Living in China

[Zhuren]

Has anyone been applying a visa for China after April 1st. In all places that I asked, no more F visa available and only single, or at the most double entry.
There are rumours that in HK they even only give 15 days now. And extensions in China next to impossible.

"No more F visa available" may be an exaggeration. Howver, there are constant reports that (M)ultiple Entry visa with 90 days are in extremely short supply. Folks who previously had F90/M are now being issued F30/2 .

YMMV

Recommendation: Do not use visa agency. DIY. Visa agencies under a lot of scrutiny.

[Zhuren]

According to the Chinese working in my office, first week of May still long holiday. Maybe they are putting me on ....

OTOH, we are working today when it's official "Grave Dusting Day" (or somesuch...) I required proof of graves to be dusted .....

Need help with International Labor Day in China ( May 1 Thursday )


I am planning my schedule for China. In the past Labor Day Holiday was for one long week. Millions of Chinese traveling domestically and internationally. Travel fares double and triple and advance bookings must be made weeks, even months ahead. Furthermore, hoards of tour groups flock to the major tourist destinations in China.

I was told since there were so many people traveling in the past, the government was trying to spread the holiday into something like a few other day.

My question is, has Labor Day changed or is it still for 1 long week?


Thanks......

[FrequentTravel]

Has anyone been applying a visa for China after April 1st. In all places that I asked, no more F visa available and only single, or at the most double entry.

There are rumours that in HK they even only give 15 days now. And extensions in China next to impossible.

Can confirm for Germany. Been on F visa the last 4 years (1 year, Multiple Entry, 90 days each stay). This time still got an F visa but single entry, 30 days stay, valid for 3 months although the invitation was explicit mentioning 1 year, multiple entry, 90 days. The single entry, 30 days stay is the most you are able to get at the moment. Unless you are invited from the Chinese government or the ministry of foreign affairs: In this case perhaps you may be granted 2 entries, each stay up to 60 days.

Official reason: Changes of the (computer) system at the Chinese embassies.

Take care,

FT

[Tiger 888]

Has anyone been applying a visa for China after April 1st. In all places that I asked, no more F visa available and only single, or at the most double entry.
There are rumours that in HK they even only give 15 days now. And extensions in China next to impossible.

[Loveasiangirls]

Need help with International Labor Day in China ( May 1 Thursday )

I am planning my schedule for China. In the past Labor Day Holiday was for one long week. Millions of Chinese traveling domestically and internationally. Travel fares double and triple and advance bookings must be made weeks, even months ahead, and hoards of tour groups flock to the major tourist destinations in China.

I was told since there were so many people traveling in the past, the government was trying to spread the holiday into something like a few other day.

My question is, has Labor Day changed or is it still for 1 long week?

Thanks......

It is now 3 days. I never found that travelling on May 1 was bad. As I travel by plane and typically chinese can only afford buses or trains. High end hotels have good deals are there are no business travellers. But some tourists sites were really full. Not sure what will happen this year.

[Weelock]

Need help with International Labor Day in China ( May 1 Thursday )


I am planning my schedule for China. In the past Labor Day Holiday was for one long week. Millions of Chinese traveling domestically and internationally. Travel fares double and triple and advance bookings must be made weeks, even months ahead. Furthermore, hoards of tour groups flock to the major tourist destinations in China.

I was told since there were so many people traveling in the past, the government was trying to spread the holiday into something like a few other day.

My question is, has Labor Day changed or is it still for 1 long week?


Thanks......

[Travel Dog]

My two cents on this name thing
Using your English name preferable but some Chinese agencies will insist on a Chinese Name. You can get around the name problem by getting an "official translation" of you passport by the local PSB which shows both your English name and your Chinese name. I have used this method to buy a house (with a bank mortgage), buy and register a car and it is on the birth certificate (Fukou Bu) of my newborn son.

That all being said, the rules change often, so what worked for me, in GuangDong my be a problem somewhere else in China. My advice is to just go for it.

Sorry, I disagree on the name issue. Never use a Chinese name on any important documents unless you are from China, HK, Taiwan or Macau,,the reason is that you have no official documents from your own country using that Chinese name. Your apartment title deeds can and should be in your own name (as in your passport ie not in Chinese characters), in the past when I had the green resident permit I used my "self given" Chinese name to open bank accounts etc, but now I always use my original name as on my passport, because now the Chinese government doesn't issue the greenbook any more so there is no official document from the PSB showing both your "self given" Chinese name and your real name.

The danger of using a Chinese name is that in the future if the government wants to be strict they can say that you have no reconised ID documents with that name on them.

