Get Your Visa Renewal Application In: Entry-Exit Office to Close for APEC

Steven Schwankert | Nov 3, 2014 5:30 pm | 1 comment | 4417 reads

Don't procrastinate on your visa renewal this year: the Exit and Entry Administration under the Beijing Municipal Public Security Bureau will close during the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) meeting holiday, November 7-12.

That means several things: your visa renewal will take even longer this year, beyond the 15 business days the process normally now requires; if your visa is due to expire during that period, and you don't get it in before then, it will be considered expired; you won't have your passport for international travel or domestic travel on trains.

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At least if you get your application in by the end of business on November 6 (4.30pm, when they close), you won't overstay and you'll have the receipt for your passport that may be used as ID in many functions, but not all. China's railway system, which requires ID to board, does not accept the receipts as identification, although domestic airlines usually do.

Chinese law requires all foreigners to carry their passports on them at all times. Although photocopies of the identification and visa pages may sometimes be accepted in lieu of the original passport, copies do not technically satisfy this regulation and may be rejected.  

Get this one done on time. The consequences are serious.

Photo: Visa Service for China

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The Equalizer's picture The Equalizer Submitted by Guest on Mon, 11/03/2014 - 20:13

This is not accurate reporting. I just travelled by fast train from Beijing to Nanjing on October 29th and I am travelling on the yellow receiept given when I turned in my passport and now the government has my passport. However, assure your picture is embossed into the paper. Exit and entry will emboss it for you but you should inform them to do it. They will not accept it just taped or glued onto same. If it is not embossed, even the airport will not accept it. I will also be returned my passport on November 19th as the yellow paper expires and they have guaranteed this as the return date. I turned it in on October 27th, so that is 18 working days (weekends not counted) and most these days coincide with the conference dates. Actually it was much easier than going through "the dance" at the airport. One glance at it and through. Previous years at the airport the officials checking passports had to ask 20 other people and no one knew the answer which ultimately resulted in them saying "go on through."

Your example of a via seems to be a poor choice as it is for 2012. Maybe you should check yours is not expired?

All information stated by this poster is for informational purposes only. The content should not substitute you seeking psychiatric advice should you have a problem with it.

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