Residence permit extension

If you wish to apply for an extension of your residence permit, you should submit an application to the Entry-Exit Administration 30 days before the expiration of your current residence permit, and provide supporting materials related to the reason for the application. If the reasons for the extension are found to be reasonable and sufficient, your period of stay will be extended; If your period of stay is not extended, you must leave the country within the validity period of your current residence permit.

Residence permit renewal

Should any of the particulars connected to your residence permit (name, reason for residence, passport or other international travel document number, etc.) change, you must apply to the Entry-Exit Administration to update the said particulars within 10 days from the date of change, submitting the relevant supporting materials stipulated in the aforementioned regulations. Upon successful application, the particulars of your residence permit will be adjusted and an updated residence permit will be issued.

Residence permit reissue

For foreigners whose residence permit is lost, damaged, or stolen, the applicant shall submit a certification for passport loss report or a note from the embassy or consulate of the country of residence in China, or the damaged passport and the new passport or other international travel documents, and a residence permit may be re-issued.

Visa extension

Applications for visa extensions must be made 7 days before the expiration of your current visa at your nearest Entry-Exit Administration application location.

Application Materials

(1) C visa holders should submit a certification letter issued by the competent department of the people's government at or above the county level or local civil aviation, railway, highway, port and other transportation companies. The period of stay can be extended for no more than 30 days.

(2) F visa holders should submit a certification letter issued by their inviting/host units. Units not registered in the Entry-Exit Administration system should also submit a registration certificate. The period of stay can be extended for up to 180 days.

(3) G visa holders should submit a certification letter from their host units and flight (bus, ferry) tickets with a confirmed date and seat to their onward destination country (region). The period of stay can be extended for no more than 30 days.

(4) J2 visa holders should submit a certification letter issued by the foreign affairs department of the provincial people’s government. The period of stay can be extended for no more than 30 days.

(5) L visa holders should submit their travel plan and itinerary, and group tours should also submit a certification letter from the relevant travel agency. The period of stay can be extended for no more than 30 days.

(6) M visa holders should submit a certification letter from their local inviting/host unit or individual. Units not registered in the Entry-Exit Administration system should also submit a registration certificate. If the inviting/host unit is an individual, the letter issued must be signed by the inviting individual and submitted with proof of their local household registration or actual residence. The period of stay can be extended for up to 180 days.

(7) Q2 visa holders should submit the identity document of the person they are visiting, as well as an invitation letter and proof of kinship between the applicant and the person they are visiting. The period of stay can be extended for up to 180 days.

(8) R visa holders should submit a certification letter from their inviting/host units. Units not registered in the Entry-Exit Administration system should also submit a registration certificate. The period of stay can be extended for up to 180 days.

(9) S2 visa holders should submit a certification letter from the person they are visiting, as well as their foreigner residence permit and proof of kinship between the application and the person they are visiting. Other personnel should submit relevant proof that they are dealing with private affairs or have humanitarian reasons. The period of stay can be extended for no more than 180 days for applicants visiting relatives, and no more than 90 days for other applicants.

(10) X2 visa holders should submit a certificate of enrollment issued by an education or training institution in China. The period of stay can be extended for up to 180 days.

When extending the period of stay, the cumulative period of stay shall not exceed the original period of stay specified on the visa.

Stay permit

Application Materials

(1) Foreign nationals who enter Hainan without a visa under the visa-free entry policy and need to stay beyond their visa-free stay period for non-diplomatic or official reasons should submit relevant supporting materials. Upon successful application, they will be issued a stay permit with a stay period corresponding to the length of their intended itinerary.

(2) Foreign seafarers and their accompanying family members who need to leave the city where their ship is docked must submit their seaman's certificate or other international travel document and a letter of guarantee from their shipping agency, as well as plane (bus, ferry) tickets with confirmed dates and seats to their onward destination country (region) or other relevant supporting materials. Upon successful application, they will be issued a stay permit valid for up to 30 days.

(3) Former Chinese citizens who need to stay in China after their application to renounce Chinese nationality has been approved must submit their certificate of renunciation, their foreign passport or other international travel document, and relevant supporting materials. Upon successful application, they will be issued a stay permit valid for up to 180 days.

(4) Foreign nationals whose conditions of residence have changed or been terminated and who need to continue to stay for humanitarian reasons should submit their residence permit and other relevant supporting materials. Upon successful application, they will be issued a stay permit valid for up to 30 days.

(5) The parents of foreign infants born in China who need to stay in China should submit the infant's birth certificate, the infant's passport, and the passports of both parents. Upon successful application, the infant will be issued a stay permit with the same validity as their parents' stay permits.

(6) Foreign nationals holding a stay permit who are unable to leave China within the validity period of the stay permit due to circumstances out of their control may apply to renew their stay permits. Application materials and renewal requirements shall be handled in accordance with the aforementioned regulations.

(7) Foreign nationals whose stay permits are lost, damaged or stolen must submit proof of loss of their passport or a statement indicating the said loss from their country's embassy or consulate in China and a new valid passport or other international travel document. Upon successful application, they will be reissued a stay permit.

Entry-Exit Administration Application Locations for Foreign Nationals

For phone enquiry outside working hours, call the National Immigration Administration hotline at 12367.

www.hicn.cn contributed to the story.