Hi guys, my friend is studying at the university but she didn't know when the office would close and this week when she went there they said that the Visa department its not working till September. However her visa ends in August. Does anyone knows if she can get a 30 days tourist visa without leaving the country?

Try to be a little specific. You say "at the university," like there is only one university in town. You say "the Visa department" which is probably means nothing to anyone here. If you mean the university office that handles visa applications then you should know what the visa process entails.

China is extremely bureaucratic and if you wander into some office, somewhere, and ask unintelligent questions of bored, uncaring people who resent working while most of the school is on holiday, you will get answers that amount to "No."

"No" means, "Go away and bother someone else." At most universities staff might work only mornings or only certain days during holiday.

My question is why wait until time is short to do visa stuff? Think! Learn! Prepare! Be proactive when it comes to maintaining legal status in China, or, just be the victim of self imposed ignorance.

"maintaining legal status in China"

While illegally working outside of class hours. One of the main reasons foreign students want to extend their stay in China.

@OP, go visit the PSB directly: www.gokunming.com/[...]

"Does anyone knows if she can get a 30 days tourist visa without leaving the country?"

That is the question, right. The answer is that its very unlikely. "New" 30 day visas are rarely made. She may get an extension to her visa if she aint got one already. If she has a bunch of documents and a good reason for a second extension, she may get two extensions. But thats playing roulette.

Basically if she needs a "new" 30 days visa then she must cross the border to get it. And she better bring documents abroad too, even applying for new tourist visa. Where she stays, etc. And her plans written down. Why not a paper fron uni too. This depends a bit where visa is applied, in Hong Kong some places take care of some of this stuff, but Hong Kong can be tricky too.

And by the way, the visa extension is usually 30 days. Its an extension for the visa she entered the country with. They do glue a new one in the passport, but technically its an "extension". This can be applied at a certain PSB when the first visa is about to finnish. Dig a bit in this.

I took "my friend is studying at the university" to mean she is on a student visa. The school should handle the new student visa paperwork.

Maybe she didn't tell the school she would be a returning student. Kinda hard to help the clueless/helpless.

Oh yes, Geezer, youre probably right on that one. Now your comment also seems more appropriate - somehow the inoression over here was its a new student arriving.

So an extention to student visa is the case. Got no idea about that stuff.

I have no idea either. Paid the school, gave them my passport and a couple of weeks later I got it back with the new visa in it. Worked the same way when I was teaching. I am sure there is more to getting a visa than my part was.

Anyway, someone will be on duty at the school who can help for a few hours each week. Just got to find out who and when.

@yankee00, why do you suspect all students of working illegaly? you seem to have the same problem with students like hfcampo with backpackers :P

@yankee: some work out of class, yes, and their are other reasons. I think many want to stay in China, and that this is one of the main reasons that they work, legally or illegally, it doesn't bother me.