Extend a China Visa Locally or Risk Overstay
How to apply for a China visa extension, change, or reissue locally before your stay expires, with official fee items.
What it costs
| Figure | Period | Source | Checked |
|---|---|---|---|
| 160 元 | 零次签证，每人 | www.nia.gov.cn — 零次签证 160 元/人 | |
| 206 元 | 一次签证（非对等国家），每人 | www.nia.gov.cn — 一次签证（非对等国家） 206 元/人 | |
| 313 元 | 二次签证（非对等国家），每人 | www.nia.gov.cn — 二次签证（非对等国家） 313 元/人 | |
| 413 元 | 半年多次签证（非对等国家），每人 | www.nia.gov.cn — 半年多次签证（非对等国家） 413 元/人 | |
| 619 元 | 一年多次（含以上）签证（非对等国家），每人 | www.nia.gov.cn — 一年多次（含以上）签证（非对等国家） 619 元/人 | |
| 160 元 | 团体签证分离（非对等国家），每人 | www.nia.gov.cn — 团体签证分离（非对等国家） 160 元/人 | |
| 160 元 | 增加、减少偕行人（非对等国家），每人 | www.nia.gov.cn — 增加、减少偕行人（非对等国家） 160 元/人 | |
| 200 元 | 外国人居留许可变更，每次 | www.nia.gov.cn — 外国人居留许可变更 200 元/次 |
In order
- Check your stay deadline — Find the final day of your current stay and plan to submit the application before that date.
- Match your reason to the closed list — Review the authority’s accepted extension reasons and gather documents supporting a reason that fits.
- Identify the correct authority — Use the exit-entry authority with jurisdiction over the place where you are staying.
- Prepare your documents — Have your passport, current visa or permit, and supporting documents for the listed reason ready.
- Submit before expiry — Lodge the extension, change, or reissue application while your current stay remains valid.
- Confirm document type and fee — Ask whether your case involves a stay permit or residence permit, confirm the applicable listed fee, and pay that amount.
- Check the issued document — Verify the document type, validity dates, and personal details before leaving the authority.
A visa can be extended, changed, or reissued inside China, but only through the exit-entry authority with jurisdiction over where you are. You must apply before your current stay expires; an overstay is a separate offence with its own penalty. Accepted extension reasons form a closed list, so a personal preference that is not on that list is not enough.
Where to apply
Submit the application to the exit-entry authority that has jurisdiction over your place of stay. Another office cannot accept it merely because it is closer or more convenient.
When and why to apply
Apply before the stay shown on your current visa or permit ends. An overstay is a separate offence with its own penalty, and applying late does not automatically remove that issue. The reasons that justify an extension are a closed list. Your situation must fit an accepted reason; you cannot rely on any reason you prefer.
Stay permit versus residence permit
A stay permit is a different document from a residence permit. Do not treat them as interchangeable or assume that a visa extension gives you residence status. Ask the authority which document applies to your case, then check that document separately for its type and validity dates.
Listed fees for an application
The following visa fee items are listed on www.nia.gov.cn, per person: zero-entry visa 160 元; one-entry visa for non-reciprocal countries 206 元; two-entry visa for non-reciprocal countries 313 元; half-year multiple-entry visa for non-reciprocal countries 413 元; one-year multiple-entry or longer visa for non-reciprocal countries 619 元. Other listed items are: group visa separation for non-reciprocal countries 160 元 per person; adding or reducing accompanying persons for non-reciprocal countries 160 元 per person; foreigner residence permit change 200 元 per time. Ask which fee item applies to your extension, change, or reissue before paying.
Confirm before you act
Fees and processing times change. This page was checked on 2026-10-22; confirm the current rule with the authority named in each source above before you rely on a deadline.
Last checked 2026-10-22, next review 2027-04-20. Every figure above names its source and the date it was read. This page is a guide, not legal, tax or immigration advice — confirm with the authority before acting on a deadline.