) Charging basis

Reply of the State Development Planning Commission and the Ministry of Finance on approving the adjustment of the charging standard for visas of foreigners of the public security organs of mainland China (Jijiage[2003]No.392)

(II) Charging standard

1. A zero-entry or single-entry visa (for countries not adopting principle of reciprocity): RMB 160 per capita;

2. A double-entry visa (for countries not adopting principle of reciprocity): RMB 235 per capita;

3. A multiple-entry visa valid for 6 months (included) (for countries not adopting principle of reciprocity): RMB 425 per capita;

4. A multiple-entry visa valid for 1 year (included) (for countries not adopting principle of reciprocity): RMB 635 per capita;

5. Increasing or decreasing number of accompanying persons (for countries not adopting principle of reciprocity): RMB 160 per capita;

6. For the countries adopting principle of reciprocity, the standard rate stipulated by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs shall apply.

X. Service of result

The approved and issued foreigner’s visa shall be collected by the applicant in person on the site of the exit/entry administration of public security organ with the receipt of acceptance.

XI. Rights and obligations of the administrative counterpart

(I) According to relevant laws and regulations, the applicant enjoys the following rights:

1. the equal right of getting administrative authorization according to law if the application complies with the legal conditions and standards;

2. the right of statement and defense in regard to the implementation of administrative authorization of administrative organs;

3. other rights stipulated by laws and regulations.

(II) According to relevant laws and regulations, the applicant shall fulfill the following obligations:

1. submit relevant documents and reflect the real situation to administrative organs and be responsible for the authenticity of the substantial contents of the application documents;

2. cooperate with administrative organs in interview, telephone inquiry and on-site investigation in order to verify the authenticity of application documents;

3. other obligations stipulated by laws and regulations.

XII. Other precautions:

(I) Family members include a spouse, parents, spouse’s parents, children, siblings, grandparents, grandchildren, and children’s spouses.

(II) Certificate of family relationship and certificate of kinship: marriage certificate, birth certificate, adoption certificate, other certificates of kinship and related notarizations issued by relevant national authorities; certificates of change of documents such as marriage certificate, birth certificate, certificate of kinship and name issued by embassy or consulate of the foreigner’s country in China.

(III) The certificates of change of documents such as marriage certificate, birth certificate, certificate of kinship and name issued by foreign competent authorities or notary offices shall be authenticated by Chinese embassy or consulate in the foreigner’s country.

(IV) Identity certificate: The identity certificate of a mainland China resident refers to the household register for local permanent resident or the residence certificate proving the residence in the actual domicile for over 6 months and the citizen ID card. The identity certificate of an overseas Chinese refers to the Chinese passport and the foreign residence certificate. The identity certificate of a Hong Kong or Macao resident refers to the Mainland Travel Permit for Hong Kong and Macao Residents. The identity certificate of a Taiwan resident refers to the Mainland Travel Permit for Taiwan Residents. The identity certificate of a foreigner refers to the permanent resident permit for foreigners. Overseas Chinese and Hong Kong, Macao or Taiwan residents shall submit the residence certificate proving their residence in the actual domicile for over 6 months.

Relevant supporting materials in foreign languages shall be translated into Chinese.

Appendixes:

1. Process chart of examination and approval of extension, change or reissuance of foreigners’ visas

2. Visa application form for foreigners

Appendix 1