China: Visa Booklet by Niels

AIESEC in Mainland of China

Visa Guide

AIESEC in Mainland of China Visa Booklet

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Introductions………………………………………………………….Pgs. 2,3 L Visa ! Explanation…………………………………………………..Pgs. 3-‐5 ! Applying……………………………………………………….Pg. 5 F Visa ! Explanation…………………………………………………..Pgs. 5-‐6 ! Applying……………………………………………………….Pgs. 7-‐8 Z Visa ! Explanation…………………………………………………...Pg. 8 ! Applying………………………………………………………..Pgs. 9-‐10 Extending your Visa………………………………………………….Pgs.10-‐14 Picture Examples……………………………………………………..Pgs.14-‐17 Important Information…………………………………………….Pgs.17-‐20

Introductions Many of us know that getting visas can be tricky, especially for certain countries and so we have prepared this booklet to help you on your way! Most of the information is standard and you MUST check your NEAREST embassy or consulate for the latest information as applying for a Chinese visa varies from country to country. The first and the most important question that you're going to have to answer about your Chinese visa is: Which I going to apply for an L (tourist) visa, an F (internship) visa or a Z (working) visa? Your host AIESEC LC should work with you to help you make the decision, and once you've decided what visa you're getting they should help guide you through the process of getting it. Even though your LC is going to help you, you should still understand what kind of visa you're getting and why you're getting it, so you'll know if something's not right, and have an idea how to fix it. The next few sections are an explanation of the three different kinds of visas. They're a little bit complicated, but the reason they're so detailed is that understanding the details of your visa will help you stay out of any visa trouble! Trust us, you don't want to get into visa trouble as in China it can cost you a lot of time and money. IMPORTANT!! Before we talk about the 3 types pay attention to below! In China government regulations can change without warning for what seems like no reason at all. This is true for the regulations applying to visas, too. The first place you should go to look for the latest information on getting a Chinese visa is the website of your local embassy. Unfortunately, while the

websites of many Chinese embassies are up-‐to-‐date and helpful, some of them aren't. Also, the consular sections of most Chinese embassies don't answer phone calls, so there's no way to call with questions. We've done our best to make sure the information we've included here was accurate at the time of writing. But if you're the type who wants to be 100% sure, you can check websites like Lonely Planet's “Thorntree” forum (www.lonelyplanet.com/thorntree) to read the experiences of recent travelers with getting visas. Or you can ask your AIESEC buddy in China to get in touch with a visa agency here (the best is Traders' Link. Their website is here: http://www.traders-‐link.com/en/), or put you in touch with a recent trainee from your home country. Now that is all explained here are the Visa explanations! L Visa This type of visa is for those visiting for tourism, family, or other similar personal matters. The Explanation You'll be working in China instead of traveling, but if you're doing a very short-‐term traineeship then you should apply for this visa. This visa's period of validity can be either 90 or 180 days from the date they're issued (a lot of factors affect which one you'll get, but it can't hurt to ask the consular for the longer duration when you apply!). That means that you have either 90 or 180 days to enter China after you get the visa, otherwise you'll have to apply for a new visa before you can enter the country. There are a few kinds of L visas: ●

Single entry: This visa allows you to enter China only one time. If

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you leave China with a single entry visa, you'll have to get a new visa before you can come back into the country. Double entry: Allows you to enter China twice. If you have this visa, you can leave the China once and come back. If you leave the country a second time, you'll have to get a new visa before you can come back in. Multiple entries: This visa allows you to leave China and come back in as many times as you would like during the visa's period of validity. The duration of stay for most L visas is 30 days.

Duration of Stay = you can stay for 30 days Period of Validity = you have 3 or 6 months in which you can enter China. Although an L visa may be valid for three or six months, 30-‐day duration of stay means that once you enter the country, you have to leave 30 days later. If you have a single entry L visa, that means you'll need to get a new visa to come back in, even if there is still time left on your period of validity. Instead of leaving the country and getting a new visa, you can also get your L visa extended for another 30 days inside China. You can only extend your L visa two times (more on that option in extending section). With a double entry L visa, you'll still have to leave the country after 30 days, but you can come back in and stay another 30 days as long as your second entry is before the end of the visa's period of validity. If you leave the country again, you'll need a new visa before you can come back in, just like with the single entry L visa. Also like the single entry L visa, you can extend this one for 30 days from inside China. With a multiple entry L visa, you'll still have to leave the country after 30 days, but you can enter and come back in as many times as you need before the end of the visa's period of validity. With an L visa that has 180 days of validity, this means you may end up exiting the country and re-‐entering as many as four or five times! Just like the other two kinds of L visas, you have

