China long-term visa

[Gerard]

Hello,

 

I was wondering how to extend the typical tourist visa of 30 days into something more substantial (no work though as I am not going to do any work). I am planning to stay in one of the Chinese sacred mountains for at least 2 years.

 

I know the folks at Chen Village stay for quite a long time but how do they manage to stay that long, is there a loophole or something?

 

Any advice and suggestions will be greatly appreciated since this is the first time I'll be visiting mainland China.

 

Thanks!

 

[dawei]

First thing I'd do is get the 10 year visa.   Then depending on your visa type, each 'stay' will be 60, 90, or 120 days.  Mine is 120 because my wife is chinese.  So in theory, I could stay 120 days before having my 'stay' expire.

 

Regardless of the length of stay, you just want to know how to renew it for a more continuous stay...   The most common way is to leave mainland China and then re-enter to trigger the next 'stay duration'.    Being in Chen Village would then require trips to, say, Hong Kong...

 

There was a way to do it with the local police but it amounted to getting another visa... now with the 10 year visa, it doesn't make sense.

 

 

This is the visa company I have used for many years:

 

http://www.mychinavisa.com/china-visa-faq/

[Gerard]

Hi dawei,

 

Thanks for replying. I believe the 10-test-visa is only for US citizens.

Please correct me if I'm wrong.

 

Regards,

 

Gerard

[dust]

What passport do you hold?

http://www.chinese-embassy.org.uk/eng/gdxw/t1330627.htm

Looks like USA and UK nationals can get 2 or 5 or 10 year visas, though probably under certain circumstances.

 

Anyway, my experience with regular re-entry is that it's not much fun.

 

On tourist visas, you either

get a visa, stay for 60 or 90 or maybe 120 days, go to Hong Kong, get a new visa, go back, repeat... or

get a multiple-entry visa, stay for 60 or 90 or maybe 120 days, go to Hong Kong, go back, repeat...

 

If you're getting a new visa each time in HK there's no guarantee it'll be granted. (Last time I was in HK mine was fine, but I met a guy who'd been living in the hostel for a month because they kept denying him entry and there was talk that they were going to start being harder on people using HK as a quick re-entry point.)

 

Either way, going in and out requires trains or planes, time and money. I don't know any 'loophole' for being able to stay a longer uninterrupted duration on a tourist visa unless you simply ignore the law, stay past your visa date, and get in trouble with customs when you do eventually leave. And to be clear, I am not recommending that.

[dawei]

Hi dawei,

 

Thanks for replying. I believe the 10-test-visa is only for US citizens.

Please correct me if I'm wrong.

 

Regards,

 

Gerard

 

http://www.mychinavisa.com/china-visa-faq/

 

Who is eligible for a 10-year visa?

All US passport holders can apply for a 10-year multiple entry visa in the following categories: tourist (L), business (M), and family visit (Q2 & S2). US passport holders who apply for a student visa (X) will get 5 years. 10-year visas are not available to non-US citizens.

[dawei]

There was a way to do it with the local police but it amounted to getting another visa... now with the 10 year visa, it doesn't make sense.

 

As Dust mentions the idea of a 'loophole', I thought I'd expand on the above as re-entry, as he says, is a pain if you need to do it several times.

 

This idea really requires you know someone who knows someone in the police and they are willing to issue you a visa.  This would invalid your current visa (they stamp it cancelled).  The number of entries would be "0" as you're already in china.  While they could put re-entries, now you back to having to leave the mainland.

 

I've done this once but can't say if it can be done repeatedly but in theory it could be if you know the right person.  

[C T]

Dawei might find this info helpful to facilitate his future travels to China

 

https://www.travelchinaguide.com/embassy/visa/family-visit-permit.htm

[Gerard]

Insane. Why China let's US and UK citizens allow those long-term visas but not citizens from quiet and peaceful countries like AU or NZ?

 

I am not interested in multiple-entries. I want to visit China for meditative purposes so my stay will be peaceful and unnoticed.

 

Should I go to the nearest Chinese Consulate and speak to someone?

 

Do you think they will grant me an extended Visa?

 

Thanks everyone.

 

[Bubbles]

I am not interested in multiple-entries. I want to visit China for meditative purposes so my stay will be peaceful and unnoticed.

 

Should I go to the nearest Chinese Consulate and speak to someone?

 

Do you think they will grant me an extended Visa?

 

If you don't try you'll never know. So go for it.

[dawei]

Dawei might find this info helpful to facilitate his future travels to China

 

https://www.travelchinaguide.com/embassy/visa/family-visit-permit.htm

 

Very interesting that as customs officials seek to reduce time out of the US, that china is issuing visas to increase the time out of the US.   Here is my take on this conundrum.

 

China is relaxing how foreigners can visit china and the main implication is those married to chinese... ergo they are not foreigners but national citizens.

 

What customs looks at is not US citizens but their own foreign folks, aka: green card holders.   Customs has for over the last 10+ years tightened the screws on greencard holders visits aboard. Why ?

 

A green card means you want to "Live" in the US... if you are vising another country (code for your native country), then what was the point of the green card?

