Job Discussion Forums

echo2004sierra · Joined: 12 Nov 2004 Posts: 90 Location: prc

When your passport visa pages fill up with visas and exit/entry stamps what are your options?

I've just bought a new 10 year passport back in April 2004 and now there are only a few blank visa pages left for use.

I have to buy a new 10 year passport for over RMB1,000.

What's the point of having a 10 year passport when the number of pages is so few, effectively meaning that the passport is useful for only a few months.

Then there are my two visas in my current passport, (that is, the passport which will have to be cancelled when the new passport is issued). What will happen about my visas in the cancelled passport?

I hear tell that airline staff use a travel card so that their passports are not filled up with exit/entry stamps. Is there an equivalent card for non-airline staff to buy or use as an alternative to buying new passports every year?

I have written to the Minister of Foreign Affairs of my country's government asking for there to be an option of a 350 page passport for 10 year passports for 18 year olds.

ContemporaryDog · Joined: 21 May 2003 Posts: 1477 Location: Wuhan, China

The vast majority of people though will rarely get stamps in their passport. The average British person going round Europe for instance.

Before I came to China, in the previous ten years I'd only got any thing in my passport on 3 occasions, one my 'carte de sejour' for living in Paris, one my visa for India and one my stamp for thailand.

Maybe there should be some kind of bigger passport that could be available with more pages for those who frequently travel to areas where the passport is stamped.

struelle · Joined: 16 May 2003 Posts: 2372 Location: Shanghai

Where are you from? For Canadians, there are a couple options that may be the same as other countries:

(1) 48 page passport. Totally recommended, and it only costs a few dollars more than a standard 24-page one.

(2) Get a 12-page extension if you're running low.

Steve

Newbs · Joined: 14 Nov 2004 Posts: 75 Location: Hangzhou, China

For Australians there are 2 options, the normal 32 page one and the 64 page one. I've never had a problem with the 32 page one until now, when in the space of 3 months I collected more kinds of Chinese visas than are known to human kind. Okay, I'm exaggerating to make the point.

Gringo Greg · Posted: Wed Dec 15, 2004 10:32 pm Post subject: For Americans

For Americans, just go down to the embassy, fill out a form, hand over your passport and in less than 30 minutes you have 24 new pages in your passport. Any embassy or consulate can do it. There is no limit to how many extra sets of 24 pages you can get.