HOW TO Extend or Renew Your Visa in Beijing
Visas are always an important part of foreigners’ lives in China. This article is all about how to renew or extend your visa with a focus on Beijing. Getting the first-entry visa to begin with is a whole ‘nother story, so I’ll save that for another time.
Many details (price, eligibility, allowed length of stay, etc) regarding visas are country-specific so make sure you have contacted an embassy/consulate to get specifics and details regarding regulations for your country!
About Visa Agencies
A quick Google search will give you a list of visa agencies that guarantee you a smooth visa renewal process. I have used one and have known many others who have done the same. They will get the job done, but prices can really vary, so make sure to you ask around.
Visas require a lot of rubberstamping, documentation and legwork. These agencies streamline the process and guarantee successful processing of your visa. The price they will charge you is related to the amount of paperwork you need for your visa. Sometimes, you will be missing paperwork (e.g. diploma, work history evidence, etc) and they will do some “visa magic” to make sure missing paperwork is no longer a problem.
Are they legal and legitimate? Who knows. They get the job done. Besides, in China, there is no black and there is no white. There is only gray.
F-Visa renewal
Depending on how much “magic” you need, the price will vary a lot.
A visa agency needs only your passport to complete the whole process. It takes about 5 business days for you to get your passport back with your new F-visa sticker. You can expect to pay 3000-4000 RMB for this privilege to get you an F-visa for 180 days.
If you want to try it yourself, or if you don’t feel comfortable handing over your passport to a stranger, look at the list of required documents. See this link from the official Beijing government website for F-Visa requirements in Beijing.
Doing the whole process on your own with all the required documents costs at least 160 RMB, depending on your passport. You’ll notice that this is a huge price difference from agencies. Make sure that you have all your documents in order.
L-Visa renewal
When you’re renewing a holiday visa or extending into a holiday visa in Beijing, you have a few options.
Hong Kong visa run. Expect the roundtrip flight (from Beijing) to cost you at least 2000 RMB. Also factor in the costs of staying in Hong Kong for a few days, as well as visa fees (which are dependent on your passport). Your passport also determines the length of time you can stay in China thereafter.
You can always go through the visa agency to save yourself a trip to HK and the time involved. For a 90-day L-visa extension, expect to pay around 2500-3000 RMB with a turnaround time of 5 business days.
Getting the L-visa yourself involves a trip to the Beijing visa office in Dongzhimen. Just make sure you have the list of required documents for an L-visa.
Visa expiry
As long as you have submitted your passport for processing before the visa expiry date, you are in the clear.
Further reading
Beijing Government visa information
http://www.ebeijing.gov.cn/visa
F-Visas for US citizens
