Hi everybody
i have a question about a return-visa. I've got a X-visa (Student) valid until 30th april 2005. In April, I'ld like to flight for a visit to HongKong and Macau (I know - wrong time cause the weather - but thats the only period where I have free time).
Do I really need a visa for a second entry to china? Someone told my, I have to make a physical examination which I didn't need for the temp.resident permit. Why do I need it for a second entry but not for stay in shanghai? How much is the fee in HongKong for such a visa? I heard that there are a lot of offices just waiting for people like me. And do they need to make an examination with me?
Any help and advices would be very very fine.
thanks
Pete

imperator667 , just saw your message. Probably you have already founf all info, if not then yes, with your X visa you have normally one entry which you used up upon entering China. THus even if your visa is not expired if you leave the country you will need to apply once again for entry visa to China. What you have to do is to go to your Foreign Student Office and ask a paper saying that you are a student in your university and say you need it to go to your home country and come back. With this paper you go to Wusong Lu 333 (Police Station) and for I guess 400 yuan (paied upon receipt) they will make a new visa in your passport in a form of a sticker, take your green book. It will be valid till teh date which is indicated now in your green book. After that you can go to HK. Check if you need to get a visa to go there! Here is a link http://www.immd.gov.hk/ehtml/hkvisas_4.htm Once you are in HK you just get in touch with any agency (heard that cheapest is Japan Travel Agency here is their email visa_hkg@jta.biz) and they will do you a new visa (F) you will not need to pass any new medical examination.

If you need more info PM me. Good luck!

Hi...
after some months working last year in Shanghai i will return this october for 3 years working and doingg my phd in urban design at Tongji...
i don´t really know how to do all the application from germany and just think its better to first get a businessvisa (which i can get from my professor) and than later after some weeks do all the application at Tongji including Visa stuff...
Can i than switch from Business to X-Visa...or is it possible to study on with a businessvisa ? i will be often outside of china for research and sometimes back in germany, so do i need to renew X-Visa each time or do they also have some X-Visa with multiple entry...
I´m sorry if this was asked before, but i didn´t found something before...

with regards,
G. Wehmeyer

wehmeyer , Before only one entry visa was given by default now your X visa will be automatically multiple entry. So you do not need to renew it every time. Yes, you can change from F or L(tourist) into X but not vice versa. I think it is possible to study with F visa, though you probably will want to check it with the university. To get X visa you will need to pass health examination, no need to do that for F visa. Since normally Universities provide documents for visa they afterwards make a copy of your visa but I know a person who just did not want to register (not to remake everytime when going abroad), he never told that to the university and thus never got his student card but maybe if he asked he would have received it as well.
Maybe somebody else could add. Good luck with your thesis!

Thanks Olesechka

so i can get X-Visa with mutiply entry ? thats new for me...do you have sources for this ?
beside this what are the benefits by having X-Visa instead of F-Visa ?

thanks

After elimination of green book it is done automatically, I asked myself for a new one (to be able to get into the country after holidays out of China) at the time when I still had a green book and single entry visa. They automatically gave me multiple entry for 400 (?) RMB.
I am saying that vice versa X visa does not give you anything good: you cannot change it into any other kind of visa without leaving Mainland country and you have to do health examination. With F visa you can extend through an agency staying in China and no need to do health examination. BUT I do not know if the University gives you all necessary docs if you register with them but hold F visa without changing it into X. This needs to be checked.

I did not say but F visa is normally also done as Multiple entry, so there is no advantage. X visa was reexamined by authorities in Nov 2004, since then no possibility to change from X to anything else and guess M entry is automatically put also from then but not sure about the exact date.

!!!X VISA CAN BE CHANGED INTO L under condition that the university gives you a paper that you successfully finished studies and that you want to travel a month in China, then you have to persuade Policemen at Wusong Lu (this should be done ONLY in the city where you got your previous X visa) and they actually have a right to give you L 1 month visa. With that you can change through an agency into F 6 months (F 1 year can be changed only from F visa). Well, this is an option if you cannot go to HK (I for example cannot get a visa to go to HK).