How do you extend your stay in China in 2026?

If you hold a temporary visa and need more days in the same category, book Exit-Entry before the stay date ends. Bring passport, application form, photos, and temporary residence registration from your hotel or landlord: Register address. Approvals are discretionary; some cities limit how often tourist stays extend.

If you already hold a residence permit and need more validity in the same purpose, use the residence extension or renewal track with employer or family papers: Apply for a residence permit and Get a work permit. Switching purpose (study to work, work to family) is a change-of-status file: Change status of residence. Study stays follow school sponsorship: Apply for a study permit.

Diary the stamp date the day you land. Hotels usually handle first registration; private rentals need the police station form within the published window: Paperwork after moving. Mandarin counters and appointment apps vary by city: Chinese bureaucracy without Chinese. Do not leave China assuming an expired stamp will be fixed on return without a new visa.