Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
If you change jobs, your Residence Permit can be changed. To do this, you'll need a re-
lease letter from your former company to give to your new company. If you're leaving your
old company on bad terms, however, and they refuse to give you the letter, you will most
likely need to take a trip down to Hong Kong or back home to process the visa from scratch
from outside of China.
One thing you don't want to do in Beijing is overstay your visa. Doing so can result in
not only a hefty fine of RMB500 per day (up to a maximum of RMB10,000) but also po-
tential expulsion from the country. For this reason, always be mindful of when that ex-
piry date is approaching. Plan ahead for renewals or extensions as the processing time can
take anything from 7 to 15 working days, depending on the visa type. Rather than leav-
ing it to the last moment, contact a visa agency, such as Beijing Expat Service Center
(
www.beijingesc.com
)
or Beijing LEEO (
www.cn-visa.com
)
at least one month in advance
and you should find you'll have more options for how to renew your visa from within
Beijing.
In the past, L visas could be extended twice from within Beijing, but as of July 1, 2013,
that changed to once only and for a maximum period of 30 days. So now, after your first ex-
tension, you need to take an international trip somewhere to renew your visa. One possible
L visa that you may want to consider is a one-year, multi-entry L visa. This allows you to
stay for periods of up to 90 days each time before needing to cross the border to renew it.
This doesn't come cheaply, however. Expect to pay around RMB7,000 and ensure you still
have 17 days left on your existing visa.
For those who do intend to hang around in China in a somewhat dubiously legal capa-
city, a border dash every two to three months becomes a part of Beijing life. Common places
to do this include Mongolia, Vietnam, or Hong Kong. If it's only an exit stamp you need,
an alternative is to take a trip down to the beachside city of Xiamen in Fujian, then take a
ferry over to Jinmen Island, which is part of Taiwan. Constant visa runs add up, however.
A return flight to Hong Kong, for example, typically costs around RMB2,500-4,000.
Renewing other visa types can be much simpler if you have the support of your company
or institution. In some cases, such as for students wanting to extend a one-year visa, a letter
of explanation will be required. For many of these visas the extension can be done from
within Beijing, but will at times call for an international trip.
Transfers from one visa type to another, such as from an M to a Z1, can sometimes be
done in Beijing, but often you may need to leave the country. When you do find yourself in