the option of extending this visa for 30 days from within China up to two times. Applying The following are the requirements for this visa. " A passport with 6 months validity remaining and a blank page for visa to be applied. " One completed Visa Application Form which has to be truly filled out. If you share a passport then you must also complete the Supplementary Form. Go to your local embassy for the form you can find it online. " A passport sized photo which is recent and has a white background – this should be attached to your Visa Form. " Also, certain circumstances may mean you must provide the original copy of your return air ticket and your Chinese hotel booking. " Money to pay the visa fee. Check out the embassy website as the price varies from country to country. These are the standard requirements and depending on your country of origin you may need to provide other information. Contact your host LC for support and we can see if we can help you if there are any other requirements! F Visa The F Visa is for business purposes, or for those who are participating in a lecture, short term studies, scientific & cultural exchange for a period of less than 6 months. The Explanation This visa is better for medium-‐to-‐long term traineeships .Just like the L visa; F visas have a period of validity of either 90 or 180 days. Also like the

L visa, whether your local embassy gives you 90 or 180 days depends on a lot of factors, but it can't hurt to ask for the longer one when you apply. F visas have the same three basic kinds as the L visa: ●

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Single entry: This visa allows you to enter China only one time. If you leave China with a single entry visa, you'll have to get a new visa before you can come back into the country. Double entry: Allows you to enter China twice. If you have this visa, you can leave the China once and come back in. If you leave the country a second time, you'll have to get a new visa before you can come back in. Multiple entries: This visa allows you to leave China and come back in as many times as you would like during the visa's period of validity.

Unlike the L visa, F visas have longer duration of stay. The duration of stay for an F visa can be 90 or 180 days. Still, most of the same rules apply. If you have a single entry F visa, that means you'll need to get a new visa to come back in, even if there is still time left on your period of validity. Instead of leaving the country and getting a new visa, you can also get your F visa extended inside China. Unlike the L visa, there is no limit to the number of times you can extend an F visa (more can be found in extending). With a double entry F visa you can leave China once, but you can come only back in if your second entry is before the end of the visa's period of validity. If you leave the country again, you'll need a new visa before you can come back in, just like with the single entry F visa. Also like the single entry F visa, you can extend this one from inside China. With a multiple entry F visa you can enter and come back in as many times as you need before the end of the visa's period of validity. You can extend this one inside China too. Note that, unlike with the L visa, you DO NOT have to exit the country once every thirty days, making this visa a MUCH more convenient option if you're on a long traineeship.

Applying Just like with the L, you can request a single, double, or multiple-‐entry when you apply (we still suggest you ask for multiple-‐entry, just in case!). Unlike an L visa, with the F you can also request either a 90 or 180 duration of stay. Ask for the one which is appropriate to your situation. Some embassies can grant F visas with durations of stay up to a year, but you have to explain to the visa officer why you need the extra time. If your traineeship is longer than six months, talk with your host LC about getting a longer F visa. Requirements: " A passport with 6 months validity remaining and with blank page for visa to be applied. " One completed Visa Application Form which as to be truly filled out. If you share a passport then you must also complete the Supplementary Form. " A passport sized photo which is recent and has a white background – this should be attached to your Visa Form. " Money for the visa fee, again the price will vary according to country. " Also, certain circumstances may mean you must provide the original copy of your return air ticket and you Chinese hotel booking. " In addition the most important piece of documentation you will need is a ‘Letter of Confirmation’ which is also known as ‘Invitation Letter of Duly Authorized Unit’ and it must be authorized by the Chinese government. Once again these are standard and you should contact your host LC and also look at your local embassy website to see if there are any other requirements. This type of visa harder to acquire and requires more in terms of documentation, therefore it can take longer to get. The last requirement (the invitation letter) is the main thing that makes applying for an F visa

