Visa and Hotel Question:

I submitted a hotel reservation when applying for a Visa. Am I obliged to stay at that hotel or can I make arrangements to stay at another?

You can change arrangements without fear.

I am working on a flight from Seoul to Ulan Bator, with a connection in Beijing which is 12 hours overnight. Is it necessary to get a visa for China to do this itinerary or can a person stay overnight in a transit lounge in the airport?

Same ticket? Not a problem for citizens of most countries. Up to 24hr in Beijing.

There was an issue in my application that required some clarification from the CG so the agent delayed my application by one day. So when I came to pick it up after 4 days I was told I must be charged express service. Which is an extra $75. Apparently he couldn't waive it even though it was his fault due to cameras being everywhere and the computer not allowing.

Sigh...

You don't need a visa for this transit connection, even overnight, and you can leave the airport. I strongly advise you to try to get a hotel room. You don't really want to stay airside in either T2 or T3 (not sure which one applies since you didn't mention airline(s). There are transit hotels ("Time-Rate Lounges") at the front/nonsecure side of each PEK terminal. They do walk-up only, no reservations, and you reserve blocks of hours though it adds up in cost. Other options are very close hotels (expensive such as the Hilton and Langham). Or you can get a clean but less expensive budget chain in town on the northeast side, such as Home Inns. If arriving early enough into PEK, taxi, shuttle bus, or Airport Express could work.

20k+ bank account balance to avoid leaving country
 

Hi, all.

I need to leave the country again within the next 5 weeks in order to reset my days per stay. I've been planning on going to Mongolia (never been), but last night I was talking to a friend, who advised me that simply bringing a bank statement to the local PSB can achieve a reset 2-3 times per year for people on tourist visas (presumably business visas also qualify). He went on to say that this is a well known workaround. I'm not planning on trying it this time around because I like the fact that my visa forces me to leave China periodically, but I'm curious if any of you have gone this route in the past.

Well, it's not well-known to me and I consider myself pretty well-versed. In fact, I haven't heard/known of anybody trying this and pulling it off successfully and certainly not on an F visa.

What IS well-known (but only for L visas granted for tourist purposes) is that for 30-day EXTENSIONS at Beijing PSB (and some other cities), you need to take a bank statement, from a China-based bank account, showing available funds, along with the passport and zanzhuzheng (Temp. Res. Certificate). Amount is USD 100 x 30 days which at current forex rates is a bit shy of the round RMB 20,000 figure. Unless this friend has first-hand experience, I'd steer clear of giving credence to this workaround assertion. Definitely not something to consider doing in these troubled times for foreign residents in Beijing. And for an F visa, extensions done directly by the PSB, without a pricey gray market agent, aren't likely without the F sponsor participating. Of course, extensions aren't the same as completely resetting the duration of stay, especially for those with longer stay allowances.

Your mention of Mongolia jogs my memory; I was supposed to write up the border run procedure/option a few months ago then got completely sidetracked. Will try again to do so this week in a new thread.

My friend who told me about the 20k trick is pretty reputable, but I will concede that he was passing along 3rd hand info (apparently, his girlfriend resorts to this angle; I will ask her directly about it the next time I see her).

I know about 30 day extensions, and have used them in the past.

I look forward to your tips on Mongolia, but I'm not considering doing the bus thing. 15k BD miles will get me from Shanghai to Beijing (with a stopover) and then onto UB... then 12.5k UA miles on the way back (24 hour max in BJ). I'm just trying to figure out where to stay. It seems that real hotels (viewable on TA) start at around $175 per night. Meanwhile, there are lots of hostels and guesthouses in the $10 range... just nothing in between (based on my very limited research to date).

L visa require proof of funds for extensions and can be extended up three times per entry.

F visa requires a Chinese business to sponsor you and can be extended up to a year from date of entry.

I've done F extensions. I've met tourists who have done L extensions. Extensions cancel your old visa and issue a new one. So if you have any entries left it will be cancelled.

Kindly disregard post #247; I just skyped with my friend's gf, and she basically reaffirmed what I already knew. As such, I'm off to Mongolia soon (or HK, in the event I chicken out).

My friend has done it. You can try it before your visa expires. A bank statement is not enough. You have the bring in the money in person.

Sounds like a bribe. ;)

Don't forget the very pleasant Jinmen Island (Taiwan) re-set. Fly to Xiamen. What about Jeju Island (Korea) for a change?

Not wanting to be a Buttinski, but flying all the way to Ulan Bator seems like a waste of good miles, unless you are prepared to spend a couple of weeks actually seeing Mongolia on a holiday. There's not much in UB itself, and Mongolia's one of those places that all the good stuff is far away and takes some logistics.

I call BS on this. I have NEVER EVER heard of this at any PSB as a requirement to get an extension. Definitely smacks of impropriety. Identify the location and one or more of us can check out this PSB's "policy" independently.