Hi guys,
i m here again to ask you something that might sounds strange ^^
i ll stay in china studying china till 7july,than i ll travel all around china as long as my money allows my to..my flight back to italy is dated 31july as well as my visa (i suppose i still have to apply for that). The question is :

after the 31 of july i might dont want to come back to Italy buy d prefer to stay there and looking for a job, so i may have to go to HK to apply for another Visa. The real matter here is concerning the flight back to Italy..i mean if i dont go back to Italy on the 31th of july, instead i go to HK cause of the Visa, can some problems eraise?

ps:thx about the mainland topic, i m searching the forum these days ^^

If you're staying there to look for another job, you'll need another type of visa...  You might want to contact the embassy about your different options.

you can apply for a 30 day china visa in hong kong.  the turn around time is 1-3 days, depending on how much you want to pay.  With this 30 day visa, you will beable to apply for one more 30 day tourist visa extension while in China, then you will have to leave the country again after that.  If you want to apply for a working visa, you will need a company to sponsor you, but in order to get this visa you need to enter china with a F or Z visa.

You can also apply for a 6 month multi-visa from HK.  This might be better since you don't have to keep on renewing your visa.

I don't really fully understand what you want in your question. From what I gather is your visa is expiring on July 31 and you might want to stay longer. Your max number of days you are allowed is 30 days. What you can do is leave and reenter China on July 30 if you have multi-entries for your visa.  Then leave in 30 days.  

Note, you can renew your visa in other large cities besides HK.  Most places ( countries ) are for 6 months or 1 year visa for tourist with mulit-entries.  For students and business visa are different.  For other cities are Beijing, Shanghai and Guangzhou etc. For Guangzhou I have the number in the picture to get a visa.


edit: correct bad wording, no address

[ Last edited by  Weelock at 2-12-2010 15:00 ]

The potential issue I see is if you get a China Visa for only a single entry.  If it's single entry, or if it expires the day you leave, that's it and there's no going back without re-applying.  

Of course, if your visa is for multi-entry and still has time on it, you can go to HK and then return to China.  

If not - if your visa is single-entry, the moment you leave China that's it - and if your flight is from China to Italy you will need another China visa to get back into China and take your flight.  

Of course, if you have funds and are flexible on time, none of that matters - you can simply stay in Hong Kong (I'm guessing Italians are allowed 3 months on a visitor visa like most nationalities), and buy a ticket from HK to Italy whenever you like.  

When in HK you can get a new China visa, but you should allow at least 1 day (more like 3 unless you're OK paying the premium for fast service).  Just go to any travel agent and they'll gladly sell you one, even a multi-entry visa is straightforward.

So say I'm from the US for example.  I can take a flight to HK and then get my visa to China from there?  I don't have to getthe visa from my home country?

Everything you and the OP need to know - surf this official website:
http://www.fmcoprc.gov.hk/eng/zgqz/blsjfy/

SEAJ
Edit - I would recommend NOT asking a travel agent to do China visa applications - for one thing it's going to cost a lot more (the handling fee ON TOP OF that charged by the Ministry), but more importantly, you'd need to give up your passport with the travel agent only giving you an unofficial receipt (I had a friend who had the agent "misplace" his passport/application and he was sweating and cursng/jumping up and down for at least a couple days!).  Just line up early and apply yourself.

[ Last edited by  SEAJ at 2-12-2010 14:36 ]

Yes you can get a visa after arriving.  It will take a couple of days at best though, and there's always the possibility of complications, so you should come to HK for HK sake, not for the sake of the visa.  

NOTE the rule is officially that you're supposed to get your visa to PRC before you leave your home country.  This rule can be waived, but I have heard it a number of times from different PSB officials.  In Hong Kong it is seldom enforced - lots of people come here first and then get a visa - but you need to be aware of the possibility.  Getting a visa before leaving is the surest way to be allowed into China.  

SEAJ it is indeed possible to get your own visa, but at the same time you were lucky: it's easy to fall foul of rules you're not even aware of.  For example I once arrived at the border without a visa, and was turned back, not even allowed to apply for one - and they even told me they had been instructed to levy a fine on people arriving without a visa (which they waived).  

Arbitrary, unpredictable - that's China.  

So yes you can Do It Yourself.  But you'll have an easier life by choosing a good agent and working with them.  To this day I still get agents to get my visas (multiple-year business visa) because the service fee is worth paying.