more difficult than applying for an L visa. It is advised that you start proceedings 1 month in advance; furthermore you, the host LC and your company should check that it explains all necessary requirements to save time and the possibility of rejection. Z Visa It’s for foreign citizens working in China, with at least two years relevant working experience and ages above 25-‐year-‐old. It’s the most complicated amongst the three visas. Let us introduce in the short way about the process: Foreigners work permit →→ Z visa notice→→Foreigners physical examination→→Go abroad for 30 days temporary work Z visa→→Residence Registration Certificate →→Alien Employment Permit →→Resident Permit Only when you collect all the material above it means you finish the Z visa processes. Even if you are determined to apply for a Z visa, it does not mean you can get it. This visa entails a strictly policy with your Company’s License. They need to have the ability to get the approval certificate (foreign funded enterprise submitted)/social insurance registration certificate (interior capital enterprise submit )、Employment Report with company’s stamp) 、 Employment Intent Report、A power of attorney to bureau of commerce、 A power of attorney to bureau of labour. From what has been mentioned above, we can safely arrive at the conclusion that it’s totally complicated and hard to get the Z visa. That’s why we didn’t use it as much; mostly it depends on the company and the city situation.

Applying for an Z Visa With help from the professional agent, you will find more easily to get the Z visa, but it will cost around RMB2500~5000 at the time of writing this for citizens of the U.S., Canada, Japan, and most European countries. It may be more expensive for people from other countries. For material: A. Eligibility Foreign citizens working in China B. Application Documents The company which the applicant works in should submit the documents as follows: 1. the business license duplicate (original and copy) 2. approval certificate (foreign funded enterprise submit ), social insurance registration certificate (interior capital enterprise submit ) 4. Invitation Letter from company with their stamp. 5. The contract signed by the foreigner (copy) 6. Document from the bureau of commerce should be provided with company’s signature which in China is represented by a stamp. 7. Document from the bureau of labour should be provided with company’s signature which in China is represented by a stamp. The applicant should submit the documents as follows: 1. Resume in Chinese 2. Bachelor degree certificate or over (original and copy), if it is foreign language, translate to Chinese with the stamp of the translation company.

3. Related working experience in this field over 2 years with the chop of the previous company, if it is foreign language, translate to Chinese with the translation company’s stamp. (original) 4. Health certificate (original), given by the Entry-‐Exit Inspection and Quarantine 5. Passport (original and copy) 6. Residence registration certificate. 7. A recent 2-‐inch photo with pale blue background The forms needed are as follows: 1. <Application Form for Foreigner’s Employment in China> 2. <Employment Registration of Foreign Workers China> 3. <Visa or Residence Permit Application Form> C. Term of validity 1year’s work permit and 1year’s resident permit visa with multiple-‐entry D. Time of approval Approval upon submission of requisite documents will take 25workdays, which does not include the weekend, when applications are collected. (If an applicant goes abroad to apply the time of approval is decided by your personal schedule) As this type of visa is very complicated we strictly recommend that you talk with your host LC as some documents may have to be acquired or approved in certain cities and also check with your LOCAL embassy. Extending your Visa! BELOW L Visa

The process of extending an L visa is not easy, which is one of the reasons L visas are best only for very short traineeships (for more on that, see page 16). Plus, it can only be extended twice, each time only for 30 days! We suggest you avoid extending an L visa if it's at all possible! After you read this section you'll understand why. Extending an L visa is not a fun process. If you do need to extend your L visa, though, below are the materials you'll need to do it. Once again, these requirements are accurate at of the time of this writing, but may have changed since. You can go to the website of the City Public Security Bureau (take Beijing as an example: http://www.bjgaj.gov.cn/eng/) to make sure. ● ● ● ● ●

Passport with your current visa Temporary Residence Registration Form Filled-‐out Visa Application Form Passport Photo Documents certifying financial support for living cost in which ever city (e.g. certificate of deposit, at an average of US$100 per day)

The last requirement is what makes extending an L visa so annoying. A hundred dollars a day means you need to have a certificate of deposit for US$3000 (US$100 per day x 30 days). The exchange rate at the time of this writing was about 6.2 RMB to one US dollar, which means you would need about RMB18,600! The worst part is that all this money needs to be in a Chinese bank account. That's worth repeating in big letters with lots of exclamation points: TO EXTEND YOUR L VISA, YOU NEED TO SHOW THE CHINESE VISA AUTHORITIES PROOF OF US$3000 IN A CHINESE BANK ACCOUNT!!!!!!!!! There are three major reasons this requirement is annoying: 1.

