My parents want to come and visit us next year for about 50 days. Does anyone know if a tourist visa (30 days) can be extended once you are in China? We are trying to apply for them to get the S2 visa, but the Consulate in South Africa is now asking for unabridged birth certificates, etc., which we don't have. Any advice will be greatly appreciated.
sorry, i never got a tourist visa myself. but i just looked it up for you. it looks like 1 extension for an extra 30 days is doable.
you can try contacting one of these agencies perhaps?
If you have entered into China with a tourist (L) visa, and want to stay in China longer than the valid period specified on your visa, you are requested to extend your visa's stay. We can get extra 30 days stay for you, maximum 1 time.
Thanks so much.
The only thing I would be cautious of is if you need a return ticket in place for the original visa. With many budget tickets you cannot make changes to flights.
You might try asking the Chinese embassy there for a 60 day tourist visa. They readily hand them out to Americans with little more than asking, but of course I don't know the specifics for SA. Bringing documentation showing you'll be staying 50 days in China could help, but it's mostly going to depend on the rules for your country and the mood of the woman behind at the window, yes it's always a woman behind the window it seems.
