Your Visa Is Nearing Expiry: Extensions, Replacement, and Stay Permits

If you need to remain in China longer, first check the duration of stay shown on the visa in your passport rather than looking only at the visa validity period. The National Immigration Administration requires an application to extend a visa's duration of stay to be submitted at least seven days before that duration expires to the exit-entry administration of the public security authority of a local people's government at or above county level for the place of stay. The cumulative extension may not exceed the original duration of stay specified on the visa.

An extension is not automatically approved

Applicants must explain a reasonable and sufficient reason for staying and submit evidence relevant to the application. After acceptance, the competent authority examines whether to approve the application and for how long. Keep the receipt safe while awaiting the result, and handle your passport and subsequent itinerary as instructed on the receipt and by the authority. Do not assume that you may stay indefinitely.

Why a stay permit may be needed after visa-free entry

A person who enters visa-free and needs to remain beyond the visa-free period for a legitimate and justified reason may apply for the appropriate stay permit in accordance with the law. A stay permit addresses a specific stay matter; it is not equivalent to a long-term residence permit and cannot be used for unauthorized work or study. If a visa is lost or damaged, or its registered information changes, check the replacement or reissuance requirements instead.

Application channels and documents are subject to the Instructions for Foreigners Applying for Visa Documents and current Beijing Public Security exit-entry guidance. If you have overstayed or may do so, proactively explain the situation to the competent authority as soon as possible rather than delaying further.