If you don't have a Chinese bank account, you need to open one, which means you'll probably have to wait in line at the bank for a long time (Chinese banks have horrible customer service), and you'll need to fill out a bunch of forms written in Chinese. If you do have to

open a Chinese bank account, be sure to bring your passport! You'll need to show it to open the account. If you didn't bring this amount of money with you to China, you'll need to wire the money from your foreign bank account, or have someone else wire it to you. Wire transfers into China take several days to process, and also require you to fill out a bunch of forms in Chinese. The certificate of deposit you need to show the visa authorities freezes your bank account. You won't have access to the account for at least a day or two.

For all these reasons, it's worth repeating, we suggest you avoid extending an L visa if at all possible! If you're applying for an L visa extension, it probably means that you or your LC made a mistake! F Visa Extending an F visa isn't simple, but at least you don't have to have three thousand dollars in the bank! If you have an F visa, you won't have to extend it unless you're on a very long traineeship. By the time you have to extend it you'll probably be a China expert and not need the help from this little booklet we've put together! But, just in case, here's our advice. If you want to extend an F visa, go to a visa service company. We recommended Traders' Link on the first page and we'll recommend them again here. They make the long and difficult process of extending an F visa fast and easy. Walk in with a passport photo, your passport, and the money for their fee (RMB2000 as of this writing for citizens of the U.S., Canada, Japan, and most European countries. It may be more expensive for people from other countries) and you'll very quickly have a new F visa.

However, if you still want to do things by the book, the list below is what you'll need to extend your F visa. Before you apply, go to the Embassy website and talk with your LC to check out the most up-‐to-‐date list of what materials you need. ● ● ● ● ● ●

Your passport with your current visa Your temporary residence permit Filled-‐out Visa Application Form stamped with your host company's seal Passport Photo Invitation letter from your host company Copy of your host company's business license

This probably sounds all hard and confusing but don’t worry! Get in touch with your host LC at least a month before the end of your visa's period of validity. They'll work together with you, your company, and the government to get together all the materials you'll need to apply for an extension. F visas extensions can be zero, single, double, or multiple entry. The duration of stay for the first three (zero, single, double) is six months. Multiple entry F visa extensions can be six or 12 months long. Like we said earlier, there's no limit to the number of times you can extend your F visa, but unless you decide to stay in China after the end of your traineeship you should only have to do it once! Z Visa Compared with the apply process, it’s easier when you are going to extend it. With agency service, you need to prepare: A. Eligibility Foreign citizens working in China with work permit

B. Application documents 1. Business license duplicate(copy) 2. Passport (original ) 3. Work permit (original ) 4. <Application for Extension of Employment Term> with chop of the company with a recent 2-‐inch photo with pale blue background 5. A power of attorney to bureau of labour should be provided with company’s stamp. The applicant should submit the documents as follows: C. Time of approval 3 work days Picture Examples L Visa Single Entry L Visa Double Entry

L Visa Multiple Entries F Visa Single Entry Z Visa: the Foreigner Resident Permit

Important Information! So Which Visa Should I Get? Before we help you figure out which visa will work for you, you should know that different people from our LCs have different recommendations on this question. Some of them tell all of their trainees to get F visas. Some of them tell trainees on short traineeships to get an L visa, and trainees on long traineeships to get F visas. Do what your TN Manager tells you to do!! The information we're giving you here is so that you can make good decisions, and protect both yourself and AIESEC China. L Visas If you read the last two sections, you've probably already guessed that L visas are only good for short-‐term traineeships. By “short-‐term”, we mean one or two months. The main reason why L visas are better for short-‐term traineeships is that they require less paperwork than F visas. This makes the process of getting a visa much quicker and easier for you and your LC.

L visas are not good for traineeships longer than a month or two because: a.

They require you to leave the country once every thirty days. This takes a lot of time and effort, and can get very expensive very quickly (the cheapest way to leave the country is to go to Hong Kong, but even that will probably cost you at least US$50 for a round-‐trip). It's not easy to extend an L visa inside China (see page 11 for all the painful details). Also, an L visa can only be extended for 30 days each time, a maximum of two times.

All this makes L visas (it's worth repeating) a terrible choice for traineeships longer two months!! F Visas If you're going to be in China for longer than two months, you should get an F visa. The reason is simple: even though it's a little bit more trouble to get an F visa than an L visa (see page 7 for the details), having one will save you a lot of time and trouble and money. The reasons are: • F visas don't require you to leave the country once every 30 days. • F visas are much easier to extend than L visas.

