Foreigners visiting China can apply for stay-time extension with valid old visas from today The Exit-Entry Administration of China has said that starting September 1, 2013, foreigners’ original visas will remain valid when they intend to extend their stay, as per travelimpactnewswire. Currently, if foreign nationals want to prolong their stays in China, their original visas, whether expired or not, must be cancelled, according to the Administration under the Beijing Municipal Public Security Bureau. “It was inconvenient and became the main target of most foreigners’ complaints,” said Chen Yan, a police officer who processes foreigners’ visas. Under the regulation, if foreigners apply to lengthen their stay in the country with unexpired visas, they can apply for a stay-time extension, “which means they can continue to use the old visas,” she explained. “The original visas will remain valid, and the original entry time will not be affected,” she said. Also, foreigners should submit their passports and will be given a receipt as they apply for extensions, changes and replacements of residence visas. Exit-Entry Administration will process their cases within 15 working days. The Administration will print foreigners’ photos on the receipt, helping other departments confirm applicants’ identities. “The receipt will remain valid while police officers process the application,” she said. Yan added that enforcement of the new policy may be similar across the country, but the workload in big cities will increase. But she said that where the receipt can be used and its effectiveness needs further review, “since the matter not only concerns exit-entry administrations, but also other ministries, such as Transportation Departments,” she said. In addition, the administration’s official micro blog will be online from tomorrow, on Sina Weibo, China’s equivalent to Twitter, giving explanations of the new policy and answering questions from foreigners, said Yang Yang, an employee of the administration.
Posted on: Sun, 01 Sep 2013 03:47:29 +0000
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