(Apr 20th, 2009) F visas for Beijing are only issued with a duration until September 30th, 2009. This new regulation seems to be related to China's October Celebrations.
(Feb 12th, 2009) L to F conversions are back in the 'Jing, but for maximum 6 months F visa with double entry.
(Jan 9th, 2009) Attention: Please note that the conversion from L/X/Z to F visas is currently NOT POSSIBLE in Beijing through any agency! We still have to find out if this measure is temporary or permanent.
F visas used to be the hassle-free option for business travellers and self-employed expats but are now a lot harder to obtain. You can apply for them abroad or in China and will need to hand in
- Flight bookings
- Stamped (chopped) hotel reservation OR
- Proof of residence in China (lease contract for own apartment), although only very few embassies will accept this
- Original invitation letter from a relevant department of the Chinese government, company or institution, under the authorization of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of China
While in the good old days nearly any invitation letter was accepted, it seems now that very specific requirements need to be met, at least for stays over 30 days duration and/or with multiple entries. Click here to see an example of an official invitation letter. For shorter stays with one only entry to China needed, an informal letter from your company will usually do the trick.
Read my "How to... get an invitation letter for a business visa" post to find out how a company can apply for an official invitation letter.
F visas can sometimes be extended in China if the following situation occurs:
F visas can sometimes be extended in China if the following situation occurs:
- you currently hold an F visa which you got outside of China
- you still have a copy of this invitation letter, which needs to have the official format
- you can provide the business license of the company inviting you.
In case your company is unable to get the officially approved invitation letter, you might also want to contact one of China's many visa agencies. They can usually provide 6 and 12 months F visas to people who are already in China.
14 comments:
Hi,
Your website has been tremendously helpful, along with what you've posted on thebeijinger; thanks very much for all of it. Thought you'd be interested in knowing that I got rejected for F visa despite having all the paperwork, including invitation letter from whatever government agency it is (looks exactly like your example) I'm Malaysian and the CN consulate in Malaysia's reason was that they've stopped accepting those invitation letters.
Have you heard of that before? I was supposed to get a 3 month, 30 day per entry visa and ended up getting a 1 month, 15 day per entry L visa. So frustrating!
Thanks, and appreciate all your help so far.
BR,
K
K,
I know this must be very frustrating. I posted some thoughts on your question on the Ask a Question site, suggesting that either your company might be too small or the authority not enough high level. It's ectremely hard to track the duecision down to the actual reason - all you can do is try to change one or more factors and try again.
hi Coeurdelion,
i agree with K- your posts have been incredibly helpful and i think it's noble of you to set something like this up.
as for F visa, im currently holding a double-entry 180day F visa. the funny thing is that my offer letter from BLCU to study mandarin for 3 months allowed me to opt for weither an F or X VISA (because it's short term). as per confirmation from visa authorities, i can actually stay in china for another 180 days if i leave and re-enter the country before september 20th (which is 6 months from march 20th, the date i arrived). the double-entry wasnt much of a hassle to obtain either.
the point of this is that i think if u were to enter as an international student, the red tape is not as strong as if you were to come here for business/work reasons. just my thoughts anyway.
and K, im Malaysian too!
Hi there! this is a great site and very useful, esp at this time when getting a Chinese visa is so tough.
I am from India and have come for a six month project to Beijing on a one month tourist visa that expires next week. I am really clueless on what to do next.
- should i extend my tourist visa for another month and then try converting it to a business?
- do i go straight away and apply for a Business visa?
- do i go through and agent or on my own?
Will i need to go back to India or go to Shanghai/HK?
I would love to hear your thoughts as i have no idea what to do and i am running out of time. :(
Thanks!
Hello there,
if you're working in China for six months, you're supposed to get a full Z visa and working permit. Your first step should therefore be to approach your employer and ask him if he can support you with all the procedures.
Your employer can also try to get an invitation letter for six months for you (see "How to... get an invitation letter for a business visa"). Currently, most of these applications are rejected but it might be worth a try if you work for an important company.
Also, I think extending your tourist visa by 30 days could be helpful if your employer cannot get you a Z visa - it will give you more time and applications for F visa might be easier by October. Be careful though - a recent applicant was only granted a 10 day extension!
Concerning HK, you most likely won't get a visa there because India belongs to those countries whose nationals have to apply for any Chinese visa in their respective home country.
Hey! thanks for the info.. unfortunately, i am below the legal age for getting a Z visa.. i am 23 and i think you need to be 24 or something right? so i guess my options are limited.. i work for a magazine...
Well it will be tough if you're only 23 but it's not impossible. It's up to your company to prove no Chinese national could do your job - for example, because you speak a special language and/or have a degree that is required for your job. This applies mostly to engineers etc. but it might be worth a try!
Thanks again for all your help! boy, you are really up-to-date on visa issues! and it is very kind of you to take the time, trouble and effort to help strangers..
i just read somewhere that you also need abt 2 years work ex for a Z visa, unfortunately i dont that.. :(
i am keeping my fingers crossed... lets hope everything works out!!
Hey Coeurdelion,
I've hear the travel visa rules are back to normal, you heard anything about F visas??
Thanks
Just heard today that, as of today, Traders Link in Beijing are processing F visas for 1 year. Cost is approximately 2800 RMB.
Yep, some agencies indeed seem to be able to issue F visas in China again - prices are still a bit steep so let's see what happens over the next weeks!
Regarding the two years work experience for Z visa, I just got rejected for a Z visa that I had an experienced company's backing for because I don't have two years post-graduate experience. I just graduated in June and am 22.
By the way, anybody know of agencies that can get F visas who you don't have to pay before? My friend had a really bad experience getting ripped off.
hello,
so my company is trying to get me the F visa instead of the Z visa because i'm only 23, but they said the agency they worked with told them that these criteria would be required for the F visa:
1. i have previously visited china at least 4 times
2. i would have to leave the country after every 30 days.
i've asked them to check with Beijing Leeo and Traders-link to see if they can get me an F visa with less hassle. but has anyone ever heard/read of those regulations? I've never known about those!
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