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Q: is there a visa that does NOT require leaving every 60 or 90 days?
I've used the China one year tourist visa for two years but the "leave every 60 days" requirement proves costly, time consuming, and inconvenient. I'm currently single so the 90 day leave China requirement given to married ex pats won't help and 90 day cycle isn't much better than 60. I'm a hobbyist photographer and do want to leave occasionally. I have a US passport.
I am 65 years old, prefer NOT to teach and my Mandarin skills are insufficient to engage in wedding photography without an interpreter. I am in Qingdao so information about HK is irrelevant. A visa that will move me toward a mainland residency document is what I need. If you respond, please be aware, I am not familiar with common abbreviations or anagrams, so saying I need a ABCDEF is meaningless, please spell it out.
9 years 10 weeks ago in Visa & Legalities - Qingdao
You should get an employment as photographer for Chinese Co. (what I think would be difficult), and get Working permit from SAFEA (Foreign Expert Bureau).
Then, you should exit China and apply for Z visa in Chinese Embassy. If your sponsoring Co. could get Invitation letter with Hong Kong Z pick-up approved at SAFEA, you could exit China in HK, and apply for Z in Chinese Embassy.
However, it's not easy to get HK Z pick-up granted, so you should be prepared to return to USA, and apply for Z there.
Decision on Z pick-up varies, depends in which Province/city your Co. is located. In some Provinces, it's easy to get HK pick-up and in some, SAFEA requires Z pick-up in your home country.
Once you reenter China with Z visa, Z gets turned to Residence permit, valid till the end of the Contract (1 y), and you can exit and reenter China as many times as you want.
You could do the same, if you would get job at Chinese School as an English teacher, what is much easier than get job as photographer in China.
Look at the Jobs website above R, and see how many adverts openings are for photographers, and how many are for a 'Native English Teacher'.
Which "one year visa" are you on? I was on a regular X visa, and now am on a regular Z visa, never had to do the 60/90 day thing.
You should get an employment as photographer for Chinese Co. (what I think would be difficult), and get Working permit from SAFEA (Foreign Expert Bureau).
Then, you should exit China and apply for Z visa in Chinese Embassy. If your sponsoring Co. could get Invitation letter with Hong Kong Z pick-up approved at SAFEA, you could exit China in HK, and apply for Z in Chinese Embassy.
However, it's not easy to get HK Z pick-up granted, so you should be prepared to return to USA, and apply for Z there.
Decision on Z pick-up varies, depends in which Province/city your Co. is located. In some Provinces, it's easy to get HK pick-up and in some, SAFEA requires Z pick-up in your home country.
Once you reenter China with Z visa, Z gets turned to Residence permit, valid till the end of the Contract (1 y), and you can exit and reenter China as many times as you want.
You could do the same, if you would get job at Chinese School as an English teacher, what is much easier than get job as photographer in China.
Look at the Jobs website above R, and see how many adverts openings are for photographers, and how many are for a 'Native English Teacher'.
Z, X, Q and S are the visas that are converted to resident permits. And a resident permit allows to to stay in China without leaving for the validity of your RP. Your RP can also be renewed without having to leave China.
M and L visa both tend to have maximum stays per entry, 30 days is the norm.
Of course, if you are a hobyist, you are not working, nor are you here for business deals, so a tourist visa is really your only option. Unless you do as icnif suggests, and gain employment from a studio or media outlet and apply for a Z visa. This could be difficult.
So, I'm afraid your only real option is to continue with tourist visas and exit China as required.
ScotsAlan:
Nope. Tourist. He is not here on business or cultural exchange. He is here to do a hobby. So I would say tourist visa.
Hotwater:
Yeah but....unless he is American or Canadian he'd find it very difficult to get a 1-year multiple entry tourist visa. So I'd imagine he has paid for 1-year 60-day entry business visa. These are very easy to get with the right passport as both you and me know. I lived here for my first two years on one.
ScotsAlan:
Yup. And it was a battle to get our Z visas. So I fully understand people who are scammed by companies.
My first business visa was for 6 months. No maximum stay. I could stay for 6 months, but the project took a month, then I went back to the UK. But that was back in 2005, and I have not seen another like that for many years.
My understanding now is, that HK for example, will only issue a double entry, 30 day stay business visa to non HK ID card holders. The one year visas have be be obtained in your home country.
But any business visa I had only had a 30 after my first only had a 30 day stay.
If the OP intends to stay a long time here, maybe he could register a company, as a photographer, and apply for a licence to employ himself. That might work out cheaper than having to leave the country.
I reckon a foreign photographer could do ok here doing Chinese weddings. Maybe he could offer his services to a studio and do some sort of deal?
ScotsAlan:
Ah.. wait. I know of one foreign guy who got an S visa to come visit his Chinese GF. This was after he had applied for an M visa in HK and was effectively refused. They gave him a two week tourist visa and told him he would get no more visas in HK. So he had to go home, and came back with an S visa.
Hotwater:
Like you I also had a number of legit business visa, 1st two only 6 months, 3rd one 1-year and in 2007 they got me a two year one, though again only 30 days each entry. My last one, arranged through an agent in 2011, was issued in LA by post and was 1-year, 60 days each entry. These are still available with the right passport.
ironman510:
But now American & Chinese tourist visa's are 10 years After Obama & Ping made that agreement a few months ago. Yes he's still have to exit but hey 10 years is a life time. He'd have to move to a new area near a border.
the easiest way is to marry a rich widow who wants to live in america, she stays in america and you stay in china, make sure you file taxes together and have a joint bank account for household expenses, the spousal visa is one year at a time for 400 rmb. if you have a house in america just swap houses, many couple do this on paper, marriage is a practical contract in china, has nothing to do with romance.
I think you're old enough to just burn your passport and stick here longterm. If you need to leave years later get a new passport and say you lost your old one and pay the Y10,000 fine. I've known many who did this.
Working Visa and related Residence Permit, but for that you need a legal job.
Most people do not realize, or know, is that a visa allows you only entrance to China for an specific time, 60 to 90 days if not married to a Chinese national, and 120 to 180 days if married.
What allows you to stay in China is the Temporary Residence Permit (or the permanent one if qualified).
Permanent is granted to those that get the Residence Visa.
Temporary is granted those that get a work visa, or the proper S or Q ones