If you're doing a three month-‐long traineeship and your TN Manager is recommending that you get an L visa, something is wrong (of course, the ICX AIESECer in our LC are usually pretty good at handling visas, so it's not likely that this will happen ☺). Some Important Miscellaneous Information This is where we put all the information that you really need to know, but didn't fit in the other sections. READ THIS SECTION (ESPECIALLY THE PARTS IN RED). IT'S IMPORTANT!! First, you may have asked yourself while you were reading this,

“Why are we choosing between a tourist visa and an internship visa? Why are we not getting a work visa?” If you've had any experience with visas before, you probably know that most countries don't make it easy to get a work visa. China's no different. To get a work visa (they're called a “Z” visa in China), you need: • At least two years post-‐graduation work experience • To be at least 25 years old

Obviously, the overwhelming majority of AIESEC trainees in China don't meet these qualifications! And those are only two of the requirements for work visas in China. There are many others. The time, energy, and money (especially money!) are needed to get a Z visa which makes it impractical for almost all of the companies that AIESEC works with. So it is pretty impossible to get a work visa. Knowing that, it's possible you might ask yourself, “I'm going to be working in China, but I won't have a work visa. Is this illegal? Am I going to go to jail?” Let's answer the second question first: No, you're not going to go to jail. You don't have to worry about that. If you follow the instructions we're going to give you, nothing bad will happen to you. You'll come to China, you'll do your traineeship, and you'll go home having had an amazing experience. The first question (“Is this illegal?”) is harder. If you're on an F visa, the answer is “maybe”. If you're on an L visa, the answer is “definitely”. Is working on an L visa illegal? Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. A thousand times yes. People with L visas are not allowed to work while they're in China. The law is very clear on this. When you are doing your traineeship in China, you will be working illegally.

If that's the case, why do some LCs still recommend that their trainees get an L visa? • First, L visas are much easier to get than F visas, which makes the process much easier for LCs here and for companies that take trainees. It's not easy to get 20 F visas for 20 trainees that are only going to be in China for a month! • Second, as long as you don't tell the Chinese government that you will be working while you're in China, the risk of anyone finding out is very, very small. Like almost zero. The government here has much bigger problems to worry about than 19 and 20 year-‐old foreigners doing a one month traineeship. So we really want to emphasize that if your LC has asked you to apply for an L visa DO NOT MENTION ON YOUR L VISA APPLICATION THAT YOU WILL BE WORKING IN CHINA!! IF YOU DO THIS YOU WILL NOT GET A VISA, AND YOU WILL GET AIESEC IN CHINA INTO TROUBLE!! You should take this warning very seriously. As an international NGO that works with university students, AIESEC is in a very sensitive position in China. They don't want to give the government an excuse to shut AIESEC down here. You shouldn't give the government that excuse either! Is working on an F visa illegal? F visas can be used for internships. But they're supposed to be unpaid internships. AIESEC traineeships all pay the trainee a salary. So that means AIESEC trainees with F visas are working illegally, right? No, not necessarily. To be honest, this is a grey area (which is why the warning below isn't in big letters☺). The regulations on F visas do allow companies to give interns a stipend for housing and food. So when you apply for your F visa, you should say that the money your company is giving you is a STIPEND for housing and food. NOT A

SALARY. You should say this even if your company is providing you housing. Just like with the L visa, saying the wrong thing could keep you from getting a visa, and get AIESEC China in trouble!! Under a strict interpretation of the law, AIESEC traineeships with F visas are probably illegal. But the salaries for AIESEC traineeships in China are low enough compared to market wages so it's not silly to call it a stipend. Certainly, you’re not going to get rich on a traineeship here! Regardless, as long as you emphasize that you're being paid a stipend, not a salary; you should have no problems with your F visa.

Q&A What happens if my visa gets rejected? The first thing to do if your application is rejected is to ask why. Were any documents insufficient, is the passport valid? Then the next step would be to contact your host LC and ask for new documents if this is the case and you can also contact them for any other support. But in order to prevent this from happening you should gather as much information as possible before submitting your application, so you can also go to visa or travel agencies and ask them for some information as well as talking with your LC and checking embassy websites. It is in your best interests to prepare and find out as much as possible before making the application.

Have An Amazing time! SO now that you have read this book you feel more comfortable applying for the visa. Once more make sure you check your LOCAL embassy and talk with you host LC. We wish you all the best; and WELCOME TO CHINA!