How long does the tourist visa extension process take in Guangzhou, China?

Question

I am approaching the end of my second stay of my dual-entry visa in China.

I am in Guangzhou and aware that another option is to pop over to Hong Kong and apply for a new Chinese visa there.

But HK is pricey when you're a on a shoestring hitchhiker's budget with a bank balance getting low. And in any case I would like to know ...

How long does it take to apply for and obtain a plain 30-day extension to a plain tourist visa (type L) here in Guangzhou?

From reading various information on the internet the process has quite a lot of variation around China with Tibet being almost impossible, Beijing being very difficult and demanding, and some small towns being extremely simple.

Yet no threads I can find have information about Guangzhou specifically. Does anyone have experience extending a visa here in the past year or so?

(Yes I have a Temporary Residence Registration Form (临时住宿登记) from my hostel.)

References:

• China Visa Extension Thread @ Lonely Planet Thorn Tree
• Visa policy of China / Visa application procedures for foreign nationals (aliens) @ Wikipedia
• China / Types of visas @ Wikivoyage

Answer 1

It takes 7 working days, so normally 9 days due to weekends.

It costs ¥160 CNY. The passport photo needed is special, with a blue background. You can get a set for ¥33 CNY in the building.

Applying with only one day left of your current visit is not a problem!

The office is very efficient, and waiting times are short, despite the large number of people.

You are given an official receipt which includes a copy of the important parts of your passport which I'm told will be acceptable as a travel document in the meantime. A friend here from Russia used this to board a flight once so it should also work for checking in to hotels etc.

Address:

The Public Security Bureau Exit-Entry Administration Division, located at 155 Jiefang South Road (解放南路155号) +86 20 8311-5808 (M-F 8:50AM–11:30AM, 2:30PM-5PM.)