Ten year tourist and business visa - effective 12 Nov 2014
 

Saves a lot of time and money for those who have
to renew every year.^

In China, Obama Touts Visa Deal,

The U.S. and China are easing visa rules for each other's citizens, in a reciprocal agreement that President Obama says will "benefit everyone from students, to tourists, to businesses large and small." Starting his eight-day visit to East Asia, the president also said "good progress" has recently been made for a free-trade agreement among Pacific Rim countries.

Obama and other leaders are visiting China for the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation forum, where the president announced the U.S. and China have agreed to expand their visas beyond the current one-year term.

"Under the new arrangement, student and exchange visas will be extended to five years," Obama said in a speech at the APEC sessions, adding, "business and tourist visas will be extended to 10 years."

http://www.npr.org/blogs/thetwo-way/...ree-trade-pact

The new guidelines will be effective starting Wednesday, the White House said in a statement. A Chinese Foreign Ministry statement said the arrangement would be completed soon.

The deal will not change how long a traveller will be allowed to stay in the US or China, but how long the visas are valid for entry.

State Dept. Facts on U.S.-China Visa Validity Extension

Starting November 12, the United States and the People’s Republic of China will reciprocally increase the validity of short-term business and tourist visas and student and exchange visas issued to each other’s citizens.

U.S. citizens eligible for Chinese short term business and tourist visas should also receive multiple-entry visas valid for up to 10 years,

- Changes in visa validity will not affect visa eligibility criteria, and the basic visa processing fee remains unchanged at the current rate of 160 USD.



Read more: http://iipdigital.usembassy.gov/st/e...#ixzz3IhGLvy5Y




http://s2.reutersmedia.net/resources...=LYNXNPEAA90GH

10 years is actually a maximum, not a default duration. May be hard to get. Nothing is clear yet.

Come on Australia.... join in.

I doubt that the bar would be too high for the ten year, particularly among regular travelers to China. The US has a similar reciprocal agreement with India and not difficult at all for US travelers to get the 10 year visa in that case. I'm sure China will be the same.

The current visa regime is mostly just a formality anyhow. This change has been a long time coming.

My thoughts exactly.

Great news, but just after I got my new 1 year multi-entry visa and added new pages to my passport. ✈️

Student visas can be five years, which will be a huge help for Chinese students who currently must get a new student visa every year/trip, often requiring overnight train rides to the USA consulate in Beijing or Shanghai to appear in person.

Your timing seems optimal because it will presumably take them at least 6 months to develop, implement, and work the kinks out of the new system, but I'm guesstimating a full year just to be safe.

State Department website indicates the policy goes into effect on Wednesday?!

http://www.state.gov/r/pa/prs/ps/2014/11/233904.htm



Starting November 12, the United States and the People’s Republic of China will reciprocally increase the validity of short-term business and tourist visas and student and exchange visas issued to each other’s citizens.

Chinese applicants who qualify for a B-category nonimmigrant visa (NIV) may now be issued multiple-entry visas for up to 10 years for business and tourist travel. Qualified Chinese students and exchange visitors and their dependents who qualify for F, M, or J-category visas are now eligible for multiple-entry visas valid for up to five years or the length of their program. U.S. citizens eligible for Chinese short term business and tourist visas should also receive multiple-entry visas valid for up to 10 years, while qualified U.S. students may receive student residency permits valid up to five years, depending on the length of their educational program.

Should be in effect on 11/12/14.

No more work than before. Just add ten years to issue date and enter that on
line for "enter before".

http://www.chinatraveldiscovery.com/...china-visa.jpg

Great news -- this will really simplify things for me, and save a lot of money over time as well. Now the question is do I keep getting the cheaper visa in my Canadian passport, or go for the long-term visa in my US passport?

At $14/year for the US version, methinks the decision is a no brainer.

I'm going to Beijing in 3 days and my visa expires in 3 months, it would be nice if there was a simple way to extend the current one 9 more years instead of mailing off my passport to reapply.

Good luck.:D

Hooray! This is obviously great news for China travelers (best visa news I've gotten since Chile and the USA eliminated visas entirely earlier this year!).

But a couple of practical concerns. First, I assume the current short term transit visa waiver scheme will still apply, right? Like I can nip into PEK for a couple days visa free on my way home to the USA from a third country? I won't really care about that in the future, but since I'm "nipping in" in 2 months and don't currently have a valid Chinese visa, I care! BTW, I've done this a lot lately because I didn't want to pay $160 for a, say, 5 day visit to China (and the attendant hassle of getting the visa). This new rule will certainly encourage me to visit China more often and stay longer.

Second, would the 10-year visa be for the life of the passport, or would it extend to a new passport? The rules have worked differently in South America. For example, in Argentina, your 10-year visa transfers to a new passport. In Chile -- before they eliminated the visa requirement -- it did not. If it doesn't transfer (which I sadly fear could be the case), it would pay for most frequent American travelers to China to get a brand spanking new passport before shelling out the $160 for the visa. This would be annoying to do, but practical -- especially if you have only a few years left on your passport.