China Visa Problems

Why Visas are Needed

A visa allows a foreign party or person to enter a country after the government has reviewed the applicant and his background. Visa application programs provide countries a number of benefits to identify potential problems with visitors before they set foot inside the given territory. Most people visiting China obtain a standard tourist visa for short-term visits or business purposes. Government officials travel on different documents based on pre-arranged travels established between China and the visiting country personnel. Work visas are allowed if there is acceptable sponsorship provided by a Chinese agency (for example, a school sponsors a visiting teacher).

China's visas also include the J-1 and J-2. Both are for foreign correspondents. The difference between the two has to do with how long the visit will be.

For those who regularly visit China and work in the country, one of the recurring problems tends to be obtaining re-approval of visas that expire. Some have no problem, yet others find themselves scrambling to get their papers in order. Regional officials, according to CN Reviews, can issue conflicting rules for applicants to follow, and some people find themselves on the wrong end of the bureaucracy as a result. Once a visa is canceled, the visitor has no choice but to leave the country and request re-entry.

A common problem for tourists and visitors on a schedule includes trying to obtain a visa close to the time of a visit. Chinese embassies frequently do not issue visas in time to meet deadlines. Given the amount of review involved, it's best to be patient and give officials the courtesy of plenty of time to process your application.

Visitors conducting long-term business know they are required to have visas specific for permanent business activities in China. However, according to Forbes Magazine, it was common practice for many business visitors from neighboring countries to use tourist visas instead for quick entry. This practice was ended by the Chinese government in 2008 to force visits to be consistent with the applications provided. It also raised revenue for the government, costing business persons as much as $8,000 to $10,000 per long-term business visa compared to the old $130 fee for a tourist visa. That doesn't include the legal fees and an expected deposit in a national Chinese bank to guarantee the business viability in-country.

Business travelers on temporary business (for a few days) must now use only a business traveler visa as well. Fortunately, the fee for a business traveler visa is the same cost as a tourist visa, but a business visa is harder to obtain.

Each visa has a limit on how long a visitor can stay in China. Some are good for only 30 days, others allow stays for multiple years. Where visitors get into trouble is if they stay in-country longer than the visa allows and then get caught. Technically, a person without a valid visa is in-country illegally. Chinese authorities have a number of responses for these circumstances. The simplest involves ordering the person to leave and stamping his passport with a message that says, "must leave China within 10 days." This, of course, bars any re-entry again for a good number of years. Alternatively, the authorities can arrest the person, detain him, and then escort him to a travel point to leave the country. Much of the treatment depends on how egregious the violation of illegal stay was.