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Asked by Mr.Tad from china | Mar. 16, 2010 02:43
About:Marriage Registration in China

Your site is very helpful, thanks! I do have what I hope is a simple question -- I am a US citizen, married in Wuhan June 2009 to a Chinese woman from Hubei. I've been coming to China at least 6 months a year for the past four years and since last June I have been working for a Chinese company (based in Shanghai). The local office is in Shenzhen, where my wife, son (and very soon our new baby) live together in a house that we own. I am currently holding a Residence work permit for Shanghai, both of which are being cancelled one month from today as I have just lost my job.

As of last June I have no property or any belongings in the US; my entire life is based in China. I am hoping to get a new job here in Shenzhen before my residence permit expires. I believe that I have two choices to extend that time while staying in China with my family:
1) Apply for a 'spouse' visa if there is such a thing (if there is, what is the validity period and how many days per stay?)
2) go to Hong Kong and apply for/re-enter on a Chinese Tourist visa (multiple entry, 30 days?); can I re-enter and if so do you know how often?

Once I do find a job I assume that I can go to HK, apply for/re-enter on a Z-Visa and obtain the Shenzhen residence permit, work license, etc.

Thanks for whatever help you can provide -- the main question I have is if my marriage has any bearing on what type of visa I should apply for. I realize that the only way to legally work in China is to have a Z-visa work permit (which I will sort out once I find work).

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Answers (3)
Answered by Mr.Tad | Mar. 29, 2010 22:51
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Thanks for your reply :-)

The best way to stay is to of course find employment (which luckily I am very near to doing now). It's good to know that if I need to I can also apply for an L (tourist) visa. On that visa I would worry about re-entry and extensions -- how often can someone visit China on that visa? If I am able to get a 60-day multi-entry then I guess I'd have to spend a few days outside of China every 60 days to keep in the spirit of the visa.
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Answered by Ms.JIMMYB | Mar. 29, 2010 20:44
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Mr.Tad,
1) there is not a spouse visa in China, you can only apply for tourist visa (L visa) for family visit because your wife is Chinese, you can go to the local Exit & Enter department in Shenzhen or Shanghai to apply for a L visa. if you are denied, you have to go to Hk to apply for L visa. You can apply for multiple entry visa which permits 30 days or 60 days stay per entry, you can specify your request on the Visa Application Form of PRC.

if you find a job, you can go to HK to apply for Z visa and re-enter on a Z visa, then obtain the Shenzhen residence permit.
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Answered by Ms.HELPER | Mar. 30, 2010 21:03
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Mr.Tad, if you can obtain a multiple-entry L visa valid for 1 year, you can visit China for countless times during its validity, you have to exit China when the 60 days stay duration per entry is up, Shenzhen and Hong Kong are very near, you can go to Hong Kong, which means exit China, then return again to Shenzhen, you can get another 60 days stay duration for the new entry. In visa area, Hong Kong and Mainland China apply different exit & enter controls.
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