Getting a second extension on a Business visa(M) during Covid-19

“hi entry-exit,

About M’s, saw a report on your site that the 90 day extension was easy and fast … yes, the FIRST one.

A phone call to exit-entry lead us to believe that a second one would be as simple. Well, no. When you get there the story is different. One is all you get. If you beg and plead and come up witha good excuse you can get another thirty days.

The other wonderful part is, on the second one they cancel your existing visa. They don’t mention this ahead of time, of course. But it doesn’t really matter because they were all cancelled in March anyhow, as far as re-entry goes.

There IS a 90 day work permit. If I had known about that when they gave me the 30 days longer, or when I went to the foreigner work permit place (of course they didn’t mention it either), then I would have tried for that. Supposeedly takes seven days to get, then you can apply for the relevant visa at entry-exit. But alas, all systems back to normal for China. too late for me, maybe someone else can try.

So, supposedly you can get the original good-but-cancelled visa replaced at an overseas consulate. Macao looked good, the consulate can do visas but non-Macaoans are not permitted entry. It doesn’t go by where you are a resident, it goes by your passport. One down.

Hong Kong works, you need an invitation letter from the commercial bureau in Shanghai, not the normal Industrial and Commercial Bureau but a different one, but the bad part is, two weeks quarantine in HK *then* you can take a virus test *then* apply for a visa replacement for the one they cancelled in March. Three weeks total, about.

The situation for everyone who does not have a residence permit is bad.

Prepare yourselves.“