I. Scope of Application

This Guide is applicable to foreigners who enter China with an ordinary visa and apply for extension, change, or reissuance of the visa.

II. Legal Basis for Examination and Approval

The Exit and Entry Administration Law of the People's Republic of China and the Regulations of the People's Republic of China on the Administration of the Entry and Exit of Foreign Nationals.

III. Accepting Authority

The National Immigration Administration entrusts the exit and entry administration authorities of public security organs at or above the prefecture-level city (including districts and counties of municipalities directly under the Central Government) to accept and issue visas for foreigners.

Upon application by the exit and entry administration authority of the public security organ of a provincial-level people's government and with the approval of the National Immigration Administration, the exit and entry administration authorities of public security organs at the county level may accept and issue visas for foreigners in accordance with the entrustment of the National Immigration Administration.

IV. Application Conditions

After entering China with an ordinary visa, a foreigner who needs to remain in China for non-diplomatic or non-official purposes may, in accordance with the provisions, apply to the exit and entry administration authority of the public security organ for extension, change, or reissuance of the visa. The foreigner shall go through the relevant formalities in person with the exit and entry administration authority of the public security organ. Under any of the following circumstances, the application may be submitted on behalf of the applicant by the inviting entity or individual, relatives of the applicant, or relevant specialized service agencies:

(1) The applicant is under the age of 16 or has reached the age of 60, or whose mobility is affected due to illness or other reasons;

(2) The applicant's current entry is not his or her first entry into China and the applicant has a good record of stay or residence in China;

(3) The inviting entity or individual has provided guarantee measures for the expenses required by the foreigner during his or her stay in China.

V. Prohibitive Requirements

Where an applicant falls under any of the circumstances specified in Article 21 of the Regulations of the People's Republic of China on the Administration of the Entry and Exit of Foreign Nationals, extension, change, or reissuance of the visa shall not be approved.

VI. Application Materials

(1) In accepting an application for a visa for foreigners, the applicant shall be required to complete relevant formalities and submit the following materials:

1. A valid passport or other international travel documents;

2. A completed Application Form for Visa or Residence Permit for Foreigners, together with a recent photo meeting the standards specified in the Photograph Guidelines for Exit and Entry Documents;

3. Supporting documents relating to the purpose of application;

4. Other formalities to be completed and supporting documents to be submitted.

(2) Supporting documents required for visa extension

A foreigner applying for extension of the duration of stay specified in the visa shall, seven days prior to the expiry of the duration of stay specified in the visa, apply to the exit and entry administration authority of the public security organ and submit relevant supporting documents as required:

1. A holder of a C visa shall submit a certification letter issued by the competent department of the people's government at or above the county level or a local civil aviation, railway, highway, or port transportation company. The duration of stay may be extended by not more than 30 days.

2. A holder of an F visa shall submit a certification letter issued by the inviting or receiving entity. The duration of stay may be extended by not more than 180 days.

3. A holder of a G visa shall submit a certification letter from the receiving entity and an air (train, ship) ticket to the destination country (region) with a confirmed date and seat. The duration of stay may be extended by not more than 30 days.

4. A holder of a J2 visa shall submit a certification letter issued by the foreign affairs department of the provincial-level people's government. The duration of stay may be extended by not more than 30 days.

5. A holder of an L visa shall submit a travel itinerary and schedule; for group travel, a certification letter from the travel agency shall also be submitted. The duration of stay may be extended by not more than 30 days.

6. A holder of an M visa shall submit a letter issued by the inviting or receiving entity or individual. The duration of stay may be extended by not more than 180 days.

7. A holder of a Q2 visa shall submit a letter issued by the person to be visited, proof of identity, and a family relationship certificate or declaration. The duration of stay may be extended by not more than 180 days.

8. A holder of an R visa shall submit corresponding supporting documents for foreign high-level talents and urgently needed specialized talents. The duration of stay may be extended by not more than 180 days.

9. A holder of an S2 visa visiting family members shall submit a letter issued by the person to be visited, the foreigner's residence permit, and a family relationship certificate or declaration. Other persons shall submit documents relating to personal matters or for humanitarian reasons. For family visitors, the duration of stay may be extended by not more than 180 days; for other persons, the duration of stay may be extended by not more than 90 days.

10. A holder of an X2 visa shall submit a certificate of enrollment issued by an education or training institution in China. The duration of stay may be extended by not more than 180 days.

