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bagua8 · Joined: 22 Mar 2012 Posts: 57

Thanks to all in advance for your help.

I am an Australian married to an American presently living and working in Saudi Arabia. In 4 weeks, my wife and I will be flying back to Australia. Whilst there, we will be processing our visas to come to China. I will be working and so applying for a z visa. My wife won't be working, and so will be applying for an s visa. Oh, I forgot to mention that we got married in South Korea some years ago.

Can anyone tell me if we are likely to run into problems applying for my American wife's s visa at the Chinese embassy in Sydney, or alternatively the consulate in Brisbane, with a marriage certificate issued by the Australian embassy in Seoul stamped by the Korean government? We also have an equivalent certificate from the US embassy. A friend has suggested that we might need to "get married," have our marriage registered in Australia, as soon as we get to Australia. Note: my wife is not an Australian resident.

Another question: My Australian passport presently has 3 blank pages available (has other space available, but only 3 fully blank pages). I asked my employer if that is sufficient for getting me to China on a z visa, and I was promptly told "no, get a new passport." Now, I am wondering if my employer is just being dismissive ("well, you might as well get a new one, as 3 pages isn't much"). Can anyone tell me if my 3 blank pages passport will see me into China? It is impossible for me to get a new passport while in Saudi, as I am here for 4 more weeks, 3 of which are Ramadan, and my employer here will be taking my passport at the end of next week to begin processing my final exit visa, which will take a couple of weeks. However, a friend of mine has told me that if I do get a new passport while in Australia, so long as I also keep my old passport, which would have the old number matching the expert certificate number on it (as my Chinese employer will have to start processing the expert cert. soon), I should be fine - that they will see both passports are for the same person. Has anyone out there had to do anything like this?

Cheers

Alien abductee · Joined: 08 Jun 2014 Posts: 527 Location: Kuala Lumpur

Your Z visa and subsequent residence permit are going to take two full pages. Entry stamp into China is going on another page. Do Saudi authorities stamp your passport on the way out? That could be a bit more space taken up. You're cutting it close but if you've got some other space available it should be enough (just).

bagua8 · Joined: 22 Mar 2012 Posts: 57

Thanks for the info Alien. Actually, there is quite a bit of space for stamps on already stamped pages, but for visas I just have the three fully empty pages. Given what you said about what's required, I think my existing passport should be ok.

I will definitely check with the Chinese embassy in Australia about what my friend suggested, though I figured I'd see if anyone on Dave's had any experience, to give me a "heads up." Though, there is absolutely no way for me to get a new passport before leaving Saudi. If all this blows up, I guess I'll be going to Oman Laughing

toteach · Joined: 29 Dec 2008 Posts: 273

I will be teaching this fall, and my husband and kiddos will be there on spousal/dependent visas. In order to get the Residence Permit in Jiangsu, we need to have our marriage certificate and their birth certificates "authenticated."

As we married in the USA, this involves sending the certificate first to my State's authority for a stamp. Next I send it to the US government for a stamp. Finally, I will send it to the Chinese Embassy in Washington D.C. for a stamp. Only then will they accept it in Jiangsu Province and issue their RPs. (Otherwise, we might be "faking" our marriage just to get visas).

You might want to see if this process applies in the province you'll be teaching in. "Authentication" in Korea might entail a whole lot more hoops than you're willing to do, and re-marrying in Oz / Saudi might simplify the process...

toteach · Joined: 29 Dec 2008 Posts: 273

So, to clarify my comment above, you won't have problems getting a spousal visa. But you MIGHT have problems obtaining a Residence Permit once you're in China.

Does your FAO know that you are bringing a spouse? They'll know their province's regulations on obtaining RPs, so don't hesitate to ask. (This authentication process is taking us about a month and nearly $100 per document).

toteach · Joined: 29 Dec 2008 Posts: 273

Why get a new passport if you can simply have extra pages added? Any consulate can do this for you, usually on a walk-in basis.

Piper2 · Joined: 13 Jun 2014 Posts: 146

A far from thorough search suggests that though US passports can have pages added (under certain circumstances?) pages may not be added to an Australian passport.

bagua8 I agree that 3 pages should be sufficient if only one border control official from Saudi (exit), Australia (entry and exit) or China (entry) decides to use a blank page for the relevant stamp. In my experience Chinese border control like to use blank pages for their entry stamps, which -by the time you leave the Chinese airport- leaves only one blank page in your passport for the Residence Permit sticker. One page is all you need for the RP but you will not have that page available if those other exit and entry stamps are using it. What about that Saudi exit visa, you need to hand in your passport, will they be adding stamps or stickers to it? Only 3 blank pages is looking very tight to me.

I imagine this is a long shot but could you contact the relevant authorities in Australia to see if given your particular set of circumstances they could issue you with a new passport now and give you the number? Your Chinese employer could then use this new passport number to process your documents.

Alien abductee · Joined: 08 Jun 2014 Posts: 527 Location: Kuala Lumpur

Listerine · Joined: 15 Jun 2014 Posts: 340

Piper2 · Joined: 13 Jun 2014 Posts: 146

bagua8 · Joined: 22 Mar 2012 Posts: 57

ToTeach: I too am going to Jiangsu province, Suzhou specifically, so have to go through exactly the same process you are going through. Your idea of remarrying in Australia also came to me, as I have no idea what getting our Korean marriage certificate authenticated will involve. I was thinking of contacting the Korean embassy in Australia as a start.

My FAO is telling me that the Suzhou police would not accept a passport with only 3 clear pages. This is some seriously crazy nonsense. Why should the police care about the number of empty pages in my passport? What exactly are the implications of my only having one spare page after the z-visa and RP? Might I have to do something crazy, like, I don't know, apply for a new passport while in China? Anyhow, my employer has agreed to wait for me to get a new passport when I reach Australia, and go from there. How long does the processing of the expert certificate etc. take? I doubt the Australian passport office will issue me with a passport number before officially applying, though I'll look into it, so thanks for the suggestion Piper2.

I didn't realize that getting a Chinese visa would be such a pain in the ass. Saudi was bad enough.

Yes, only Americans can have pages added to passports.

Shroob · Joined: 02 Aug 2010 Posts: 1339

Bud Powell · Joined: 11 Jul 2013 Posts: 1736

bagua8 · Joined: 22 Mar 2012 Posts: 57

My plan is to get a new passport as fast as I can when I get to Australia - they can do it in 2 days if you pay another $108. With regard to the marriage certificate: I believe the department of foreign affairs in Australia should be able to authenticate it, as it is stamped all over by the Australian embassy in Korea, and the form itself is from the Australian embassy.

Shroob: Yes, I am expecting all sorts of crazy in China, though I am guessing that Saudi will win out when it comes to complete insanity. Laughing