Tourist L Visa 24 month multiple entry.

[rhour]

I wanted to share my experiance of getting this Chinse tourist L visa.
I just got this 24 month multiple entry visa. I got it because I have a Chinese wife. I also requested stays of 45 days in length - when I got the Visa it was stamped for visits of 60 day duration but I believe you need to request stays of longer than 30 days to get this. You can only get it through the Chinese Embassy in Washington D.C. You can not get it from your local Chinese consulate. You must use a visa agent because you can't mail request directly to the Chinese Embassy. The total cost was $215. $140 application fee, $55 for visa agent and $20 for return UPS.
I had excellant service using Oasis China Visa as an agent (They have an office in the embassy building but there are also a couple of other agents offsite). They let me scan and email to them additional papers they wanted. They wanted 1) copy of wife's Chinese passport information page, 2) copy of wife's greencard, 3. dark legible copy of marriage papers (the light copy I sent them was not acceptable as they had problems in the past.) The process took less than 2 weeks. You could pay more to expedite but I did not need it that quick. I just thought this may help some folks.

[Robert S.]

Sounds like they treated you like a VIP !!! Good info.

 

Why are you going to China again? Where are you going to go?

Edited August 29, 2010 by Robert S. (see edit history)

[tsap seui]

Good post Bob. You showed folks the L visas that can be gotten.

 

Folks can get that 2 year multi-entry with 90 day stays. I have one. Triple A in my little rural town got it for me. The visa service only needed my word that I was married to a woman in China who had yet to come to America. That may have changed since February of this year.

 

 

tsap seui

[Randy W]

I got my 2 year, multiple entry, 90 day stay visa by going in person to the Houston consulate with our marriage certificate and a copy of her Chinese ID.

 

It's not clear that you would need the copy of the green card, since your wife need not be a US resident.

 

It's offered at all consulates.

Edited August 29, 2010 by Randy W (see edit history)

[david_dawei]

I also have a 2 year, 90 day visa. I got this while still technically married to a chinese lady. I am a pragmatist.

 

I always use MyChinaVisa.com... they told me to send a marriage certificate in the mail but they never mentioned her greencard nor ID copy. They called me to say they needed that and in a rare moment of anger I really let them have it (I knew I could not ask for that info form my wife since we were separated and I wanted to get this visa without her involvement); I told them I called and talked to them twice and they never told me this. I sent exactly what they asked.

 

I was really pissed; not so much about not getting that visa but that I took the time to talk to them and I like them, but this was clearly their mistake. I told the guy; "forget it. Just give me a One Year visa".

 

When the mail came, it was a Two Year, 90 day.

 

I guess the chinese can operate in the US the same way they do in China

[thelocaldialect]

I've had three consecutive 1 year multi entry L visas with no restrictions on the length of each stay -- that is, I can stay indefinitely without needing to leave the country, as I renew the visa every year in-country. If you're planning on being in China long-term this is a better option than the 2 year visa with 30-90 day stays, aside from either a work visa or permanent residence of course. I get this visa in China, not the States, at the entry-exit bureau of the city PSB. If you come into China on any other kind of visa you can show up to the entry/exit bureau and apply to convert it to one of these. When I get mine I need to show my passport, my husband's ID card and hukou book, our marriage book, my foreigner police registration, and if I get the visa outside of Kunming, where my husband is from, we also show his local temporary residence registration (which all Chinese are technically supposed to have if they're living in a city outside of where their hukou is registered). It has cost over the years anywhere between 700ish-900ishRMB.

[Randy W]

I've had three consecutive 1 year multi entry L visas with no restrictions on the length of each stay -- that is, I can stay indefinitely without needing to leave the country, as I renew the visa every year in-country. If you're planning on being in China long-term this is a better option than the 2 year visa with 30-90 day stays, aside from either a work visa or permanent residence of course. I get this visa in China, not the States, at the entry-exit bureau of the city PSB. If you come into China on any other kind of visa you can show up to the entry/exit bureau and apply to convert it to one of these. When I get mine I need to show my passport, my husband's ID card and hukou book, our marriage book, my foreigner police registration, and if I get the visa outside of Kunming, where my husband is from, we also show his local temporary residence registration (which all Chinese are technically supposed to have if they're living in a city outside of where their hukou is registered). It has cost over the years anywhere between 700ish-900ishRMB.