 

Here is the dilemma:   China issues extended stays for US citizens (foreigners to china) to stay in china but from a practical point of view, many are husbands of chinese citizens.   An american citizen married to a chinese national is only going to visit china with their spouse (in most cases).... and so that means their ability to now visit longer goes against what US Customs Officials view as a violation of "out of country" for a green card, for the spouse.

 

It is a really weird circumstance but that they are relaxing the residency rules is a huge change... that was very difficult to get in the past...    

 

Many thanks to CT for this link  

[Taoist Texts]

Insane. Why China let's US and UK citizens allow those long-term visas but not citizens from quiet and peaceful countries like AU or NZ?

 

I am not interested in multiple-entries. I want to visit China for meditative purposes so my stay will be peaceful and unnoticed. 

The easiest and eventually cheapest way to get a long term visa is to enroll into a language school in china, or to take a language or any other course in a uni. Thats what i did, got 1, 2 years visas easy peasy. 

[dust]

Insane. Why China let's US and UK citizens allow those long-term visas but not citizens from quiet and peaceful countries like AU or NZ?

 

In case you're serious...

 

It has nothing to do with peacefulness, it's political. One factor is reciprocity; Australia recently started trialling ten-year multiple-entry visas for Chinese tourists, so I guess it's likely that the same will happen in China for Australian tourists, if it hasn't already.

 

Also, the homicide rate in Australia is higher than in the UK

 

 

I am not interested in multiple-entries. I want to visit China for meditative purposes so my stay will be peaceful and unnoticed.

 

Well, unless you're working/on business or studying at a school that will help you get a student visa, tourist visa seems to be your only option.

 

Meditation visa is not a thing.

[Gerard]

In

The easiest and eventually cheapest way to get a long term visa is to enroll into a language school in china, or to take a language or any other course in a uni. Thats what i did, got 1, 2 years visas easy peasy.

 

In that case, do I need to pay for the whole tuition fees in advance? Could you elaborate a bit further since I won't be planning to study either. Which language center did you enrol/attend? I'm fine if I need to pay the fees so no bad karma is created. Ta.

 

Thanks everyone!

Edited December 5, 2016 by Gerard

[Taoist Texts]

In In that case, do I need to pay for the whole tuition fees in advance? Could you elaborate a bit further since I won't be planning to study either. Which language center did you enrol/attend? I'm fine if I need to pay the fees so no bad karma is created. Ta. :)Thanks everyone!

Yes, you get the stay you pay for in advance.

This link is for a general info

http://www.saporedicina.com/english/chinese-visa-application/

You dont need to attend class, or check  back with them once you get the visa. Nobody cares. On the other hand you should, its a fun experience.

The sequence of action is....

1. pick a city you wish (shanghai is the worst)

2. search online for unis and private language schools there. (normally any city has 3-4 unis and dozens of language schools); also a hotel.

 3. get a tourist visa and go to yr destination

4. find the university campus, approach any girl with glasses, ask for foreign student office. normally they would speak english and have a bulletin board with part-time translator offers.

5. shop around for courses, buy the best offer. Its wise to use internet banking not shlepp cash around.

6. once you pay, they will direct you first to a clinic for a health exam, then  to 2 police offices, 1 for long term visa, 2 at yr residence area for registration. That's it.

 

I attended Xiamen Uni for my doctorate, but i doubt xiamen is a good place for your purposes, being overrun with foreign students now, it is crowded and extra xpensive, the climate is dodgy too.

[dust]

Assuming one can find a cheap school, that's a good idea.

 

One thing to bear in mind, perhaps, with this, is that the police can be quite aware of foreigners. If you register with police in one area near the school, and then go off into the mountains to live for 2 years, they might not be too happy that you're not living where you're registered. But depending on where you go, they might not care, I suppose.

[dawei]

Assuming one can find a cheap school, that's a good idea.

 

One thing to bear in mind, perhaps, with this, is that the police can be quite aware of foreigners. If you register with police in one area near the school, and then go off into the mountains to live for 2 years, they might not be too happy that you're not living where you're registered. But depending on where you go, they might not care, I suppose.

 

As you likely know, foreigners are supposed to register... that being said, of my 15 or so trips, I likely only registered about 2-3 times.   One time I registered later than they wanted and then fined me 500 RMB more... so I never registered again

 

The bigger challenge may simply be the reason for the visa... a school is an obvious reason but just to visit usually requires on US visa forms, where you'll go, where you'll stay, itinerary, and who is inviting you to come... not sure how other countries have their forms but assume as the form goes to the Chinese consulate it would be similar.  Maybe that request is just a formality that is not strictly used to deny a visa.

[Gerard]

Thanks TT,

 

I'll go for online shopping and see what I can find. No way on Earth I'll jump from where I live (near a wonderful park facing a hill populated with kookaburras, kangaroos, and the local owl I hear every night and early morning during meditation) to a full blown megalopolis. I wouldn't be able to handle the extra sensory stimulation. It'd be overkill.

 

Smallest Chinese town that hosts a uni or language school and once I'm in, my pilgrimage to the Chinese mountains will start. I hope to visit Tibet and the region bordering Arunachal Pradesh. If I get to stay 2 years I'll be heading to the Kunlun.

 

Thanks