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malu · Joined: 22 Apr 2007 Posts: 1344 Location: Sunny Java

I will have 5 blank pages of my passport when I apply for a Z-visa. I will then spend a year in China with a couple of trips to Hong Kong. I know Chinese visas and stamps take up a lot of passport space - so will 5 pages be enough? I have a British passport.

Thanks in advance for your help.

JamesD · Posted: Fri Apr 27, 2007 5:08 am Post subject:

Don't know about Brits specifically, but I've seen notices that you need 6 blank pages when getting a visa. Would that apply in your case? Will you have a multi-entry or were you planning on HK for a visa run at any time?

For a US passport, the consulates used to provide extra pages as a free service. They simply glued a new packet of pages in your old passport. Might check with the Brit consulate nearest to where you'll be as rules change all the time.

Sinko · Joined: 21 Apr 2005 Posts: 349

I'm not too sure what James is going on about here, but if you require a Z-Visa, that should take up one page. Then you will get a Residents Permit when you arrive in the country, that will take up another page.
You now have 3 pages (and probably more room) in your passport for stamps.
You will get these entering and exiting China, and entering and exiting Hong Kong (or any other country you wish to visit that does not require a visa). Immigration can put stamps anywhere in the passport, but most likely put them close to your visa.
I have 6 pages left but will not change my passport yet.
You should have plenty of room for your requirements..

kev7161 · Joined: 06 Feb 2004 Posts: 5880 Location: Suzhou, China

My US passport has filled up VERY quickly with all those little stamps: Hong Kong, Macau, Thailand, Cambodia, Singapore, Malaysia, Japan, in and out of China, in and out of USA . . . Last September, I had to make a run to Shanghai to get those extra pages put in (free of charge, by the way). I think if you plan on doing a lot of traveling in and out of the country, having extra pages put in couldn't hurt at all.

Girl Scout · Joined: 13 Jan 2005 Posts: 525 Location: Inbetween worlds

Get extra pages put into you passport. If you are going to HK, they can do it for you in half a day.

mike w · Posted: Sat Apr 28, 2007 12:37 am Post subject:

If your passport fills up while you are in China, you can get a new one through the British embassy.

I applied for extra pages in my British passport last year, and in China (don't know about in UK) that service is no longer available. So I just applied for a new passport.

malu · Joined: 22 Apr 2007 Posts: 1344 Location: Sunny Java

Extra pages are no longer available for British passports, so next time I will pay extra for the 'supersize' 45 page passport. My concern is that if I got a new passport while in China, would that invalidate the visa/permit in the existing passport?

I have lived in Indonesia for 3 years where it is easy to get a new passport at the Brit consulate but doing so means your employer has to go through a very long and expensive process to get a new residence permit that is linked to the new passport. This costs far more than the passport itself.

mike w · Posted: Sat Apr 28, 2007 1:28 am Post subject:

adamsmith · Joined: 27 Jan 2006 Posts: 259 Location: wuhan

Just recieved my new passport as the old was expiring, and the PSB informed me that when you recieve the new one you have 15 days to get a new Residence permit at a cost of 150 rmb to change the existing one. I think it is wiser to just get a new one for a full year at 400 rmb if you are planning on staying at your school.

HunanForeignGuy · Joined: 05 Jan 2006 Posts: 989 Location: Shanghai, PRC