Changing your visa inside China: the four situations in Article 10

Article 10 of the Regulations lets a foreigner who has entered China with a visa apply for a change of visa inside China in four situations. The article names the exit and entry administration authority of the public security organ in the place of stay as the place to apply. Article 10 says the applicant "may apply", so the article does not say that a change will be granted.

The four situations

Article 10 applies "after entry with a visa". It covers these four situations:

• a foreigner changes his or her purpose of stay;
• a foreigner is granted entry conveniences "in accordance with relevant provisions of the State";
• a foreigner starts using a new passport;
• a foreigner "needs to stay separately from his or her tour group after entering China with a group visa due to objective reasons".

Where to apply

Article 10 names the place to apply as "the exit and entry administration authority of the public security organ of the local people's government at or above the county level in the place of his or her stay". The applicant does this step inside China.

What to submit

Article 12 says that to apply for a change of visa, "a foreigner shall fill out an application form and submit his or her passport or other international travel documents, qualified photos, and material relating to the purpose of application."

In short, the Article 12 steps are:

• Fill out the application form.
• Submit your passport or other international travel documents.
• Submit qualified photos.
• Submit material relating to the purpose of your application.

The English service guide, in its section 3 ("Documents required for visa change"), says that in these situations the applicant "may apply for a change of visa by submitting the following documents:". This article does not reproduce that list, so check the list on the official page before you apply.

The Chinese-language guide, titled the service guide for the extension, change and reissue of foreigners' visas, uses different wording for the group-visa case. Its text says the applicant applies for reissue of an ordinary visa. The English page says "change of visa". The English rendering of the Chinese guide in this article is this site's translation. Its list of supporting documents is also not reproduced here.

The receipt and what follows

Article 13 sets out three points.

1. When an application meets the acceptance provisions, the authority "shall issue a receipt of acceptance valid for a period of time not exceeding 7 days". It must "make a decision on whether to issue the visa within the validity period of the receipt of acceptance".
2. If the procedures or materials do not conform to the relevant provisions, the authority "shall, in a one-off manner, notify the applicant of the procedure(s) to be followed and the material to be supplemented and corrected".
3. While the passport or other travel documents are retained for processing, the applicant "may stay in China legally on the strength of the receipt of acceptance".

The one-year cap

The Chinese guide states a cap on the stay after a visa change. Under the Chinese guide, the stay period of a reissued visa, counted from the date of this entry, may not exceed 1 year in total, continuously counted. Article 10 of the Regulations does not state this cap.

Questions people ask

Can I change my visa without leaving China?

If you entered with a visa and one of the four situations in Article 10 applies, you may apply to the exit and entry administration authority in your place of stay. Article 10 says "may apply". It does not say that the change will be granted. Under Article 13, the authority makes a decision on whether to issue the visa.

What happens if my application is incomplete?

Under Article 13, the authority must notify you once of the procedures to follow and the material to supplement and correct. You do not have to guess what is missing from the Regulations alone.

Suggestion, not a rule: keep your passport, travel documents and photos ready before you go to the authority, because Article 12 asks for them.

Sources

• Regulations of the People's Republic of China on Administration of the Entry and Exit of Foreigners (English text) — National Immigration Administration
• Service Guide on visa extension, change and reissuance for foreigners (English) — National Immigration Administration
• Service guide for the extension, change and reissue of foreigners' visas (Chinese) — National Immigration Administration

Checked 10 and 11 October 2026

This page is an unofficial summary. It is not published by or affiliated with the National Immigration Administration, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, any embassy, consulate or visa application service centre. It is not legal or immigration advice. If the official text differs from this page, the official text and the current notice of the office handling your case prevail.