[New!] Good Samaritan Case Study 6:

L-visa holder's experience getting a stay permit

From Samaritan #6:

“This website was super helpful as I applied for my own stay permit here in SH, so just wanted to add on my experience as well in case someone else needs it. I went to the Entry-Exit Bureau out in Pudong

Documents brought:

  1. A letter of explanation detailing that I needed to stay in the country due to a lack of flights, work visa processing, and medical reasons
  2. Screenshots from the Trip.com app showing that there were no flights going between the US and China on the week that I was supposed to leave the country. I actually provided the full 7 days, but she ended up only holding onto 3 of the screenshots so that might be all you need
  3. Invitation letter from a Shanghai friend. The officer didn’t look too keen to accept it because the friend didn’t sign the letter, but she was still okay because I provided a copy of her ID and hukou as well. The officer also took more notice of the Chinese translated version, so I highly recommend translating all letters if you can.
  4. Letter of support from my boss, who explained that she was in the process of getting my work visa processed (for a start date of Sept, to clarify that I am not working on a tourist visa) and wanted to keep me in the country to make things easier

An important note about timing: 

I came in a month before my stay expiration date of July 25, and she said that that was way too soon. She would have to cancel my visa and could still only give me 30 days–which meant that my new stay would expire July 28. Because of this, full disclosure, I didn’t actually submit my application for the stay permit today. However, she DID assure me that with these documents everything would be totally fine, and that I could keep coming back as many times as I needed until my work permit was processed. She recommended I come back 10-7 days before expiration instead.

Also, I cannot stress this enough: get there right at 9am if you can!!! It made my morning so quick and painless.

Anyway, thanks for making my own process so much more clear!”

Thank you for sharing your experiences with us, Good Samaritan #6! 

I love how this Good Samaritan went one month before the current stay expiration date to make sure all the documents are okay for the final submission. 

Please consider sharing your experiences in extending your stay in China and paying it forward to inform others during this challenging time. You can email your experiences / findings at shanghai exit entry at gmail dot com, all in one word. Thank you.  

Visa-related Articles

Shanghai Life Articles

Link your international bank card to Alipay!!

Source: Alipay I appreciate the efforts that the Chinese government is making for the tourists. After all, imagine tourists who want to pay by cash but various establishments cannot provide change due to the lack of local residents paying by cash. For example, I would not be surprised if food vendors at China International Import

Read More »

Online residence registration with the police now available!

Online self-service residence registration with the police now live!! We are all familiar with the law that mandates all foreigners to register their residence within 24hours of arrival at a police station. This causes headaches for both expats and foreign tourists that may result in penalties. (If you stay in hotels, then you’re fine. The

Read More »

Work days & weekend switch-a-roo China International Import Expo 2019

China International Import Expo 2019’s Workday and Weekends Switcharoo for Shanghai Residents Have you seen more police, flowers, quick roadside work or paint jobs on the streets of Shanghai recently?  That’s because it’s that time of year when the government wants us off the streets and clear the way for visitors from people from all

Read More »
Scroll to Top