What to do if after consular interview the visa is approved (and passport is taken)

[misken 61]

This is my first post, so please excuse me if I posted this in the wrong thread or something.

 

This is something that I've been fretting for a little while and I haven't been able to find an answer in the forums. In China, you can't travel on any long-distance commercial vehicle without identification. Based on what I've read, after the GZ consulate approves your visa application, they will take your passport for a few days or up to a few weeks for processing. During this period, what is one to do? My fiancee works near Shanghai and couldn't possibly be asked to just sit around and wait in GZ for the visa to be issued. Will the consulate issue some sort of travel document? 

 

Thanks in advance for all of your help in this matter!

[bob0801 0]

I'm assuming that your fiancee is a Chinese citizen.  If so, she(he) won't need to have a Chinese passport to travel between Guangzhou and Shanghai.

 

My wife is from Beijing.  After the interview in Guangzhou, she was freely able to travel back to Beijing without her Chinese passport.  It was then delivered to her in Beijing about 1 to 2 weeks later...

[misken 61]

Just now, bob0801 said:

I'm assuming that your fiancee is a Chinese citizen.  

I should've have been more clear in my first post. No she is not a Chinese citizen, just a temporary resident while she works there.

[rasaco 28]

Yeah, that is tricky!  

If I recall correctly from my 2 years in China, buses do not require official ID.  It's just the trains and planes that do.  Taking buses wouldn't be comfortable, but should definitely work.

Does she have a Chinese driver's license by any chance?  My husband (Chinese citizen) said he thinks she should be able to use that to get the ticket.

 

Has she tried going to a train station and asking whether they would allow her to travel using a photocopy of her passport and a letter from the consulate stating that her passport has been taken to add a visa?

[bob0801 0]

who is getting the fiance visa? is it you or your fiance?

 

Assuming that you are the Chinese citizen and your fiance is the American citizen, there is no need for your fiance to leave his or her passport at the Guangzhou consulate. Only you do.

[rasaco 28]

30 minutes ago, bob0801 said:

who is getting the fiance visa? is it you or your fiance?

 

Assuming that you are the Chinese citizen and your fiance is the American citizen, there is no need for your fiance to leave his or her passport at the Guangzhou consulate. Only you do.

Sounds like he is the US citizen, and his fiancé is a Malaysian citizen living and working in China on a resident permit.  So she's not Chinese, but she is the beneficiary who is going to be going through the Guangzhou consulate.

[misken 61]

Sorry for the confusion, I'll try to be more clear in my future posts when they happen. So yes, I am the American citizen and my fiancee is the Malaysian citizen working in China on a residence permit. We're not at the interview stage yet, I'm just trying to plan the whole process out in order to try and avoid any last minute problems.

 

1 hour ago, rasaco said:

Has she tried going to a train station and asking whether they would allow her to travel using a photocopy of her passport and a letter from the consulate stating that her passport has been taken to add a visa?

We know that Shanghai train stations do not allow photocopies but unsure if a consulate letter would help (based on my experience with Chinese train station workers the answer would be no) but we have not contacted the train station in GZ. She also does not have a driver's license or any other form of Chinese identification.

 

Now, I know that when you apply for a residence permit and the Chinese Entry-Exit Bureau takes your passport (or if you lose your passport), they will issue a temporary identification that is valid for hotel registrations and trains. Has anyone been able to get a temporary ID from them in a situation where you still get to keep the passport after?

Edited February 24, 2017 by misken

[bob0801 0]

Sorry for my misunderstanding of the situation.

 

Based on my (and my Chinese wife's) experiences in China, I would definitely think that there is nothing that the American consulate can provide that would be acceptable to the Chinese transit authorities.  If there is something other than a passport that would be acceptable, I would think that the Chinese government would need to provide it (such as the temporary identification you mentioned from the Entry-Exit Bureau).

 

Another option might be for her to contact her OWN consulate/embassy.  Since she is a Malaysian citizen, they may be able to provide her with something...

[misken 61]

Thank you for all your help! When the time comes, I'll call the GZ consulate and visit the local PSB and see what kind of options are available and report back.

[bob0801 0]

Good luck!!