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Atlas
Joined: 09 Jun 2003
Posts: 662
Location: By-the-Sea PRC
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 Posted: Fri Aug 08, 2003 8:02 pm Post subject: 30 Day Visa, Round trip return in 60 days-customs trouble? |
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| I am coming to Shanghai August 15, to teach, but I have a question before I finalize my round trip ticket. My sister is marrying in LA in October and i'd like to make a return trip then, for a long weekend. Will i encounter customs trouble in Shanghai on a 30 day tourist visa with a 60 day return? Has anyone had a similar experience? Any suggestions? |
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MyTurnNow
Joined: 19 Mar 2003
Posts: 860
Location: Outer Shanghai
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| Posted: Sat Aug 09, 2003 6:31 am Post subject: |
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If your stay in China outlasts your visa coverage then you are likely to have trouble upon your exit. Last I heard the fine is 500 RMB per day, assessed upon your exit from China. An expired visa could also give you some trouble with checking into hotels, etc.
It should be possible to renew your tourist visa here, but why not just come in on a 60- or 90-day visa in the first place? They cost a bit more but they aren't significantly more difficult to get. They're cheaper than a renewal.
By the way, if you are coming to work on a visa other than a Z, such as an L (tourist) or F (business), then be advised that you will be working illegally. It's unlikely you will have any problems with this, but it isn't impossible. Your employer may not tell you the truth about this- their primary concern is to have a foreigner in all their classes, not your personal welfare. Be careful!
MT |
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struelle
Joined: 16 May 2003
Posts: 2372
Location: Shanghai
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| Posted: Sat Aug 09, 2003 2:37 pm Post subject: |
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| Quote: |
| Your employer may not tell you the truth about this- their primary concern is to have a foreigner in all their classes, not your personal welfare. Be careful! |
Certainly true, but most employers arrange for the Z visa when the teacher arrives in China. The teacher shows up on a tourist or business visa, and turns over the passport to the school, where they do the paperwork, etc.
It's ambiguous if the teacher is working illegally at this point, as they could always argue the passport is at the PSB awaiting the work visa.
To do things totally by the book, the teacher could have the work visa arranged in his native country before coming to China. The school sends an invitation letter to the Embassy, they verify it, send a confirmation back, and the teacher pays for the visa. Extra bureaucracy and time.
Steve |
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Cobra
Joined: 28 Jul 2003
Posts: 436
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| Posted: Sun Aug 10, 2003 12:13 am Post subject: |
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| Follow the law! History has proven, as attested to here in this forum, that those who do have fewer problems than those who don't. |
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Roger
Joined: 19 Jan 2003
Posts: 9138
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| Posted: Sun Aug 10, 2003 1:55 am Post subject: |
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Yes, guys, but which employer will upgrade an F visa to a Z visa for just three months? The expenses just don't stand in any reasonable relationship to it - medical exam in Shanghai 350 (?), the visa cost about 200 per month, plus all the time going to bureaucrats?
Yes, the poster should apply for a multiple-entry, 3 month tourist visa or business visa.
With one proviso: He is going to be an II! |
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MyTurnNow
Joined: 19 Mar 2003
Posts: 860
Location: Outer Shanghai
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| Posted: Sun Aug 10, 2003 2:58 pm Post subject: |
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Yup...Roger caught it.
Sounds like this guy is coming in for a very short-term gig....2 months or so? The chances of him being offered a legal visa for that job are about nil to none.
MT |
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Cobra
Joined: 28 Jul 2003
Posts: 436
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| Posted: Sun Aug 10, 2003 10:02 pm Post subject: |
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| Illegal work visa + illegal job = illegal alien |
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arioch36
Joined: 21 Jan 2003
Posts: 3589
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| Posted: Sun Aug 10, 2003 10:14 pm Post subject: |
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While many schools will change your f-visa to z-visa, there are many schools who promise this and don't deliver.
I have been reading this site for 2 years, posting for one. And the vast majority of problems, especially the serious ones, were from people who were not working here legally.
It is not a problem for the school to get the invitation letter to you before you come, though it may be on their vacation time. |
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goeastyoung(ish)man!
Joined: 09 Jun 2003
Posts: 139
Location: back in US
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| Posted: Sun Aug 10, 2003 11:41 pm Post subject: |
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| MyTurnNow wrote: |
Yup...Roger caught it.
Sounds like this guy is coming in for a very short-term gig....2 months or so? The chances of him being offered a legal visa for that job are about nil to none.
MT |
I think Atlas means he is coming to Shanghai with a 30 day tourist visa, and plans to change it to a work visa and, I think, work for 6 months or a school year. But he is also planning a 3-4 day trip to the US in October, which is why he has the return flight in only 2 months. Therefore he has an airline ticket with a stated return in 60 days but a tourist visa valid for only 30 days. Will he be hassled at the Shanghai airport this August because the date of his return flight to the US is obviously later than the date his tourist visa expires? Let's assume he is going to be legal shortly after arriving. |
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Cobra
Joined: 28 Jul 2003
Posts: 436
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| Posted: Sun Aug 10, 2003 11:45 pm Post subject: |
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When you "assume" you make an "as." out of "u" and "me" so don't
"ass_u_me" anything! |
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Atlas
Joined: 09 Jun 2003
Posts: 662
Location: By-the-Sea PRC
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| Posted: Mon Aug 11, 2003 5:46 am Post subject: |
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| Nevertheless, Goeastyoungishman is completely right, I am in fact planning a longterm stay in shanghai of at least a year or two, but why should I miss my dear sister's wedding? I am coming on a tourist visa, and will change it to a work visa in due course, and take my commitment to teaching seriously, thank you. I am 36 and if I want to leave for a weekend and come back I will and nobody can say boo about it. Thanks for all your help everyone! Perhaps I'll buy a whole new set of tickets for the wedding. However, it may affect my Z visa, is this what I am hearing? And to clear up a point, I'm only interested in legal solutions! |
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MyTurnNow
Joined: 19 Mar 2003
Posts: 860
Location: Outer Shanghai
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| Posted: Mon Aug 11, 2003 5:56 am Post subject: |
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Ah, this changes things a bit.
When you leave mainland China (including travel to Hong Kong) any visa you are holding immediately becomes null and void. If you have an F or L visa it's probably just easier to get a new one upon your return.
If you have a Z you'll need to add multiple-entry status to it. You will likely have to pay for this yourself and it adds a fair amount to the total cost of the visa. If you don't have a multiple-entry permit your Z visa will also be voided as you exit the mainland and you'll have to start over on getting a new one. And you'll have to have some kind of visa just to come back in.
Your school should be able to get information on a multiple-entry visa for you.
MT |
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Roger
Joined: 19 Jan 2003
Posts: 9138
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| Posted: Mon Aug 11, 2003 1:00 pm Post subject: |
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Now that MyTUrnNow has given you a satisfactory answer, it is up to you to inform your employer of your intended trip in October; they may refuse to grant it though.
What you need to know is that a work visa will be invalid for a new employer! Make sure your employer is agreeable to all your plans, so there is no unpleasant surprise for either side! |
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