The total period of extension shall not exceed the original duration of stay specified in the visa.

(3) Supporting documents required for a change of visa

Where a foreigner changes the purpose of stay in conformity with the State's regulations, is granted entry conveniences, starts using a new passport, or enters China with a group visa and needs to stay separately from the tour group due to objective reasons, the following supporting documents shall be submitted for a change of ordinary visa:

1. To apply for a change to an F visa, a letter issued by the inviting entity shall be submitted; a zero-entry, single-entry, double-entry, or multiple-entry visa with a validity period of entry not exceeding 5 years and a duration of stay not exceeding 180 days may be issued.

2. To apply for a change to a J2 visa, a certification letter issued by the foreign affairs department of the provincial-level people's government shall be submitted; a zero-entry visa with a duration of stay not exceeding 30 days may be issued.

3. To apply for a change to an M visa, a letter issued by the inviting entity shall be submitted; a zero-entry, single-entry, double-entry, or multiple-entry visa with a validity period of entry not exceeding 5 years and a duration of stay not exceeding 180 days may be issued.

4. To apply for a change to a Q2 visa, a letter issued by the person to be visited, proof of identity, and a family relationship certificate or declaration shall be submitted; a zero-entry, single-entry, double-entry, or multiple-entry visa with a validity period of entry not exceeding 5 years and a duration of stay not exceeding 180 days may be issued.

5. To apply for a change to an R visa, supporting documents evidencing compliance with the introduction conditions and requirements for foreign high-level talents and urgently needed specialized talents as determined by the competent authorities of the Chinese government shall be submitted; a zero-entry, single-entry, double-entry, or multiple-entry visa with a validity period of entry not exceeding 10 years and a duration of stay not exceeding 180 days may be issued.

6. To apply for a change to an S2 visa, a family visitor shall submit a letter issued by the person to be visited, the foreigner's residence permit, and a family relationship certificate or declaration; a zero-entry, single-entry, double-entry, or multiple-entry visa with a validity period of entry not exceeding 5 years and a duration of stay not exceeding 180 days may be issued. Other persons shall submit documents evidencing humanitarian reasons; a zero-entry or single-entry visa with a validity period of entry not exceeding 3 months and a duration of stay not exceeding 180 days may be issued.

7. To apply for a change to an X2 visa, a letter and admission or enrollment certificate issued by an education or training institution in China shall be submitted; a zero-entry, single-entry, or double-entry visa with a validity period of entry not exceeding 1 year and a duration of stay not exceeding 180 days may be issued.

8. Where a foreigner needs to change to a new passport due to the expiry of the current passport or the exhaustion of visa pages, the foreigner shall submit the passport used for the current entry or a certificate from the embassy or consulate of the applicant's home country in China confirming that the passport used for the current entry has been collected; a visa may be issued consistent with the original visa category, validity period of entry, duration of stay, and the remaining number of valid entries. The number of entries shall be based on the remaining number of valid entries of the original visa.

9. Where a foreigner adds an accompanying person after entry, the foreigner shall submit the passport used for the current entry and the accompanying person's birth certificate; a visa may be issued with reference to relevant provisions.

10. Where a foreigner enters China with a group visa and applies to stay separately from the tour group, a certification letter from the receiving travel agency and other materials shall be submitted; a visa may be issued with reference to relevant provisions.

The cumulative duration of stay following a change of visa shall not exceed 1 year counting from the date of the current entry.

(4) Supporting documents required for reissuance of a visa

Where a foreigner applies for reissuance of a visa after entry due to the visa being lost, damaged, destroyed, stolen, or robbed, the following supporting documents shall be submitted:

1. Where the visa has been lost or stolen/robbed, a certificate of passport loss or a note from the embassy or consulate of the applicant's home country in China, and a new valid passport or other international travel documents shall be submitted.

2. Where the visa has been damaged, the damaged passport or a note from the embassy or consulate of the applicant's home country in China, and a new valid passport or other international travel documents shall be presented.

3. Where a group visa has been lost, stolen/robbed, or damaged, a certification letter from the local receiving travel agency and a photocopy of the group visa shall be submitted.

A visa may be reissued consistent with the original visa category, validity period of entry, duration of stay, and the remaining number of valid entries.

VII. Basic Procedures and Processing Methods

(1) Application. A foreigner applying for extension, change, or reissuance of a visa shall go through the relevant formalities in person with the exit and entry administration authority of the public security organ. Where prescribed conditions are met, the application may be submitted on behalf of the applicant by the inviting entity or individual, relatives of the applicant, or relevant specialized service agencies.

