Thanks for the info HFCAMPO.

This process is still not over. I had to be interviewed as part of an investigation as to why I broke the immigration laws of China. I told them this law is brand new (July 2013) and many people are not aware of this new change.

Also, the PSB staff in TuoDong Road are not even aware of this new law and this is why this investigation is handled by another office.

HFCAMPO:
What are you talking about? What law did you not know?

The registration of your new passport is a new rule/law that just came out in July 2013. The registration must be done within 10 days of receipt of the new passport. Failure to so will result in up to a 2000 RMB fine.

As someone mentioned before - this really is an old rule but has not been enforced before. I have not seen the previous edition of the Immigration laws so I really do not know if this is an old rule or a new rule.

They began enforcing this rule in 2013. Since passports are renewed every 10 years, there is ample opportunity for people to forget this obscure rule.

Oh. I see. Good to know. I should be getting my renewal passport in about a couple of weeks so I'll be sure to get it to the PSB. I also have to get a new visa since I'll be getting a new passport.

This is a lie. You do not need a new visa in your new passport. This is their scam to make you pay a fine. The old visa/RP is still valid in the old passport. I specifically asked this question when I renewed my RP last year and the PSB officer told my wife clearly in chinese. NO, you do not need a new visa. The old visa is still valid. You just need to use both passports. This is why they do not issue RP for passports with less than 6 months validity.

This is why I still have not been fined because I told them this during the interview/ investigation.

My passport recently expired. So the PSB would not issue a visa that extended beyond the passport expiration date, so they basically gave me an 8-month visa rather than 1 year to coincide with the passport expiration date.

So I'm not sure what the laws are exactly, but clearly they do not seem to encourage having visas in passports which are expired.

My Visa was expiring on March 31st so I had to get a visa renewal( 400 yuan for 1 year even though it is only for 8 month). Also my passport was expiring on Nov. 31st so I decided to renewal my passport the next time the consular visited Kunming which happened on April 19th( which was more convenient than flying out to Chengdu). It was a question of timing. So now when I get my new passport I will apply for a new visa (even if I don't have to until Nov.) I just want to get it over with and get a 2 year visa. It's gonna cost me 800 yuan. My health examination certificate will still be good so I don't have to re-do that. I figure who knows when the "rules" will change again. It's so frustrating sometimes getting the facts.

New passports must ALWAYS be registered with your local Public Security Bureau (PSB) aka paiqusuo. This has ALWAYS been the law in China - at least since 2005, when I first came to live and work here. As the PSB becomes more computer literate, their ability to more rigorously enforce becomes stronger.

For Visas - there is NO requirement to buy a new visa - until your old visa expires. The visa is good until the expiration date. If any officer tells you differently, ask to speak to a supervisor (but be polite or you'll get nowhere) for clarification. If the supervisor concurs, you're out of luck - eat the new interim visa fee. You can rant and rail - but that will just upset the people issuing your visa...generally NOT a good idea in any country.

I recently renewed both my passport and my son's passport. I wasn't required to get a new visa. My son's visa expired with his passport's expiration - so I had to buy an interim/extension at the full price. I was late a few days - but the PSB said they wouldn't fine me as we'd actually turned our paperwork in early - but were rejected because of the new formal certified visa photograph rules.

In China and Asia in general (even Japan) - there aren't really rules - just guidelines and the myriad sometimes astonishing interpretations. When in doubt - aka the officer's interpretation seem astonishing and incredulous - ask to speak with a supervisor. I learned to do this the Japanese way - it's great. Suck all the air out of room through your teeth (so it's really noisy), grimace as though in extreme pain, then ask to speak to a supervisor and refuse to budget until the supervisor comes to the desk. Works great - US Consulate, US Embassy, arrogant multinational banks, and even the Beijing PSB (but you gotta be polite - firm, but polite).