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Q: If I renew my passport will I have to re-apply for my visa?
Hi, I have a F visa valid til January and I am planning to extend it for another 3 months then. The problem is that my passport will expire in April. In order to avoid problems I would like to renew my passport as soon as possible as I want to travel around in December etc...Will I be able once I renew my passport to carry both passports the old one with visa and the new one? Or I need to transfer the visa from the old to the new? I know that American Visas are still valid on expired passports but not too sure about Chinese ones. Thanks!
12 years 24 weeks ago in Visa & Legalities - China
You will be fine as long as you carry your old passport with you at the same time.
Even with a punch through the middle...you still can show a valid visa.
I am doing this right now. US citizens get to keep their old passport so the visa in it is still valid.
For me however, I am also in the process of getting a new "proof of residence" card and visa. It will be interesting to see how having 2 passports with different numbers plays with the local paperwork system.
Traveler:
I just did the same thing in HK. There was no problem with the different numbers, they just wanted both passports. However, it is a lot stricter now, so be sure your school knows what documents you need to take. It may be wise to find out for yourself, as there seemed to be quite a lot of people being told to produce more documents. I was told to produce additional documents, which my school claimed they didn't know about, but express mailed them straight away.
Xpat.John:
As of a couple of hours ago I got my new proof of residence. Since I have been staying (mainly) in the same place for the last 4 years, all they wanted was a couple copies of my visa and new passport main page. In and out in 30 minutes. Getting to talk to cute young girls in police uniforms was a big plus. :)
Yes, carry both new and old passports with you. They won't transfer the existing visa to your new passport.
And whatever you do.....don't wait for the last minute to renew that passport. Give yourself a couple of months on that. I made that mistake and my passport didnt arrive back to China before my visa expired.......red tape and bribery like you wouldn't believe! All is well now but man, what a racket!!!
Xpat.John:
I just got my new passport. It took just 1 week to get. The US consulate here in Guangzhou is, in my opinion, very efficient.
Your question is a little complicated to answer, and I will give it my best try.
To get a Chinjese visa (new or renew) your passport MUST HAVE at least 6 months before expiration date, otherwise it will be denied (the visa).
Your current visa will be valid on the old passport until it expires. Once it expires, your visa becomes null and void on that same day, so you better get a new one on the new passport before the old one expires. Visas are cross referenced to passport number, so they can not be transfer from the old passport to the new one, at least that's the rule in Guangxi Province.
When you travel, until the day your old passport expires, show only the old passport, do not complicate the issue by showing both, the new and the old. Many will wonder why two passports, and may think they could be forged and you will be questioned at length.
YeDaXi:
Thanks for your answer the only problem is I cannot show only my old passport cos once I get the new one the will cut the magnetic band of my old passport to make it invalid. But yeah I do not see why I should have a problem in China when even when I had crew visa for USA carrying 2 passport was ok. And they tend to be very picky.