(2) Acceptance. The accepting authority shall review and decide whether to accept the application. Where the application matter falls within the scope of authority of the administrative organ and the application materials are complete and meet the requirements, the application shall be accepted on the spot and a receipt of acceptance shall be issued. Where the formalities and materials for a visa application are incomplete, the exit and entry administration authority of the public security organ shall notify the applicant in a one-off manner of the formalities to be completed and the materials to be supplemented and corrected.

(3) Review. The exit and entry administration authority of the public security organ shall strengthen verification, verify the purpose of application through such means as interview, telephone inquiry, and on-the-spot investigation, and confirm that the applicant is of foreign nationality. Where the applicant or relevant entity or individual is notified to attend an interview and fails to do so within the agreed time without justifiable reason, the visa or permit may be denied in accordance with the law.

(4) Decision. Where the conditions and standards are met, the deciding authority shall issue a visa of the corresponding category.

VIII. Processing Time Limit

Upon examination, where an application for extension, change, or reissuance of a visa for foreigners meets the acceptance conditions, it shall be accepted and a receipt of acceptance shall be issued, and a decision on whether to issue the visa shall be made within the validity period of the receipt of acceptance. The validity period of the receipt of acceptance for a visa application shall not exceed 7 working days from the date of acceptance.

IX. Fee Standards

1. Zero-entry visa (non-reciprocal country): RMB 160 per person;

2. Single-entry visa (non-reciprocal country): RMB 206 per person;

3. Double-entry visa (non-reciprocal country): RMB 313 per person;

4. Multiple-entry visa valid for half a year (inclusive) (non-reciprocal country): RMB 413 per person;

5. Multiple-entry visa valid for one year (inclusive) (non-reciprocal country): RMB 619 per person;

6. Adding or removing accompanying persons (non-reciprocal country): RMB 160 per person;

7. Fees for reciprocal countries shall be charged in accordance with prescribed standards.

X. Collection of the Visa

An approved and issued visa for foreigners shall be collected in person by the applicant at the premises of the exit and entry administration authority of the public security organ upon presentation of the receipt of acceptance.

XI. Obligations of the Applicant

In accordance with relevant laws and regulations, the applicant shall fulfill the following obligations:

1. To truthfully submit relevant materials to and reflect the true circumstances with the administrative authority, and to be responsible for the substantive authenticity of the application materials;

2. To cooperate with the administrative authority in interviews, telephone inquiries, on-the-spot investigations, and other means to verify the authenticity of the application materials;

3. Other obligations prescribed by laws and regulations.

XII. Other Matters for Attention

(1) Family Members: Including spouse, parents, parents of spouse, children, siblings, grandparents, maternal grandparents, grandchildren, maternal grandchildren, and children's spouses.

(2) Family Relationship Certificate and Kinship Certificate: Marriage certificates, birth certificates, adoption certificates, other kinship certificates, and relevant notarizations issued by the competent authorities of the relevant country; marriage certificates, birth certificates, kinship certificates, and name change certificates issued by the embassy or consulate of the applicant's home country in China.

(3) Marriage certificates, birth certificates, kinship certificates, name change certificates, and other documents issued by foreign competent authorities or notary authorities shall be authenticated by the Chinese embassy or consulate in that country. For foreign official documents issued by authorities of a Contracting State to the Convention Abolishing the Requirement of Legalisation for Foreign Public Documents, the provisions of the Convention shall apply.

(4) Identity Certificate: Identity certificate for mainland Chinese residents refers to proof of permanent household registration or proof of actual residence for more than 6 months (including residence permit, rental contract, social insurance payment certificate, employment (student) certificate, medical diagnosis certificate, utility bill, and other relevant materials proving actual residence for more than 6 months) and a resident identity card; identity certificate for overseas Chinese refers to a Chinese passport and a certificate of overseas settlement; identity certificate for Hong Kong and Macao residents refers to the Mainland Travel Permit for Hong Kong and Macao Residents; identity certificate for Taiwan residents refers to the Mainland Travel Permit for Taiwan Residents; identity certificate for foreigners refers to the Foreign Permanent Resident ID Card. Overseas Chinese and Hong Kong, Macao, and Taiwan residents shall also submit proof of actual residence for more than 6 months.

Relevant supporting documents in a foreign language shall be translated into Chinese.