I'm a German student at the Yunnan Nationalities University. I arrived one week ago and I will be studying here for about 10 months. Back in Germany, I got a students visa (X Visa) with the specifications of:

Entries: 01
Duration of each stay: 000
Issue date: 17AUG2010
Enter before: 17NOV2010

Now my university told us they have to renew our visas and want 400 Yuan for that. Why might my visa have to be renewed? Is there anything I missed? Is this a standard procedure or why are they doing this (I have a scholarship, by the way)...

If I simply just don't appear in the office or refuse to have my visa "renewed", what could the consequences be? After all, my current visa should be valid for a year (or even more).

What does this mean? What can I do?
Thanks,
- André

What you have got is a temporary 'Student Visa' and you will need to apply for you long term visa within 30 days after arrival.
First you need a confirmation letter from your school, you should also be registered with a KunMing address and this address has to be verified by your local community police, you also need to pass a medical checkup, then take some photos along with your application,- and, oh yes, finally, 400 Yuan is the right price for a 10 months Student Visa.
Don't overstay your temporary visa, you may have to pay a hefty fine,- and in the worst case, they will send you straight back home.
Relax, all these regulations are not very different from those in your home-country ;-)

Seems strange to me. The only reason that I know of requiring someone to "renew" their student visa like this is if they change schools. Is your original residence permit/visa through Yunnan Nationalities University?

Hi Vortarulo,

I'll try to clear it up a bit. The student visa you received back home is only good to enter China but not to stay in China, as evidenced by the Duration of stay of 0 days.

Upon entering China, you need to apply for your residence permit, and this is what your school is doing for you. The cost for it is 400yuan, this is collected by the immigration bureau to process and issue your residence permit. Your residence permit will allow you unlimited entries into China during the time that your residence permit is valid.

It's SOP — standard operating procedure. They are not ripping you off. You need to do what they told you to.

Tonyaod's description (above) of the way it really works is superb: clear and accurate.

Thanks, everyone, especially LaoBenDan and Tonyaod. I understand how it works now.