Job Discussion Forums

Fred Smith · Joined: 06 Dec 2008 Posts: 77

Today I had dinner with a British friend and we got to discussing his visa.

He came on a 90 day F visa issued in Britain. the issue is he wants to know when it expires. He believes it expires 90 days after he entered.

I think it expires where it says enter by.

Unlike a resident permit there is no printed expiration date.

So he got it issued on August 27 and entered China on September 4.

When does he have to leave or get it extended by?

90 days after entry or the day where it says "enter by" (November 27)?

(and this question has nothing to do about his working status, just a simple question please.)

TexasHighway · Joined: 03 Dec 2005 Posts: 779

It should tell him on the visa itself. It should say:
Enter before: 27NOV2009
Issue date: 27AUG2009
Entries: 01 or M (for multiple entry)
Duration of each stay: 90 days after entry

Fred Smith · Joined: 06 Dec 2008 Posts: 77

The Ever-changing Cleric · Joined: 19 Feb 2009 Posts: 1523

fred, this aint rocket science and unlike other things, the enter/expiry dates on a visa are not open to "local interpretation."

your friends good for 90 days after entering china, so if he entered on september 4th he's good till early december. he should try to get it extended a week or two before that date.

ymmv · Joined: 14 Jul 2004 Posts: 387

Ninety days after entry means 90 days after entry. If he entered on September 4th, he's good for 90 days after that date... so December 3rd. What's so mysterious about that?

The "Enter before date" (Nov 27th in his case) means he has until that date to ENTER, i.e. activate the visa. Once he enters, the visa is "activated" and the 90 day clock begins to run. If he had NOT entered China before November 27, the visa would have become void.

(P.S. Under your interpretation, if he had waited until November 26 to enter, his visa would have expired the next day.)

nobleignoramus · Joined: 17 Jul 2009 Posts: 208 Location: On the road

I concur with the above posters; the visa willbe valid for 90 days counting fromthe day of arrival inside the Mainland even if that is the LAST DAY of the period given him to travel to China (another 3 months).

Fred Smith · Joined: 06 Dec 2008 Posts: 77

Right, thanks for the input.

I may have said I have always had an RP so thats is clear cut, But I had no idea about his.

That's why I posted.

So thanks for the replies.

Bendex · Joined: 04 Sep 2009 Posts: 18 Location: China

Am I right in saying that your British friend is a visiting scholar invited to China to provide useful advice in the field of education without payment to Chinese educators? I say so because he's here on an F visa.

Fred Smith · Joined: 06 Dec 2008 Posts: 77