By continuing you agree to eChinacities's Privacy Policy .
Sign up with Google
Sign up with Facebook
anonymous
Q: Possible Overstay of 180 Day F Visa?
I probably made a mistake that led to overstaying. I have a 180 day F visa and I thought I could stay 180 days counting from the date of first entering into China. However, because I entered a few weeks later from the date of visa issuing, I have overstayed the date on the visa where it says "valid until". Can anybody please comment on this visa modality, is it 180 days from visa issue date or 180 days from first use.
What are the consequences I will face? I will try to go from Shenzhen to Hong Kong on the land border crossing. Is there a chance I can pass without hassle through immigration, or, if they notice overstaying, will it make things worse and can cause serious problems?
11 years 17 weeks ago in Visa & Legalities - China
If I understood you right, you are talking about when the visa is valid on one hand, and on the other about "stay".
I will try my best to explain to you what each means.
The "validity" is the period of time in which the visa is good and allows you to enter China.
The "stay" is the number of days that once you enter, you are allowed to legally stay in China.
So, ASSUME you have an "F" visa valid for 180 days, and that it allows you to stay 180 days in China. Technically, you can enter China on the 179th day, and stay for 180 days and be legal. Just make sure you do not stay more than 180 days, which is not 6 months, by the way.
I normally do that all the time. When my visa expires, one day prior I leave and re-enter (I have multiple entries), and get anothyer stay period while I do renovate the visa back home usng a visa agent there.
As Happy pointed out, there are a couple of ways you could have "over stayed" your visa. The first is the "Stay" which for most F visa's is between 30-90 days. Even if your visa is for 1 year, you still need to leave China before the "Stay" period is completed. Once you leave, you can turn around and come right back if the "Validity" period is still good.
But, to answer your question of what will happen when you leave on an over stayed visa... It depends on a lot of factors. The main one being how long you over stayed by. If it was just a couple of days, you will probably get a stern look and maybe a lecture. But if it is longer, there will probably be a fine involved. The fine (according the latest laws I have seen) can be up to 10,000 RMB depending on how long your overstay is.
Also, I have seen various punishments such as: Having to write a letter of apology to the Chinese people, being banned from re-entering China for up to 5 years, and possibly some jail time in extreme cases.
Just remember, if you get caught, act humble and play the "i didn't know" card. Always be pleasant and never argue with them. If you cop an attitude, your punishment will be much, much worse.
Good luck.
