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Jmthomas
Joined: 13 Apr 2012
Posts: 14
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 Posted: Mon Jul 16, 2012 5:15 pm Post subject: Z Visas and spouse |
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A couple of specific questions....
When obtaining a Z visa (outside of China) and you are being accompanied to China by your wife - what additional documents are needed?
The marriage certificate is the first thing that comes to mind (probably notarized) .... is there anything else?
Also do you apply for the two at the same time or do you need to have your (Z) in-hand before you apply for your wife's visa?
Any help much appreciated |
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Gringo Greg
Joined: 19 Jan 2003
Posts: 264
Location: Everywhere and nowhere
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| Posted: Tue Jul 17, 2012 2:15 am Post subject: |
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You apply for them at the same time and I assume only need a marriage certificate.
My wife and I got our Z visas teaching, but our two kids got L visas that were converted into residence permits. We applied for all 4 visas at the same time. |
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wanderluzt
Joined: 06 Mar 2012
Posts: 4
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| Posted: Tue Jul 17, 2012 2:24 am Post subject: |
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| HI, I would look into making sure you do not need your marriage certificate authenticated by the Chinese government. |
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lemak
Joined: 19 Nov 2011
Posts: 368
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| Posted: Tue Jul 17, 2012 9:35 am Post subject: |
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You'll need to get your marriage certificate notorized by the Chinese embassy in the country where you married. It's a relatively new rule.
Depending on the embassy they *may* require you to first get it authenticated / apostilled by your own government.
Otherwise just this, the invitation letter including your wife's name and (depending on the embassy you're applying through) an additional medical check for her.
You can do it at the same time....or....but slightly riskier....bring her over on a tourist visa and have it converted. But some PSBs may not be willing to do this. |
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Jmthomas
Joined: 13 Apr 2012
Posts: 14
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| Posted: Tue Jul 17, 2012 12:09 pm Post subject: |
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| Many thanks for the helpful replies. |
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Miles Smiles
Joined: 07 Jun 2010
Posts: 1294
Location: Heebee Jeebee
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| Posted: Tue Jul 17, 2012 2:28 pm Post subject: |
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| lemak wrote: |
You'll need to get your marriage certificate notorized by the Chinese embassy in the country where you married. It's a relatively new rule.
Depending on the embassy they *may* require you to first get it authenticated / apostilled by your own government.
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That was eliminated in 2004 when China signed the Hague Agreement. From whose consulate website are you getting this info? |
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time to teach
Joined: 03 Feb 2011
Posts: 73
Location: Bangkok
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| Posted: Wed Jul 18, 2012 10:06 pm Post subject: |
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My Thai wife and I were just sent visa paperwork from my new college employer, with a working permit document from the State Administration of Foreign Experts Affairs, P.R.C., along with a �confirmation letter of invitation� and �name list of the invited.�
The new job is in Henan Province. We sent (as email attachments, which was very convenient) my liaison at the university all the standard documents needed for my Z visa along with our Thai marriage certificate translated into English and notarized by a local notary service in Bangkok.
The working permit document lists my name with my passport number, and my wife�s name underneath in what appears to be a list of dependents or persons accompanying the foreign expert, with the number �1� and no passport number.
The confirmation letter of invitation lists Thailand as the embassy (consulate general/consulate/office), and says that 2 persons have been invited to come to China on August 1st, 2012, and stay 360 days, and need to apply for single entry visas valid for 3 months.
A friend of mine in China recently told me about a new law that requires renewing Z/Work visas every three months, and this might be the case in Henan. I�m not sure about the residence permit, how it works now, but before my wife also got the RP in her passport after we got the Z visas.
It�s China, and every case may be different depending on the province, but I�m pretty sure that you�ll need to include your marriage license with your original visa paperwork to be processed at the local foreign expert affairs office before you go to the embassy to apply for your Z visas. |
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lemak
Joined: 19 Nov 2011
Posts: 368
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| Posted: Thu Jul 19, 2012 6:37 am Post subject: |
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| Miles Smiles wrote: |
| That was eliminated in 2004 when China signed the Hague Agreement. From whose consulate website are you getting this info? |
This is as per Wuxi PSB as of March this year, and re-confirmed about 2 weeks ago.
They said it was a new regulation.
I have an Oz friend in Suzhou also married to an Australian in Australia who just had run through the apostille/Chinese Embassy authentication route last month also.
It may have been a law pre-2004, but sounds as though at least in Jiangsu that it's being brought back.
Interestingly same PSB office had issued a Z visa invitation in both our names, Bangkok embassy had issued Z visa stamps for both of us, but then the PSB refused to issue the Residence Permit for my wife, claiming this "new regulation" instead changing her over to a 6 month tourist visa (which has since been extended to 9 months). |
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lemak
Joined: 19 Nov 2011
Posts: 368
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| Posted: Thu Jul 19, 2012 6:42 am Post subject: |
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| time to teach wrote: |
| I�m pretty sure that you�ll need to include your marriage license with your original visa paperwork to be processed at the local foreign expert affairs office before you go to the embassy to apply for your Z visas. |
I sent a copy of my marriage certificate to the school / PSB who both said it was fine...invitation letter was granted for both of us.
