He said it was not a bribe. It is official policy and he found out by asking them. In more rural areas the amount is lower. I have never experienced it as I always am on a F visa.

In good news, my base stay has been upped to 60 days. When is it safe to request 90? This is my second 60 day visa. TBH, 60 days is enough but 90 day is nice for boasting rights. :)

Again, you make assertions but sidestep my previous direct question, and don't back up with specifics such as location of this PSB. If you don't feel comfortable identifying on open forum, fine, use the PM function. But you should be careful about making generalizations on topics such as this, which are patently false. It would be uncool to mislead forum readers who need extensions on their L's, to go running to the bank/ATM to pull cash out based on the say-so of one unconfirmed anecdote.

Bringing cash to a PSB office as proof of funds is NOT official policy and never has been. Official Policy on these Public Security matters is strictly set by Beijing, and I am positive that that regulation has never included the actual bringing of cash to place in front of the PSB. So, if your friend showed cash, one of two things was taking place:
a) They wanted to see "proof of funds" and he misinterpreted, or cash was the most expedient option for him and he voluntarily offered to use it as proof instead of some other medium;
b) He was lied to by the locals, who had their own local rogue interpretation going.

In all the....maybe hundreds of people... I've known over the last 10+ years who have had to get extensions on L's in various PSB's around China, I've NEVER heard of anyone required to bring in cash. I've heard of various proof requirements requested such as bank statement, notarized (non-bank) statement, showing a credit card, and the most common (for those holding First World passports at least): not asking for required proof of funds at all. But not cash.

Even it was official policy, since I've had a the pleasure of visiting the interrogation room of the main PSB in Shanghai (very long ago), I wouldn't dream of bringing 20k with me to one of those places. The interrogation experience wasn't all that scary in practice -- they asked me to give them y1000, which they may or may not have been entitled to (visa had expired over the weekend, and they were closed the preceding Friday for some reason); I told them I didn't have y1000; they said, well then just pay us ~y170 for a 30 day extension. But, if I had been sitting there with a stack of 200 red pieces of paper on the table, I can imagine the outcome might have been slightly different.

Yes, given human nature, there's too much room for localized mischief when actual cash is on the table. Which is why Beijing gov't would never make cash presentation a requirement--the Emperor knows well what the distant underlings are capable of doing when temptation beckons....

On bolded part: Oh, do tell! Spare no details.....

Well, this episode took place around 1999, and I was rather young at the time... but not stupid (my underlying principle was that you can't milk blood from a turnip). There, honestly, isn't much more to tell than this.

Moving on, I'm still deliberating on whether to go to HK or Mongolia for my upcoming reset. In the case of the former, I have a free place to stay +friends, both of which are nice. But, I spend a ton of money when I'm down there. Meanwhile, I've never been to Mongolia, so I have no idea, whatsoever, what to expect (though, I'm increasingly okay with the concept of staying in a $10 hotel).

Just saw this interesting tidbit in the China Daily:

Interesting timing for this, seeing as it seems to run counter to all of the anti-foreigner sentiment floating around at the moment. Of course, whether or not this actually happens remains to be seen... how many years have the authorities been "mulling over" hukou reform now? :rolleyes:

According to Shanghai Daily it looks like its a go.

BEIJING police will soon launch a new policy to allow 72-hour non-visa entry for foreigners in an effort to ease their travel, the Beijing Youth Daily reported yesterday.

Beijing Police Chief Fu Zhenghua said the move is among new efforts planned to improve the city's service quality

http://www.shanghaidaily.com/nsp/Nat...Bthree%2Bdays/

I'm 80% confident in this news (i.e. it was only a matter of time before BJ would trump SH).

It may have a siginificant positive impact on tourism -- if one is heading e.g. to HKG, could transit through PEK and see the major sites without bothering with a pesky visa. Of course, given the location of PEK being not close to pretty much everywhere, transiting through here if it isn't one's destination is a bit of a pain.

tb

I have looked through the thread - though probably not nearly enough.

The issue
I am considering a trip to Lake Baikal / Siberia as an addon to the trip to PEK. As S7 wants a largish amount of $$ for a ticket back (OVB-PEK) I am now considering train both directions. Which would require a double entry visa.

The local Chinese consulate (Perth) was friendly in 2003 but I am now considering talking Mrs WF into going along. Are double entry requests backed up with train itineraries going to be enough to get approval? Seems the Aussie passport will be a lot cheaper. Time in advance estimates?

Thanks

Fred

I am on my third year with 120 days for my F visa. Never had an issue. On my sponsoring company's letter, they cite two difference conferences about 90 days apart and in my visa application, I have never had an issue. US passport with Visa issued from the Consulate in New York.

I have so far been able to manage the timing of my visa apps to NOT being during "special" times, well before 2008 Olympics, well after 60th National Day. I'll need a new visa in October, hopefully the "100 day crackdown" will be over by then.

You should get a 2 year visa next time. You can even ask for 150 days per day, if you are feeling bold.

I spoke to my friend. I was deeply mistaken. He had to have that money in a Chinese bank account. Sorry for the confusion.

I've been told --via a trusted source-- that the current "100 day campaign (against US)" has made its way to the US , and PRC visa applicants are now confronted with a situation that is similar to 2008 (Olympic run up period).

Can anyone confirm/deny this claim? (I'm increasingly happy that I invested the time and energy required to score a 2-year visa last fall because this means I have nothing to worry about until 10/2013).

I don't know about US, but my mother just applied from the UK to visit us: she asked for 6 month 2-entry visa, max 30 days (UK doesn't issue multi-entry Ls as routine), but was granted a 3 month multi-entry (I need to see it to fully believe it). Nonetheless, it was pretty painless. My sister is also about to apply, and if she has problems, will report back.

Of course, this is not the same as someone getting an F, but really in order to work in PRC.

tb