You dont have to leave China to get your visa extended. Get intouch with bjleeo.

My multi-entry expires around the 26th of Sept. so I may leave that friday afternoon so let me know.

Yes end of September is close to October holiday madness, so I'm figuring less madness going the Mongolia route than the Luohu one.

Since mine expires October 2, tickets south possibly tight (especially since I'll probably purchase them last minute)due to holiday.

Ideally I'd leave closer to my expiration date, but then again, leaving a few days earlier would bypass the holiday hordes.

Or hoping that by then some magical visa service will appear offering F 6 months for around 3000 rmb!!! Multiple entry?

what about if i have an expired visa?and i want to leave china and re enter again?
whats the procedure?
can i also travel to mongolia and back?
i have my jw202 for to aply for a student visa in mongalia.is it possible?

Anyone doing a visa run over 国庆节? If so, care to make it a group adventure?

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Here's come information that I can ascertain from those grainy photos:

It seems like the K3 Beijing-Moscow or the K23 Beijing-Ulan Bator will both due. From what I can make out, the K3 only leaves once per week on Wednesday morning. I can't make out when the K23 leaves.

Does anybody have any information on the days that return trains operate from UB-Beijing?

Thanks to autumn_sun, coeurdelion and jeff for all this valuable information !

I need to exit China so that I can stay another 4 months in China. But I'm French so I have to ask for a visa for Mongolia, right ? I should leave on Wednesday but don't think I'll get my visa for Mongolia on time.

I thought about taking the Beijing-HK train but that takes forever...

Are there any other options to getting an exit stamp ??
Any advice will be highly appretiated ! thanks !
Amelie

Neonstar10, thanks so much for your quick reply and your advice.
I'll go to the Embassy first thing tomorrow morning!

I've printed the application form and have 3 more questions :

- Should I get an "entry & exit" visa or a "transit" visa ?
- What should I specify in the "purpose of stay" part and the "address & phone during your stay" part ?
- What about the invitation letter ? Do I really need one ? if so, where can I have it done ?

Thanks again for your help !

No difference between Summer and Winter!

Same buses, same procedure.....now, after Chinese Holidays, the traffic will increase....but everything normal!

I went to the Mongolian Embassy today at 9am sharp and here's some useful info for the application form :
- Request a "single entry & exit" visa ("transit" visas are only for passing through Mongolia and going to Russia)
- For "purpose of stay", specify "travel"
- For "duration of stay", write 1-2 days
- For "reference details", as long as you don't leave it blank, that's all that matters. I had no idea where I was going to stay and don't know anybody there so I just made up a hotel name and apparently that was enough !
- I didn't need to provide a letter of invitation
- They only ask for 1 photo and a copy of your passport

This visa costs 495rmb (express fee - 1 day - I'll pick it up tomorrow afternoon). Normal fee is 270rmb (5 working days).

The Embassy gives you a pink slip attached to a white slip and tells you to go to the nearby Bank of China to pay for your visa (they will charge 10 kuai for that -- there's no other way to pay anyways). After paying, keep the white slip to prove you paid for your visa when you pick it up.

As for transportation, I'm leaving on Wednesday on the 7:45am train from Beijing Zhan and should arrive in Erlian around midnight. I got a hard sleeper (low bed) for 148rmb.

I'll let you guys know how things went at the border on my way back !

Want an alternative...

Round trip to Bangkok 1730 CNY

Pusan, South Korea, 1 way 640.

(Ticket prices do not include taxes or fuel charges).

I did this back in September '08. Took the evening sleeper bus (called the # in coeurdelion's message) at 5:30p, got into Erlian at 4:30pm. The sleeper bus is cold at night but provides thick blankets. A little smelly. Stop at midnight a large crowded canteen. In the morning it was quite cold but you can take one of the pick up tricks waiting for travelers to take you to a hotel lobby (still cold), or there's a surprisingly very nice and semi-western cafe (opens at 7a?) near the town square where people are doing calisthenics. You can get a bite to eat there. If American, do not need visa to get into Mongolia. If not, there is a mongolian consulate in Erlian where you can go, though i do not know how quickly they will process it. Then took a cab to border where found an SUV loaded with people to cross. When I went, the computers were down so waited in there for 5 hours to cross. I took the 4:30p bus back, getting back to BJ around 5am. It stops in two places, so make sure you ask the driver which are the stops. Not fun, but did the job.

Another Beijing - Erlian trip report here

Finding the jeep to cross the border is a tricky - apparently the jeeps meet daily 9am in front of a random convenience store near the 蒙古酒吧 (Meng Gu Jiu Ba - "Mongolian Bar"). Or perhaps you could just hop on a jeep at the border like someone else suggested. You defintely need to be able to converse in Chinese to make this trip - and note that lots of people there (Mongolians) don't even speak Chinese, or English.

I just did this trip a week or so ago. It all went well except for a few minor problems. First, not many of the drivers that go to Mongolia can speak Chinese. A Chinese man found me, he could also speak Mongolian, he helped me set up a ride to the other side. I ended up in a Russian type land cruiser, with a driver and bunch of really really nice Mongolians guys. We got to know eachother pretty well as we sat on eachother's laps for a bumpy ride. They could speak English, but the driver could not. They helped me, when we dropped them off at a hotel on the Mongolian side, they made sure the driver knew to take me back to the border, and help me catch a ride with someone crossing. He did, thankfully, and he did it for free. If you cannot do it like this, when you get out of the Mongolian exit to China side, go to the right and flag someone down on the road. If they can fit you they will take you, if they can't fit you, they'll still probably take you. They will know what you want whether they can speak Chinese/English or not. I paid fifty rmb each way. I know this is more than others, but it seemed like a fair price to me, and they did help me more than they had to.

You cannot just go through the Chinese side and re-enter, or at least you are not supposed to. I don't know if it would be possible. If you are that far, to the building for entry-extit, you've already paid for your ride, it only takes another 10 minutes to the Mongolian town, might as well just go, I wouldn't mess with people that could deny me entrance, or postpone my entrance into a country anyway. By the way, I had to pay my driver up front, but he was honest, no problems.

The Mongolian side of the border is very poor and nothing in Chinese, or English, seems like an unlikely place to find enjoyment, I was gone in 1/2 an hour. However, everyone I met was from Ulan Batur, that sounds like a neat place. Modern, safe, fun, but a little more expensive than China

Erlian is nice, at least I like it. Population 60,000, it reminded me of my hometown so I may be biased. It too is a poor place, every resident (maybe 5) I talked to really hated it, felt trapped is the impression I got. But, the people were really nice. And, having spent my time in Beijing it was kind of neat to be somewhere with a different personality. The people in Erlian were more than helpful, helping me find places/ directions etc. just friendly in general.

Lodging: I stayed at the motel on the right (100meters or so) when you get out of the train station, it is on the opposite side of the street. It was clean nice and comfortable. One night 100rmb. There are less epensive ones on the left, but they are dirty, you don't get a key to your room, I was worried someone could take my stuff, the floor seeped water, the toilet had no seat, the TV didn't work etc. I opted for the one on the right. Take a look around the rooms before you get one.

Trains: I took a train on saturday morning, got to Erlian that evening, the next train left the Monday at 12:50AM Hard slepper 145rmb or so each way. It is cheaper than the bus.

Visa: I'm American, so I don't need a visa for Mongolia, only a passport with a page free for the stamps. Americans, you don't have to prepare anything just fill out the card they give you at the border, and have your passport. There is no application process.

All in all, I wish I had more time in Erlian, get to know people and see what it's like. Ok trip though.