For our most recent visa update see our December 2010 Visa Update

As usual, we are only as good as our sources.  Read more visa rules in our last wildly popular pre-Olympic visa update, New China Visa Rules Update: 24 Changes You Need to Know About.

UPDATE, DECEMBER 17, 2008

From Shanghaiist:

The 12 month multiple-entry F visa is available again... so says our favourite visa agency. In November, regulations were loosened to allow for the 3-6 month F visa, but since 6 December, the 12 month multiple-entry F visa has been made available again. Does the global economic crisis and dwindling tourist numbers have anything to do with this? Maybe, but who cares, really? Check for VisaInChina's updated services and price list here.

UPDATE, NOVEMBER 11

From Meshing Consultancy Services (in Shanghai)

From 3rd Nov 2008. The 3 or 6 month F visa is available again, if you have the L visa right now, we can renew it for a 3-6 month F visa with 1-2 entries without you leaving the country. If you have the F visa right now, we can extend it for another 3-6 month F visa with 1-2 entries without you leaving the country! Please note, that you should submit your application 5 days or earlier before its expiry date!

From 31st Oct 2008, The Labour Bureau of foreign affairs in Shanghai released the policy for working license and permit processing, even a very small capital company (30,000-100,000RMB captial) will have very good chance to get the working visa approved by the Government.

From 31st Oct 2008, Shanghai Foreign Economic Relation & Trade Commission release the Z visa invitation letter policy. During the Olympic games you can only choose your home country as the Z visa issued place. But now, you can choose any country without being in possession of that country's residential card.

UPDATE, OCTOBER 23

Bad News for F Visas: You can't extend from within China right now

Meshing Consultancy Services (in Shanghai) is no longer processing F visas. Here is the note from their webpage: "From 21st Oct 2008. Due to the unstable and un-transparent visa policy, we decide to suspend our F visa application( S1-S10 services ) until the visa policy  becomes absolutely stable. This period will not last for a long time.

LEEO Consulting (in Beijing) is also no longer processing F visas either, despite info to the contrary on their website.

UPDATE, OCTOBER 16:  SEE ABOVE UPDATE
Good news for F Visas: Extend from within China and convert L to F Visas

I just talked to Magic (Shanghai) on the phone from Meshing Consultancy Services. His company can now (as of October 8),  extend your F visa for 3 or 6 month with 1-2 entries( S0- S5 services ) from Shanghai without you have to leave the country or go go Hong Kong. 

But if you have L visa now (and you want to get an F), you can do the E1 service to extend your L visa for 1 month first because they can only convert L visa to 3 or 6 month F visa after 22nd of Oct.

From 6th Oct 2008, the cost for 3 and 6 month F visa went back to normal. So it's gotten a lot more affordable.

UPDATE, SEPT 23:

The update below is provided by the Beijinger.com on Sept 23, from Nadine Ulrich and Paul  Pennay.

Tourist (L) visa:

There seems to be no need to provide hotel and flight reservations any more at least for Canadians, Australians and Americans.

Visas for first-time visitors generally seem to be issued for longer periods of time again (usually 45-60 days of stay, double entry being available, too), but there is no fixed number of days or definite pattern emerging yet.

For Singaporeans, short trips of up to 15 days are again possible without a visa, a rule that had been suspended in July this year.

The Hong Kong Inbound Travel Association believes that rules for visas to the mainland from HK will revert to those that prevailed before the games in October.

Business (F) visa:

It seems you can extend F visas now for a certain period of time at the PSB if you can present a copy of the invitation letter you originally used to get the visa, and the business license of the inviting company.

Agencies are able to issue F visa to people that are already in China (on L or F visas). Beijingleeo can provide up to 6 months multiple entry visas. Prices are rather stiff but might drop within the coming weeks.

Work (Z) visa:

No changes I'm aware of so far; even worse, while before you could get your Z visa without leaving China if you had some kind of upper management position, this possibility now only seems to exist for the legal representative of the company mentioned on the business license. However, Z visas have continuously been issued to applicants with the required level of qualifications.

Generally, I think China will slowly adjust its immigration procedures to international standards (bear in mind that some southern provinces already require no crime certificates from your home country) and relax the rules for tourists and short-term. Also, my guess would be that the final post-Games situation will only be established mid-October, including more flexible F visa options.

POST-OLYMPIC VISA NEWS:

1. L is best

If you want to save yourself hassle, get an L (not an F). You'll get 30 days minimum and you can extend your L twice from within China (for a total of up to 90 days). For an L, you don't need an invitation letter from the Chinese government as you do for Z and F. To get an L you need an inbound and outbound flight tickets, a printout of your hotel booking, completed application form along with a passport sized photo (you might be asked for additional paper work, but these are the standard requirements). For more details on how to extend your L visa from Shanghai, go here.

