warpedbored Posted November 11, 2008 Report Share Posted November 11, 2008 I just got done filling out all the forms for the visa service in San Francisco. After calling them to make sure all is in order they informed me that the consulate will not issue my wife a visa for longer than 30 days. This is a problem since we already bought the plane tickets and she plans on being in China for 41 days. Anyone else had this problem? Can she get her visa extended in Nanning at the police station? We applied for multiple entry visas. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pkfops Posted November 11, 2008 Report Share Posted November 11, 2008 I just got done filling out all the forms for the visa service in San Francisco. After calling them to make sure all is in order they informed me that the consulate will not issue my wife a visa for longer than 30 days. This is a problem since we already bought the plane tickets and she plans on being in China for 41 days. Anyone else had this problem? Can she get her visa extended in Nanning at the police station? We applied for multiple entry visas. I did a quick search and found this though it may be out dated. http://www.chinahighlights.com/faq/travel-...sa-extended.htm Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bob&haiqing Posted November 11, 2008 Report Share Posted November 11, 2008 I just got done filling out all the forms for the visa service in San Francisco. After calling them to make sure all is in order they informed me that the consulate will not issue my wife a visa for longer than 30 days. This is a problem since we already bought the plane tickets and she plans on being in China for 41 days. Anyone else had this problem? Can she get her visa extended in Nanning at the police station? We applied for multiple entry visas.Hey Carl, I'm not 100% certain about this but I have heard that the visa can be extended once you're in China, I'd verify this once you're here. If you didn't receive a mutli-entry visa, your other relatively easy option is to fly to Hong Kong, spend a day or two and get another visa there. If you did receive the muti-entry visa you can fly to Hong Kong also, stay one day and re-enter the mainland and the 30 days start ticking again. 30 day tourist visas are pretty much the norm unless you have business interests here or property in China. Once you can obtain a 60 day visa, like I have, it's easy to get them again. You simply request them and provide a photo copy of your last one when applying for a new visa. Since I'll be here a total of 4 months, we'll make a two day trip to Hong Kong in December which will reset my visa with a new 60 day stay that will take me to the time we'll fly back to the USA Have a terrific trip!Bob Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bob&haiqing Posted November 11, 2008 Report Share Posted November 11, 2008 Oh ... one thing I forgot to mention. I think that if you do have a multi-entry visa and you extend the stay past 30 days it will invalidate your current visa so you will no longer have a mutli-entry visa and you can't use it on a future trip. You'll need to get a new visa for future trips in that case. Good luck!Bob Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pkfops Posted November 11, 2008 Report Share Posted November 11, 2008 (edited) Questions on application: What did you specify in box 2.1 What did you specify in box 2.4 Did you put anything in Section 5 Edited November 11, 2008 by pkfops (see edit history) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
warpedbored Posted November 11, 2008 Author Report Share Posted November 11, 2008 I filled out the visa service's form then called them. They assured me I don't need to fill out the PDF form from the consulate. They also said that the consulate won't issue any L visa, multiple entry or not more than 30 days. I think she can get it extended in Nanning. If not she can fly to Hong Kong and back but that would be a needless expense. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pkfops Posted November 11, 2008 Report Share Posted November 11, 2008 Let me check with my wife. Her uncle is going back to China for about a month. She will ask him how long his visa is for. On a side note, her uncle had a US lawyer do his family's immigration.When they got here, the lawyer died so they did not have to pay the fee. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
warpedbored Posted November 11, 2008 Author Report Share Posted November 11, 2008 lol, now that is justice. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
C4Racer Posted November 11, 2008 Report Share Posted November 11, 2008 (edited) What visa service? I have used Traveldocs before, with great results. Their information about China visa contradicts what you are being told. http://www.traveldocs.com/cn/vrsf.htm They show someone who was born in China can get stays of up to 60 -90 days with a possibility of 6 months. Edited November 11, 2008 by C4Racer (see edit history) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
warpedbored Posted November 11, 2008 Author Report Share Posted November 11, 2008 I used travel Visa Pro since they are based in San Francisco. http://www.travelvisapro.com/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Daviation Posted November 11, 2008 Report Share Posted November 11, 2008 Bob is correct in that usually one can't get a visa longer than 30 days unless they've previously had China visas for business. Between myself and co-workers, I know many who have been up against the 30 day limit. It IS possible to extend in China, but it is not easy, and it takes about 7 business days. During this time, your passport will be ge gone, and you are virtually stuck in place with no passport. If you had to make some kind of emergency travel out of China during this time, you would not have the option. This is not a desirable situation. Most I know have found it far more desirable to make the hope to HK for a few hours and re-enter to start the 30 day clock ticking again (assuming you have multiple entery visa). I also know some who have stayed in excess of 30 days and paid a 500 RMB per day fine upon leaving. They said it was an uncomfortable experience upon leaving and they were quite frowned on by the officials with some question as to whether or not there would be further implications (future visa denial, etc.). Personally, this option is not one I would choose. FYI - My wife and I just returned last week from a couple weeks in Nanning and HK. I flew round trip from HK to Nanning for about $110 one way. I found better rates through local agent in Nanning than I could get in HK. Best of luck. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Richard & Li Posted November 11, 2008 Report Share Posted November 11, 2008 I have gotten visas for longer than 30 days. But, during the last year, China has been getting stricter with foreign visitors. I think this was mostly for security during the Olympics. I heard that they had gone to 30 day visas only. I'm going again in May (I've gone every May for several years) I hope they've relaxed to the pre-Olympics rules by then. Many times, I've stayed several months. So, I've had my visas extended while in China. It was never a problem. I went to the local police station, filled out the forms, paid the fee and it was done. They were polite, friendly, and accommodating. As Bob mentioned, a possible (but expensive and probably unnecessary) solution would be the multiple entry visa and a brief excursion to Hong Kong just before the expiration date. Most importantly: Don't overstay your visa in China. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
warpedbored Posted November 11, 2008 Author Report Share Posted November 11, 2008 It appears that if the visa agency sends the application to another consulate you can get a visa for a longer period of time. Supposedly Washington DC will issue a visa for more than 30 days while San Francisco won't. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bob&haiqing Posted November 12, 2008 Report Share Posted November 12, 2008 It appears that if the visa agency sends the application to another consulate you can get a visa for a longer period of time. Supposedly Washington DC will issue a visa for more than 30 days while San Francisco won't.Hey warpedbored, Check out http://www.timelyvisa.com/ in the Los Angeles area. I've used them for some time now, talk with Ray Yu, he'll help you. Good luck!Bob Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
heyjimi Posted November 12, 2008 Report Share Posted November 12, 2008 My Visa is a multi entry,and i can stay up to 60 days,but i got my visa just before the olympics,I think they changed it to 30 days for the Olympics. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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