Thai embassy required copies and the original marriage certificate.....they said it was fine.....Z visas granted for both of us.
Once in China PSB requested a copy of the marriage certificate that had been authenticated by the Chinese Embassy in the country we were married in....."New Rule...can't give residence permit"
You're lucky you're still in Thailand. Just get it authenticated before you leave / when you get the Z visa issued. |
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lemak
Joined: 19 Nov 2011
Posts: 368
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| Posted: Thu Jul 19, 2012 6:48 am Post subject: |
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| lemak wrote: |
| sounds as though at least in Jiangsu that it's being brought back. |
Just remembered I've got a buddy in Changchun who married his Thai wife in California a few months ago who had to stick around there for ages on their last vacation while waiting for the Chinese Embassy to authenticate their marriage certificate for her to get her Z visa.
In my book three separate cases I know of involving marriages in 3 different countries and people applying to 3 separate PSB offices indicates to me that it's an official policy these days. |
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Miles Smiles
Joined: 07 Jun 2010
Posts: 1294
Location: Heebee Jeebee
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| Posted: Thu Jul 19, 2012 4:12 pm Post subject: |
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| lemak wrote: |
| Miles Smiles wrote: |
| That was eliminated in 2004 when China signed the Hague Agreement. From whose consulate website are you getting this info? |
This is as per Wuxi PSB as of March this year, and re-confirmed about 2 weeks ago.
They said it was a new regulation.
I have an Oz friend in Suzhou also married to an Australian in Australia who just had run through the apostille/Chinese Embassy authentication route last month also.
It may have been a law pre-2004, but sounds as though at least in Jiangsu that it's being brought back.
Interestingly same PSB office had issued a Z visa invitation in both our names, Bangkok embassy had issued Z visa stamps for both of us, but then the PSB refused to issue the Residence Permit for my wife, claiming this "new regulation" instead changing her over to a 6 month tourist visa (which has since been extended to 9 months). |
The Hague Agreement (and the Dayton Accord) addressed a lot of things, among them data piracy, copyrights, and recognition of official records of other countries. I went through a LOT of BS getting my documents authenticated on the county level, the city level, the state level and the national level (State Department), and finally it all had to be authenticated by the Chinese consulate. This was many years ago. I was following the procedure prescribed by the Chinese consulate's website. I may have been the only person on earth to have done so.
I don't doubt for one moment that the PSB is asking for any kind of authentication of anything these days. Each PSB, cop-in-a-box, and local official has his own fiefdom and his own way of doing things. Today's procedure is tomorrow's outdated and antiquated way of doing things. |
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GeminiTiger
Joined: 15 Oct 2004
Posts: 999
Location: China, 2005--Present
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| Posted: Fri Jul 20, 2012 3:11 am Post subject: |
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| Miles Smiles wrote: |
I don't doubt for one moment that the PSB is asking for any kind of authentication of anything these days. Each PSB, cop-in-a-box, and local official has his own fiefdom and his own way of doing things. Today's procedure is tomorrow's outdated and antiquated way of doing things. |
Exactly, each city that can grant visas is going to do things the way that suits them in so far as they can get away with it. |
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lemak
Joined: 19 Nov 2011
Posts: 368
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| Posted: Fri Jul 20, 2012 6:00 am Post subject: |
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| Just play it smart and get the authentication. Twenty bucks you spend today will pale in comparison to the headaches and extra expenses it will cost to come over to China and find your particular (all?) PSB requires the additional stamp from the Chinese embassy. |
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The Steakinator
Joined: 13 Apr 2012
Posts: 71
Location: Oman
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| Posted: Sun Jul 22, 2012 8:57 pm Post subject: |
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Hi,
My wife is a Syrian national and we were married in Turkey. Right now, we're in Thailand on vacation. We got our Z-visas from the Chinese embassy in the Sultanate of Oman while I was working there. Does this new rule mean that we need to get our marriage certificate authenticated by the Chinese embassy in Turkey? How new is this rule?
Many thanks. |
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Julli4u2
Joined: 13 Mar 2012
Posts: 13
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| Posted: Mon Jul 23, 2012 6:52 am Post subject: |
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my husband and I were married in Russia but live in the US now. Just went through the whole process a month ago. China does not recognize apostille - they require consulate authentication. We did not have to go to Russia to get our docs authenticated. Instead we just translated our Russian cert, notarized it at a notary public in our state and then sent the translated and notarized COPY to the Secretary of State. The Notary Public only certifies that translator's signature (i.e. me) is real so I signed it in front of them. And the Secretary of State certifies that the Notary Public is legal and registered within the State. Chinese consulate in Chicago accepted it without any problems and authenticated it in 1 day for a total of $50.
I bet it differs from country to country so if i were you i'd just contact your consulate/embassy in your country. Here the rules are different from state to state!
hope this helps  |
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