 

 

That sounds like a residence permit (NOT permanent residency). What does it say on it?

[thelocaldialect]

It isn't a residence permit, it is an L visa. It says so right there on the label. I've lived here for 7 years and I had residence permits before I was married, granted by my employer, and it was essentially the same except for one big (BIG) difference -- with this visa I'm not legally allowed to work, I'm technically "visiting relatives," the relative I'm "visiting" being my husband who I met and married in China after living here for 3 years already!

[hugazebra]

I picked up one of these visiting relatives visas as well since my wife lives in China. This 1-yr multiple entry unlimited stay Tourist L visa has made me quite lazy since I no longer have to schedule Hong Kong runs every 90 days. On the other hand, I used to be able to count on these runs to bring in duty-free smokes and cosmetics for future bribery guanxi usage.

 

These visas can only be obtained in China - the Chinese consulates abroad can never promise more than the 60-day multiple entry tourist visa, although in the past they usually gave me 90 days. Not sure if this is because I used to work in China or because I am of Chinese descent (but not born in China).

 

Until I tried getting this visa, it was never obvious to me that these visas applied to me. There are several different tourist visas and the language describing them is stilted enough that I couldn't figure out what the differences were and who they applied to.

 

I applied for this visa while staying at a hotel in my wife's residence town, so the hotel does the foreigner temporary residence registration paperwork and uploads it to PSB computer. A lot easier than trying to register yourself if your spouse doesn't already own his/her residence.

[Zhou Zhou]

I used "Oasis China Visa Service" for several visas and they have treated me like a "VIP", indeed. Once I was $5 short and they called and I get nice e-mails from them. I just applied for a new visa and went through the new form and requirements and sent it off last Friday the 20th...today the 23rd I got a call from them requesting that I fax a copy of Hu po Green Card....this in addition to the marriage certificate, passport page of Hu po and mine. The Green Card copy wasn't on the original list of things, but it was nice of them to call. She said it was required for me to get another 2 year/multi visa. They must keep a customer record, because she knew I had been a repeat customer of several years. It's a good outfit...they have an office in WDC and one in the building with the PRC Consulate in Alexandria.(I think)

[dnoblett]

I used "Oasis China Visa Service" for several visas and they have treated me like a "VIP", indeed. Once I was $5 short and they called and I get nice e-mails from them. I just applied for a new visa and went through the new form and requirements and sent it off last Friday the 20th...today the 23rd I got a call from them requesting that I fax a copy of Hu po Green Card....this in addition to the marriage certificate, passport page of Hu po and mine. The Green Card copy wasn't on the original list of things, but it was nice of them to call. She said it was required for me to get another 2 year/multi visa. They must keep a customer record, because she knew I had been a repeat customer of several years. It's a good outfit...they have an office in WDC and one in the building with the PRC Consulate in Alexandria.(I think)

Very true, they are an excellent service, I beleive on my last use of them, I forgot something, they were very responsive.

 

My wife and I will use them again.

 

https://www.oasischinavisa.com/

 

I found them through the DC Chinese Embassy website.

[Zhou Zhou]

I don't rmember how I found Oasis. Prior to using Oasis I used an agency in South Florida, maybe Lauderdale. I don't think there is a visa agency out there that's any better. This visa went up in cost since my last one 2 years ago...it was $214.99 with the standard speed/service for a 2 year, multi entrance...plus postal money order, certified mail and return receipt brought the total price over $223.

Que sera', right?

[dnoblett]

NUWORLD's experience using Oasis...

 

http://candleforlove.com/forums/index.php?/topic/44568-24-month-multiple-entry-tourist-visa/

[dnoblett]

DanR was having problems finding a China Visa application form on the China Consulate site, and later found one.

 

Here is the link he posted in the Shout Box.. http://www.visaexpress.net/china/china-visa-application-form.pdf

[Beachey]

I just inquired with Oasis China Visa on this, they said they need:

 

 

1-Original Marriage certificate or a notarized copy.

2-Your wife's original Chinese passport or a notarized copy.

3-Your wife's original green card or a notarized copy.

 

My Questions:

 

1. Do they really need Notarized copies?

2. I assume a copy of the White Book of our marriage certificate is OK? I am not sure if we still have an original (I have a soft copy).