Transfering Visa into New Passport
- Joined: Nov 19th, 2008
- Posts: 2
About a week ago I renewed my American passport at the embassy here. The agent punched holes into my old passport. I still had a valid L visa in my old passport, but was told that transferring it to my new passport was easy at the PSB near Yonghegong.
Today I went to the PSB and handed them both passports, a letter from the embassy, and my residence permit. However, the three agents I talked to both said it was impossible to transfer visas. The only way I can get an L visa in my new passport was to fill out a bunch of forms and submit a letter from my Chinese bank saying I had a certain amount of money in the account (one agent said 3000 RMB, then corrected herself and said $1,200 US, a third said 100 RMB for every day I will be here.) When I asked if this was a new rule, they said "Nope. It has always been the rule."
Has anyone ever come across these issues when trying to transfer your L visa? What happens if you try to leave the country with both passports, with a valid visa in the old one but also holes punched in it? The old passport technically doesn't expire until next year.
Incidentally, a friend of mine also renewed his American passport in Guangzhou earlier this year, and had no problems transferring his visa. Is this just Beijing bureaucracy I'm dealing with? The unclear details of the bank account thing seems sketchy to me.
Barney1969
Re: Transfering Visa into New Passport
As far as i know and have done in the .past is that you carry both passports with you, the old one with the current visa and your new passport. I have done that when i renewed my Australian Visa. My wife is currently doing the opposite with a 5 year Aussie visa in her expired Chinese passport
But this is China and it all depends on who you speak to on which day.
mfkfisher1
Re: Transfering Visa into New Passport
Yeah, I've been reading on the forum...all the posts saying it's possible to cross the border w/ two passports were either speaking about other countries, or leaving China before the Olympics. I have heard that rules have gotten much stricter.
Also, it seems that there is a bank account rule of $100 US per day, but only applies only if you need to extend your visa, not just transfer it. However the agents seem to insist that you need that much money just to transfer.
UFCtrainer
Re: Transfering Visa into New Passport
You need to BUY a new Chinese visa- it'll cost about 6000rmb. There are other post on here on how to do it (what happeneds is a Chinese company registers you as their employee, so you dont need bank account info, or other crap). The passport you have with the holes in it is nothing more than a Souvenir, period. Walking around with 2 passports will get you arrested and jailed in every middle-eastern, South American country, and even in EU Turkey. A outdated passport in many places is akin to a fake passport if you have the balls to present that to someone at an entry point. Be very careful!
petersblog2 wrote:
Barney1969
Re: Transfering Visa into New Passport
Looks like all countries have different requirements, as mentioned with my wife and her Australian Visa it stays in her old passport and she has notified the Australian embassy that her passport has been changed.
Do you have a local friend that can go with you to the local PSB near where you live and are registered (are you currently registered here?). Go there with all you details / documents and ask them with a smile if you need to transfer or not, and if so what to do? The Agents make money by getting the visa's so it should be obvious there motivation.
monkeydluffy
Re: Transfering Visa into New Passport
I did that last sept. the guy from our embassy said i need to transfer my old visa to my new passport with in 10 days. it wasnt that hard!
n/a
beijingleeo
Re: Transfering Visa into New Passport
If you need to transfer a visa, you have to do it in the place where it was issued.
Since your visa was issued by Chinese embassy (consulate), Public Security Bureau cannot do the transfer for you.
The 100 USD per day (3000 USD totally) is required to extend your visa for another 30 days. At the same time, your present longer visa will be cancelled. What a dilemma.
Better Service, Easier Life!
http://www.cn-visa.com
sweet_learner
Re: Transfering Visa into New Passport
I had that very often, usually because of full passport. The consulate will punch or chop the old passport. After that, when I in/out of China I always showed both and never ever had a problem.
libertin
Re: Transfering Visa into New Passport
1) Get your new passport. You old one will be invalidated.
2) Within ten days, either
2.1) Transfer your visa to your new passport at the place where your visa was issued, or
2.2) Leave China with both passports. Make sure the exit stamp will be on your new passport (the only valid one). Then either
2.1.1) If your visa was issued outside China: get a new visa outside China.
2.1.2) Else: Come back to China. Show your visa in the old passport and the new passport with the exit stamp. Get the entry stamp on your new passport. Then get your visa transfered at the place where it was issued within ten days.
3) Go to your local PSB to register again with your new passport and visa.
This is the information I got at PSB, and how it worked. Note, however, that the embassy of my country told me that it is illegal by Chinese law to leave the country before the visa is transferred, as the visa becomes invalid the moment the passport is invalidated. So no warranty, neither explicit nor implicit ... ... (fill in the usual legal disclaimer here).