Visa extension and change fees inside China: the two official fee lists and why they differ

Two official pages of the National Immigration Administration print two different sets of fees for extending or changing a visa inside China. The Chinese service guide on the government service platform lists 160 / 206 / 313 / 413 / 619 yuan per person; the Administration's English service guide, dated 1 April 2021, lists 160 / 168 / 252 / 420 / 672 yuan per person. Neither page explains the difference, and the Chinese page prints no date of its own.

The two lists side by side

Both figures below are for nationals of non-reciprocal countries, per person, in yuan. The English wording on this page is this site's translation of the Chinese text.

Visa action (non-reciprocal countries)	Chinese service guide (s.nia.gov.cn)	English service guide (dated 2021-04-01)
Zero-entry visa	160	160
Single-entry visa	206	168
Double-entry visa	313	252
Multiple-entry, valid no more than half a year	413	420
Multiple-entry, valid one year (inclusive)	619	672
Adding or reducing accompanying persons	160	160

The Chinese guide states that nationals of reciprocal countries are charged at the stipulated standard; it does not print that standard. The English guide says reciprocal-country fees are charged in accordance with standards stipulated by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and heads a table for those standards; the page prints that heading with no figures under it.

Why the lists differ

Neither page says. The Chinese guide states a fee section without naming a charging document. The English guide names two: the Reply of the State Development Planning Commission and the Ministry of Finance on Approving the Adjustment to the Visa Charging Standards of Public Security Organs of the Mainland (Ji Jia Ge [2003] No. 392), and the Notice of Public Security Organs to Adjust Charging Standards to Foreigners' Visas (Gong Ming Fa [2011] No. 470). The two pages also differ in how they describe the longest band: "one year (inclusive) multiple-entry" in the Chinese text, "multiple-entry valid for no more than one year" in the English text. This site has no basis to say which list is current.

What the law requires

Exit and Entry Administration Law, Article 92: foreigners who apply for exit/entry documents such as visas or foreigner stay or residence permits, or who apply for document extension or alteration, shall pay visa fees or document fees in accordance with relevant regulations. That article sets the duty to pay; the amounts come from the fee documents and service guides, not from the Law. Article 93 dates the Law's entry into force to 1 July 2013.

Residence permits, for comparison only

The Administration's Chinese service guide for residence permits prints different bands: 400 yuan for a permit valid up to one year, 800 yuan for one year (inclusive) to under three years, and 1,000 yuan for three years (inclusive) to five years (inclusive), citing the NDRC/MOF notice 发改价格〔2004〕2230号. Those are permit figures, not visa figures. X1 does not appear in the extension or change lists of either visa guide. As a reminder from this site, an X1 holder's step after arrival is the residence permit (residence permit for study after arrival).

What to do with the two numbers

1. Find the exit-entry division of the public security bureau that handles your address.
2. Ask that office, in writing if you can, for the fee it currently charges for your case.
3. Take the figure the office gives you as the one that applies.

Questions people ask

Which list should I pay?

Neither page states which is current, and this site will not guess. Pay the figure the exit-entry office handling your case states; the printed guide figure is not a cap or a guarantee.

Does this cover my X1 visa?

No. The extension and change lists of the two visa guides do not include X1. As a reminder from this site, X1 holders apply for a residence permit after arrival, and that is priced on the residence permit bands above.

Are reciprocal-country nationals priced the same?

Neither guide states what they pay. Both guides say reciprocal-country nationals are charged under separate standards, and neither guide prints those standards.

Sources

• National Immigration Administration — service guide for the extension, change and reissue of foreigners' visas (Chinese) — National Immigration Administration (government service platform s.nia.gov.cn)
• National Immigration Administration — Service Guide on visa extension, change and reissuance for foreigners (English page dated 2021-04-01) — National Immigration Administration (en.nia.gov.cn)
• National Immigration Administration — service guide for issuing, extending, replacing and reissuing foreigners' residence permits (Chinese) — National Immigration Administration
• Exit and Entry Administration Law of the People's Republic of China (English text published by the National Immigration Administration) — National Immigration Administration

Checked 11 October 2026

This page is an unofficial summary: it is not legal or immigration advice, it is not published by the National Immigration Administration or any other body named here, and if it differs from the official text or from the instructions of the visa office or exit-entry office handling your case, that official text and those instructions prevail.