Always make sure your
visa is good for as long a stay as you think it is. Don't listen to
your boss or friends if they assure you it's good. Trust your
instincts. If you are unsure, ask your embassy.
There used to be
some really wierd Chinese visas you could get from the Chunking Mansion
in Hong Kong. The ones we got were 1 year multiple-entry business visas
with a stipulation that we had to exit the country 1 time every 30
days.
This is not the same as a working visa for foreigners; with those, you get a cool little green book with your picture in it and the name and address of your employer along with a working visa. So, it turns out, when we lived in Beijing, we were working illegally in China.
I got picked up one night when I was out visiting some friends who had a game studio. According to my friend, foreigners aren't particularly welcome next to offices of the Chinese intellegence agency. So, since I wasn't carrying my passport (required by law for foreigners), and I couldn't prove I wasn't living illegally in the offices of the game studio, the Chinese police suggested I lead them to my home so we could resolve everything.
The last thing in the world you want to hear at 3:00 AM is "Honey, I'm home" followed by "Put on some clothes, I brought the police". Ironically, Cpu was reading 1984 at the time of my homecoming.
Unfortunately for us, we had overstayed our visa's exit policy. According to the police (but not the Beijing law at the time), it was also illegal for us to rent our current apartment. So we had a fun night in a police station in the embassy district by the Silk Market, followed by a visit the next day to the emmigration office. We had to vacate our apartment and also leave for Hong Kong, in less than 3 days. I don't really remember anything more except the train ride to HK. And, the lessons:
This is not the same as a working visa for foreigners; with those, you get a cool little green book with your picture in it and the name and address of your employer along with a working visa. So, it turns out, when we lived in Beijing, we were working illegally in China.
I got picked up one night when I was out visiting some friends who had a game studio. According to my friend, foreigners aren't particularly welcome next to offices of the Chinese intellegence agency. So, since I wasn't carrying my passport (required by law for foreigners), and I couldn't prove I wasn't living illegally in the offices of the game studio, the Chinese police suggested I lead them to my home so we could resolve everything.
The last thing in the world you want to hear at 3:00 AM is "Honey, I'm home" followed by "Put on some clothes, I brought the police". Ironically, Cpu was reading 1984 at the time of my homecoming.
Unfortunately for us, we had overstayed our visa's exit policy. According to the police (but not the Beijing law at the time), it was also illegal for us to rent our current apartment. So we had a fun night in a police station in the embassy district by the Silk Market, followed by a visit the next day to the emmigration office. We had to vacate our apartment and also leave for Hong Kong, in less than 3 days. I don't really remember anything more except the train ride to HK. And, the lessons:
- Check your visa when you get it from Chungking Mansions
- Always carry your passport
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