2. Where to get an L visa in South East Asia?

From within South East Asia, travelers are saying that Vietnam and Bangkok are the best places to get Ls. From within China, applying for L from Hong Kong is the easiest option (takes 2-3 days).

3. Where and how many times can I extend my L from within China?

If you get an L, you will be issued a minimum of 30 days and you can renew your visa twice for 30 days each time from within China at an Entry & Exit Bureau or PSB.

4. Can I work or intern on an L?

No, you can't legally work or intern on an L and you’re not supposed to do business on an L either. Interns are struggling at the moment because they can't get Z visas, Fs are very difficult to get these days and L visas are not legal for interns.

5. What's the problem with the F?

The F used to be the gold card visa: easy to get, good for up to a year and easy to extend. As Magic says, "The F was too easy to get." On July 21st 2008, the Shanghai Foreign Economic Relation & Trade Commission stopped issuing the F visa invitation letter application, but on September 20th, says Magic, they will again issue invitation letters, so it should be easier to get F visas again and multi-entry 3/6/12 month F visas should be back. UPDATE: THE F IS BACK NOW! THE ABOVE INFO HAS NOW CHANGED!

6. When will the visa situation return to normal?

Ruth from LP Thorntree forum writes, "rumors are that the current level of visa enforcement will return to normal around October 17 after the end of the Paralympics. Normal being simple non-enforcement of regulations that have been on the books for years." As previously mentioned, Magic says that as of September 20th, F visa invitation letters will be available again.

7. If you are being paid in China you need a Z not an F

As Chinese laws, if you hold an F visa, you are not allow to get incoming payment here. If you are receiving payment in China, you need a Z otherwise, the government may fine you and your company because of the illegal employment. If a company in China wants to hire you, you need to return to your home country to apply for a Z.

8. If my visa expires and what can I do and how much fine should I pay?

According to Chinese immigrations laws, says Meshing Consultancy Services,  if your visa is expired for less than 10 days, it's not necessary to pay any fine, but you have to go to the immigration office nearest you, the officer will ask some questions and put down your words in writing and make a record. If your visa expired more than 10 days, they will charge you 500RMB per day except the first 10 days, and the maximum is 5000 RMB. For example, if you overstay 12 days, they will charge (12-10) 1000 RMB.

9. What if I'm applying for an L, but I'm not planning on staying in a hotel?

You need to provide a letter of invitation from someone in China with their address, phone number and a copy of their ID card. If you do this you don’t have to have any accommodation booked. You do not even need to have met the person and no check is done on whether you stay with them or not. 

10. Useful Visa contacts

a) To apply for a visa in Hong Kong

To get an L visa in Hong Kong use the China Travel Service (CTS) rather than the Commissioner's Office. There are forty CTS branches in Hong Kong (only one in Macau). The visa hotline number for the CTS is 852 2315 7188. You can only get a China visa on the same day in Hong Kong if you go to the CTS branch in Tsim Sha Tsui (1/F Alpha House, 27-33 Nathan Road, Tsimshatsu, Kowloon, open 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. weekdays, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday).

Or a good Hong Kong travel agency to try is:
Sunrise International Travel Co. Ltd
Room 4008,40/F., China Resources Building, 26 Harbour Road, Wanchai, H.K.
Tel: (852) 2890 9698
Fax: (852) 2895 3892
Business Hours : 8:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. (Mon-Fri)

b) For a good visa agency in Shanghai:
Meshing Consultancy Services Ltd. Co.
Room 3B, 4th floor, Yinli Building, 485 Henan Bei Road, Shanghai 200071
Tel: + 86 21 3301 1478
Emergency : Magic: 135 0182 8752
Email : info@visainchina.com
Business Hours: 9:30 a.m. to 17:00 p.m. (12 a.m. to 1 p.m. Lunch Time), Mon-Fri

c) A good visa agency in Beijing:

Beijing LEEO Consulting Service Co., Ltd.
Address: Room 1503, Aviation Mansion, No. 2 Jia, Xidawang Road, Chaoyang District, 100026 Beijing, P.R.China (500 meters north of Dawanglu Subway Station)
Tel: +86 10 6592 4495/ 96
Fax: +86 10 6592 4495
E-mail: service@cn-visa.com

Sources of information for this article:

Magic, VisaInChina:   Meshing Consultancy Services
The Beijinger: Visa Update: Extra Visa Requirements Dropped?
FXZL: Up-to-date visa Information for China (image of work permit)
Guardian: Hong Kong China visa curbs "to go next month
Bizchina: Chinese Visa Rules Back in The Spotlight
IHT: China to lift restrictions on visas from Hong Kong
Straits Times: China visa curbs lifted
Ministry of Foreign Affairs: Foreign Ministry Spokesperson: "China’s visa policy will continue to ser...
Embassy of PRC in USA: Updated instructions on getting an L Visa
Lonely Planet Thorn Tree Forum: Chinese Visa Sticky
The Beijinger Forum: Good news: extra requirements dropped 
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