I had to close my bank account that i opened with my Chinese name and it was a fkng pain to do so,,,because my passport name and bank account name was different.

[Loveasiangirls]

No, you don't need to be a resident of Beijing for one year. Perhaps there are other factors involved, but not being a city resident is not a bar to acquiring property in Beijing.

I don't want to start an argument on a serious topic like real estate on a sex site. I will slightly correct my statement, you need to have been a resident of China for one year. The rule was introduced in 2006 and effective since early 2007. Quote from the China Daily:

"Early this year, a new rule was announced requiring foreigners living in Beijing to get certificates from the Beijing Municipal Public Security Bureau to prove they have been in China for at least one year for work or study before buying property.

The rule also banned foreigners from buying more than one house or using it for anything other than residential purposes."

I was told about the city residence rule by some professionals (head of HR for a large multinational), This presentation is also interesting:

http://www.britcham.org/upload/publi.../DannyQuah.pdf

This is also a good summary:

http://community.travelchinaguide.co...m2.asp?i=43170
But seriously, one should get professional advice.

[Crazy Jim Wood]

No, you don't need to be a resident of Beijing for one year. Perhaps there are other factors involved, but not being a city resident is not a bar to acquiring property in Beijing.

A few additional comments on this topics. In some cities you need to be a resident of that city for at least one year before you can acquire a property. This is the case of Beijing, shanghai and Tianjian.

[Crazy Jim Wood]

It is quite possible that I may have a condo to sell in the next few months... it was built on 2005, furnished, two bedrooms, two bathrooms, refrigerator, washing machine, burner, pots, pans, sofas, beds, curtains, rugs, etc, located in Tongzhou, 3 minutes to subway, super market/mall right next door, plenty of laowai's in the same complex, the mortgage may be assumable (especially if you're Chinese)... I believe that it is about $500 a month, I believe that the original price was $60,000 in 2005, of which I paid $15,000 down plus another $12,000 or so in finishing construction, furnishing, closing costs, etc.
Obviously I'd want to get my principle back, and don't want to pay any closing costs, but I'm sure I can offer a competitive price and I'm not going to play any legal tricks on the laowai, being a laowai myself.
PM me if interested.

[China Maverick]

I agree with Cooler but I also read a press report in SZ that the rates may further slide until May/June as the real buyers still have a "Wait and watch" attitude.

I also checked with Stanchart in SZ and they confirmed loans for laowei's with similar conditions as Cooler mentioned!

Cheers,

CM

[Cooler Wolf2]

- Its hard to impossible to obtain a mortgage being a foreigner. Quote: "It might be possible if he has assets and income in the country, but we haven't heard of a foreigner who got a mortgage. They all use cash."

I have a mortgage on a property here in Dalian. I am single (though soon to be married) and obviously a foreigner. I arranged the mortgage with the Bank of China when I went to the house viewing. I also asked them if they needed to see copies of credit reports from back home but they said it was unnecessary.
As long as you can put down a minimum of 30% deposit (as a first home buyer in China), provide a stamped form from your company verifying your salary details, and obviously your passport & visa details, that is all that was needed.

As for property bubbles, I did see in a recent TV report that Shenzhen house prices are said to have dropped by 30% over the last few months. Maybe some of the 'southern boys' can confirm that.

Or alternatively maybe we can just get back to the topic of sex. As OAH likes to say:

'Where the pussy at?"

[Loveasiangirls]

Concur 100%. Names must be the EXACT ones as printed on passport. Nothing else. I have THREE first names which I hadn't used since I've been born. Here in China, they are now official. Occasionally, they even make me write the whole list of names on the exit card ....

Sure I have a bank account in my exact name but this real estate we are talking about. This is what I have been toold (unanimously). In any case I will find out soon when I buy my apartment. I guess all official records are only in chinese characters.

[Zhuren]

Called a friend who's a manager of one of those big international banks, and asked him whether I, being a laowei, could get a loan for a piece of property here in China.

He said: "Sure."

Now I've been with that bank for 25 years, and he's a friend, so YMMV. But there doesn't seem a general prohibition for a foreigner to mortgage a Chinese property.

[Zhuren]

For what ever this is worth, the above is not 100% accurate (noting however that Zhuren did say 'normally'). I am well above 60 and work as the manager for a joint venture company. I have no real estate and do not have an equity in the company but have had no problems getting visas. Maybe this will change but for now all is well.

ES

Ok, ok, then let me be more precise:

- Unless you own a company or are the legal representative of a company, usually a WOFE, or JV.