Howdy all,

So i know it, I just know it, I will receive my new passport back from the PSB without an entry stamp won't I?
Got a new passport and had to register it under my previous student visa...but have been warned to not cause myself extra hassle by making sure there is a stamp in there saying i actually entered the country.

my wife said that she arrived at the border and had to wait and argue for hours for that reason ...
Do i need to go and bother someone somewhere for the entry stamp?

who and where?
thanky!

i carried both passports to show entry stamp in old one so no problems. quesiton yes, problems no

the consulaye should have given you instructions what to do.
usually you carry your old passport, which should be voided by cutting off a huge chunck of the passport.

i had to carry it around for two entries....dunno why usually after your first re-entry (stamp).

also your passport should have an issued in chongqing/chengdu/beijing remark. thatshould shut up ovrrly zealous officers.

When you get your new passport in China the PDB will check your old passport to make sure you are "kosher". When you leave China on a virgin passport they only check that the visa/permit is OK.

If you get a new passport while overseas you need to bring both old and new passports with you when you enter China and then within 10 days apply to move your resident permit to the new passport. I have known people that had multi entry visas and they never moved them over to the new passport, but you need to for a residence permit or face a fine.

www.gokunming.com/[...]

Make sure you go to PSB to register your new passport - must be done within 10 days so do NOT delay. Then you can ask this question in person - trust me this registration must be done or there will be consequences.

As Dazzer mentioned; if you leave the country take both passports with you. If they ask for the stamp you can show it in the old passport. That is how I did it.

As HFCAMPO mentioned (and it seems you've already done that critical step - so kudos to you for at least knowing that part of the living in China process), you MUST register your new passport with the local PSB.

They will NOT issue you a new entry stamp - you must carry both your old passport (with the valid visa) and your new passport, until you get a new visa in your new passport.

If you really really REALLY want a new visa in your new passport - you'll have to pay for it (along with the visa renewal applications and fees) - which will require your school to jump through some more hoops - which they're probably loathe to do, as we're so close to the end of the normal school year (unless your school and visa are "year round").

In addition to all that, if you are a dual citizen and you leave the country and re enter the country while changing passports in the process then your residence registration must be done again.

When leaving the country under no circumstances show them your other passport unless you have no other choice because it leads to confusion at the counter most likely a superior will be called down that could take a while .

That means you are held there until they figure out if either passport is genuine . Even among police at border checkpoints it is not common knowledge that it's legal to carry more than one passport.

Issues arise when you depart the country but your onward visa is in your second passport and they check for it in your first passport.

They usually refuse you the right to exit the country until a superior overules them. That could mean holding your plane on the ground or removing your luggage from it.

"if you are a dual citizen and you leave the country and re enter the country while changing passports in the process then your residence registration must be done again"

Actually your residence permit is tied to your visa. So to even consider letting you in you would have had to go and get a second (new) visa that was valid for a new entry on your second passport. So that's extremely unlikely that anyone would ever encounter, but yes .. in theory you should then re-apply for a residence permit.

"When leaving the country under no circumstances show them your other passport"

This is not the case at all, as in all cases with immigration bureaucracy your best bet is to be open and honest. As a triple citizen resident on and off in China for 15 years I have had these experiences many times. Chinese immigration officials know their job, worst case they call their shift manager and it's sorted pronto. (It's the little munchkins at Tuodong Lu you have to worry about!)

"Issues arise when you depart the country but your onward visa is in your second passport and they check for it in your first passport. They usually refuse you the right to exit the country until a superior overules them. That could mean holding your plane on the ground or removing your luggage from it."

I think you are conflating two different things here. The first is the airline check-in staff, who are often pretty new to the job and clueless about international travel and visas. The number of times I have seen them cause huge delays for people just because they don't know what, eg. a Shengen visa is, or whether citizens of country A can enter country B without a visa, or how all these things work with dual or triple nationality is innumerable. However, they are just doing their job - if you are patient then it usually sorts itself out. Once you have your luggage accepted by the airline staff and get a boarding pass, Chinese immigration are extremely unlikely to prohibit you from leaving.

In my experience, having a visa in another passport (different to that with which you have your current visa for China) is never an issue, whether at the Vietnamese, Laos or airport immigration points.

"Actually your residence permit is tied to your visa."

Not always.

For example I had F-visa for my first year in China, for technology exchange with a Chinese company which eventually lost interest and/or capacity to co-operate.

Meanwhile I married here and wanted to change to family reunion residence permit, but because my passport had less than 6 months validity left, I had to go make new passport in Beijing consulate of my home country.

I never had a visa for family re-union, only changed from F-visa to residence permit, with the RP on a clean, empty passport.

It was never a problem leaving or entering the country with it, though I did carry my old passport as well, just in case.