This post is going to be all about how to renew your Visa in Chengdu, China. In this post, I’ll be explaining how you can renew your L visa (Tourist Visa) in Chengdu. I hope this post is going to help you with getting your Chinese L visa renewed.
A Chinese L Visa is usually valid for 30 days or longer and can be renewed once for 30 days. How long your L Visa is valid for is dependent on a variety of factors including in which country you applied for it and what passport you are holding. I got granted a 30-day visa in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam.
Documents you will need to renew your Visa
- Passport
- Copies of passport profile page, Chinese L Visa, and of the page with the latest China entry stamp
- 1 picture (white background, size: 30mm x 40mm)
- Police registration form (original only, no copy needed)
- Filled out form (basic information + travel itinerary)
I was house sitting in Chengdu all of July and needed to extend my L Visa to complete the house sit. After the sit, I was planning on visiting Shanghai and my itinerary, therefore, included my remaining stay in Chengdu and a trip to Shanghai. I also submitted additional documents (without being asked for them), to support my application.
Additional documents that I submitted:
- Hostel booking confirmation for my next desination (Shanghai)
- Letter of invitation from the people I was house sitting for
Specifics about the renewal
- Processing time is 5 working days
- The visa is valid for 30 days from the day it’s ready for collection
- Cost of renewel is 160 RMB (July 2018)
- The only payment option is via Chinese card. Cash and international cards aren’t accepted.
This was it for the basics and I am now going to share with you how to renew your visa in Chengdu in more detail.
How to renew your visa in Chengdu – the process
Step 1: Bring all your documents and visit the PSB
In order to renew your visa, you need to visit the PSB – The PSB Public Security Bureau ā Foreign Affairs & Visa Office. The office is located Northside of Tianfu Square, right behind a huge building. There is a map of it online that I highly recommend checking out. If you have trouble finding it, simply ask around. Most people working in the area know where the building is located.
Once you are inside the building you simply take the elevator to the 3rd floor. I went to the PSB on a Monday and it wasn’t busy at all. On the 3rd floor, you’ll find a front desk with two ladies who will review your documents and will hand you the form (if you don’t already have one).
Once that’s done they’ll hand you a little slip with a number on it and you then simply go to the counter in question. The person at the counter reviewed all my documents (the ones I listed above) and didn’t ask me anything. He kept my passport and documents and handed me a slip. He advised me to come back exactly a week later to collect and pay for my visa.
.. 5 working days later ..
Step 2: Visit counter #19 for “collection”
If you decide to collect your visa on the day it’s ready then make sure to visit the PSB between 4 and 5 PM. I tried to get my visa earlier than that and it wasn’t ready. This part is where the confusion is real. Walk up to the counter #19 that says “collection” and hand the person working on the day your collection slip. You won’t be given anything. The person behind the counter simply pulls out your file and gets it ready for payment. Once that’s done you line up at counter #20 for “payment”.
Step 3: Visit counter #20 for “payment”
Both of these counters are right next to each other and there may be quite a line. Be patient though, on the day that I went they luckily ended up processing all visas although it was way past 5 PM. At counter #20 you are asked to pay for your visa. As mentioned earlier, the only payment option is via Chinese card. Cash and international cards aren’t accepted. This is where the whole process of how to renew your visa in Chengdu gets tricky.
When I applied for my renewal I asked if international cards are accepted and got told that I should have no issues using it. This did not exactly work out. I was the last person in line and there wasn’t anyone behind me. Luckily the person who was in front of me was still in the same room and she ended up paying for my visa via her Chinese card. Luckily, she had change and I paid her in cash.
Step 4: Celebrate! You got it!
This is the process of how to renew your visa in Chengdu. It’s all things considered, a pretty straight-forward process and I am glad that I got it out of the way. Are you thinking of renewing your visa in Chengdu? If you have any questions about the process, please do not hesitate to ask me. I am happy to help! š
More China content:
I love your awesome website design and your beautiful images. I am a busy Mom and love making muffins on weekends when time allows me to make cakes.