What should you do when your visa is expired but you fail to leave the country due to cancelled flight?
What can you do if you are not ready to leave China before your residence permit for study expires?
You can’t do nothing but leave China if your family visit visa is about to expire, but the work permit has not been received yet?
What should you do in these situations? Stay in China illegally and be punished? Of course not! We still have the last straw to save our lives – applying for a stay visa!
The stay visa (T visa) is a humanitarian visa, which is mainly issued to foreigners who need to stay in China for a longer period of time due to humanitarian and other necessary reasons after their original visas are expired. Its validity generally does not exceed 30 days.
T visa is not a visa for entering China, but a visa for staying in China. Therefore, it cannot be applied for in embassies stationed abroad. It should be applied to the exit and entry administration department of the applicant’s residence, and the application should be submitted 7 days before the expiry of the visa and residence permit.
People eligible for treatment
1.Foreigners holding visa free visa need to stay in China for a longer time for reasons other than diplomacy and official business after entering the country.
2.Foreign crew members and their accompanying family members who need to leave the ship’s berthing city.
3.Those who withdraw from Chinese nationality after approval and still need to stay in China.
4.Foreigners whose reasons for residence have been terminated need to stay in China longer for humanitarian reasons.
5.Foreign babies born in China who need to stay in China temporarily.
6.Other circumstances requiring foreigners’ residence certificates. For example, more preparation time is needed in the process of applying for work permit or registering a company in China.
For applications for T visa filed for different reasons, the supporting documents to be provided are also different. For example, if a foreigner needs a stay visa due to the suspension of his residence reasons, he should provide the proof that the residence reasons have been terminated, such as the separation certificate of the original unit, the cancellation certificate of the foreigner’s work permit, the graduation certificate or the certificate of completion of study issued by the school. For foreign infants born in China, the original and copy of the birth certificate (including duplicate pages), valid passports of both parents (or other travel documents) should be provided.
If the departure has not been ready yet when the stay visa is expires, you can still apply for visa extension ranging from 7 days to 30 days, which is determined by the immigration department.
Although the entry-exit department has not made clear restrictions on the frequency of extensions, it is not recommended to apply for many times, because such behavior is very unfavorable to the subsequent application of your new visa.
If you really plan to stay in China for a long time, it is better for you to apply for relevant residence permits as soon as possible, such as residence permit for work, residence permit for reunion or residence permit for private affairs. At present, most cities in China have supporting policy for foreigners holding other types of visas (such as X/M/Q/S) to change their visas and apply for permit for work and residence in China, without leaving the country.
GEI has rich experience in helping foreigners apply for Chinese visas and residence permits. If you have any questions, welcome to consult us!
