Replacement passport/visa

Ok, I’ve got a water damaged passport with a Z (Resident) visa that expires in late May. I’ll need to get a new passport but I’m not sure what to do next. Unfortunately, I won’t be able to get the Z transferred to the new passport. I am wondering what my options are?

1.   I’ve searched the internet and contacted a few visa agents and apparently it’s ok to leave China with a cancelled passport and current Chinese visa + new blank passport. Has anyone done this?

I have these reoccurring visions of being dragged into an office at the airport and being told that since my passport is cancelled, the visa is invalid and therefore I’ve broken the laws of the PRC and I am a naughty laowai and must be punished etc, etc..

   

A PSB office I contacted said a new passport needs a new visa, however, he also said it's up to the entry/exit staff at the airport. I’ve tried ringing the exit/entry at Pudong but have had no luck.


2.   See if I can change the Z to an L/F visa for the new passport which I haven’t yet applied for. Soon I’ll be in a different city to the visa, if the PSB dudes ask, I’ll just say I’m on holiday.

Any ideas, experiences?

Cheers.

I recently went through this when I renewed my passport. Depending on who you talk to you have 10 or 30 days after replacing a passport to have your visa changed over to the new one. This is a pretty simple process to do (although if you get it changed to an L/F it will have a 0 entry. If you go to get a new visa in Hong Kong this may cause problems especially if you have many zero entry visas in the passport subject to the whim of the issuing officer there.
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As for what I did, was I had my passport replaced just prior to the existing visa expiring and my plans to leave the country anyway within the 10 day limit of getting the new passport. I left through Pudong and just gave the exit guy both passports (new and expired) and he looked at the old one and said ok, stamped the new one and I left.
The only problem you may have is if the visa in the damaged passport is damaged/difficult to read. That could cause an issue.

Sweet. I was looking at applying for the replacement passport at about 25 days before the visa expires, but I can push that forward. The embassy said it takes 10 working days. The resident visa is in good condition, but the main photo/info page is torn 3" across the top and the centre page with the chip is peeling apart and as such I can't renew but need to replace the passport.

Good guess - I was planning on Hong Kong to apply for an F. I also might rock into Pudong before I renew/change anything, play the dumb, humble foreigner (quite easy to do in my case, well not the humble part) and make a general enquiry.

Cheers

Why can't you transfer your current Residence Permit? That seems a little odd...

In either case please don't work on just an L or F visa. It's not worth the risk.

I have these reoccurring visions of being dragged into an office at the airport and being told that since my passport is cancelled, the visa is invalid and therefore I’ve broken the laws of the PRC and I am a naughty laowai and must be punished etc, etc..

You ARE a naughty laowai!  Confess your crimes!

Sorry, just having a flashback to serving time in a Remoulding Through Labor for Naughty Foreigners Center.  Damn do I miss that place.


Double check with your local PSB first.  Expired, damaged, and lost passports happen all the time.  There's some very simple procedure that will only require you to visit 10 different places collecting forms and getting pretty red chops affixed to them in 10 other places.

It could be worse.  Search the Saloon for Canadian Visa Renewals. 

No worries, I'll check that. Raoul, the reason it will be difficult to change is that the company that sponsored the resident permit wouldn't be interested in assisting or doing paperwork. I'll check out a few options. I've heard that replacing a visa in a lost passport is a bureaucratic hurdle, but I'm not sure if it's the same for replacement passports.

However:
Two visa agents have said it's fine to leave with two passports with an valid visa in a cancelled passport and I've checked heaps of forums and have seen the same. It's just troubling me..

A simple check of pockets before washing would've ensured everything was sweet.