X1 & X2 Visa GuideUnofficial
Menu

New passport, valid China visa in the old one: travelling with both and changing it after entry

Unofficial summary · Sources checked

If your passport was renewed after the Chinese visa was issued, you may still travel to China with both passports, and once you are inside China you can apply to have the visa or the residence permit updated to the new passport. The Embassy of the People's Republic of China in the United Kingdom's FAQ page (Q14) states that you can travel to China on the old passport containing the valid Chinese visa in combination with the new passport, provided the identity information — name, date of birth, gender and nationality — is identical on both passports; if any of those details changed, you must apply for a new visa. After entry, a foreigner who starts using a new passport may apply for a change of visa at the exit-entry office (Regulations, Article 10), and a residence permit holder must apply to alter the registered passport number within 10 days (Law, Article 33).

Before you travel: carrying both passports

The only official statement supplied on this pre-travel question is from the Embassy of the PRC in the United Kingdom. Its FAQ Part Seven answers Q14 by saying that travel is allowed on the expired passport containing the valid Chinese visa together with the new passport when name, date of birth, gender and nationality are identical on both passports; if there is a change to any of the above details, a new visa is required (Embassy of the PRC in the UK, FAQ Q14). This is the UK embassy's statement for applicants in the United Kingdom, not a rule stated here as applying to every Chinese embassy or consulate. The Exit and Entry Administration Law and the Regulations, as supplied, do not address travelling to China with a valid visa in an old passport and a new passport. The embassy page carries a time stamp of 1 July 2020.

After entry: changing the visa when you start using a new passport

Regulations, Article 10 gives the route: where a foreigner starts using a new passport after entering China with a visa, he or she may apply to the exit and entry administration authority of the public security organ of the local people's government at or above the county level in the place of stay for a change of visa.

Regulations, Article 12 lists what the application carries: an application form, the passport or other international travel documents, qualified photos, and material relating to the purpose of the application.

Regulations, Article 13 covers the receipt and the stay while the application is pending: if the application meets the acceptance provisions, the authority issues a receipt of acceptance valid for a period not exceeding 7 days and makes a decision on whether to issue the visa within the validity period of that receipt. If the procedures or material do not conform, the authority must, in a one-off manner, notify the applicant of the procedure to be followed and the material to be supplemented and corrected. While the passport or other international travel documents are retained for processing, the applicant may stay in China legally on the strength of the receipt of acceptance.

The National Immigration Administration's service guide for the extension, change and reissue of foreigners' visas gives the specific rule for a new passport. The English rendering below is this site's translation of the Chinese text as published on the government service platform; the Chinese text is the reference.

The guide says that a foreigner who switches to a new passport because the original is about to expire or its visa pages are used up shall submit the passport held at the time of this entry, or a relevant certificate issued by the embassy or consulate of the applicant's country in China stating that the passport held at the time of this entry has been withdrawn; a visa consistent with the original visa in type, entry validity period, duration of stay and remaining valid entry times may be issued in exchange, and the entry times of the new visa follow the remaining valid entry times of the original visa (service guide (Chinese), item on switching to a new passport).

The Administration's own English version of the service guide (2021) states the same effect: a foreigner who starts using a new passport because the original one is about to expire or is running out of visa pages may apply for a change of visa by submitting the original passport for the latest entry or relevant certificates issued by the embassy or consulate of the applicant's country in China specifying that the original passport has been withdrawn; a visa that is consistent with the original visas in type, validity period of entry, duration of stay and the remaining valid entry times may be issued, and the entry times of the new visa will be decided in accordance with the remaining valid entry times of the original visa (NIA English service guide, 2021, new-passport change).

On timing, the two official texts differ. Regulations, Article 13 says the receipt of acceptance is valid for a period not exceeding 7 days. The Chinese service guide prints the receipt's validity as not exceeding 7 working days from the date of acceptance; the Administration's 2021 English service guide supplied here does not restate that time limit. This page sets out both texts and does not choose between them.

The service guide covers visas (stay), not residence permits. The supplied material for this guide notes that X1 does not appear in its extension or change lists, because X1 holders apply for a residence permit. Dates on the pages: the Chinese service guide prints no date of its own and its URL folder is 201903; the NIA's English service guide is dated 1 April 2021; the English Regulations and Law texts on the Administration's site are dated 10 March 2021.

If you hold a residence permit for study

Passport number is a registered item of a foreign residence permit. Law, Article 33 lists the registered items as name, sex, date of birth, reason for residence and duration of residence, date and place of issuance, and passport number or other international travel document number. Where a registered item has changed, the holder shall, within 10 days from the date of change, apply to the exit/entry administration of the public security organ under the local people's government at or above the county level in the place of residence for the alteration formalities.

So the 10-day duty in Law, Article 33 belongs to the residence permit, while the visa route above belongs to the Regulations. Do not mix the two: a change of visa is sought under Regulations, Article 10, and an alteration of a residence permit's registered items is sought under Law, Article 33. The residence permit that X1 holders apply for after arrival is described at residence permit for study after arrival. The supplied Law text does not state a fee or a processing time for this alteration, so none is given here.

Questions people ask

Can I enter China on my old passport with the valid visa and my new passport?

The Embassy of the PRC in the United Kingdom's FAQ Q14 says yes: you can travel on the expired passport containing the valid Chinese visa in combination with the new passport if name, date of birth, gender and nationality are identical on both passports, and if any of those details changed you must apply for a new visa. That is the UK embassy's statement for applicants in the UK. The supplied Law and Regulations do not cover the pre-travel use of a valid visa in an old passport together with a new passport.

I have already entered China and started using my new passport. Which application do I make?

If you are in China on a visa, apply for a change of visa at the exit-entry office (Regulations, Article 10). If you hold a residence permit, apply to alter the registered passport number within 10 days (Law, Article 33). X1 does not appear in the service guide's extension or change lists, because X1 holders apply for a residence permit.

What do I submit for the change of visa on a new passport?

Regulations, Article 12 requires an application form, the passport or other international travel documents, qualified photos, and material relating to the purpose of the application. For the new-passport change, the service guide requires the passport held at this entry or a certificate from your country's embassy or consulate in China that the entry passport has been withdrawn; the NIA English guide words it as the original passport for the latest entry or such certificates. The visa issued in exchange keeps the original type, entry validity period, duration of stay and remaining valid entry times, and its entry times follow the original's remaining valid entries.

How long can I stay in China while the application is pending?

Under Regulations, Article 13, the receipt of acceptance is valid for not more than 7 days and the decision is made within that period; if the material does not conform, the authority gives a one-off notification of what to supplement or correct, and while the passport is retained you may stay legally on the receipt. The Chinese service guide prints the receipt's validity as not exceeding 7 working days from acceptance, while the Administration's 2021 English service guide supplied here does not restate the limit; because the two official texts differ, this page presents both and does not choose.

Does the UK embassy answer apply to me if I apply in another country?

The FAQ is the statement of the Embassy of the PRC in the United Kingdom for applicants in the UK. The supplied official texts do not say whether other Chinese embassies or consulates give the same answer, so it is not stated here as a general mission rule.

Sources

Checked 11 October 2026

This page is an unofficial summary, is not legal or immigration advice, is not published by the National Immigration Administration, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, any embassy or any visa application centre, and the official text and the instructions of the visa office or exit-entry office handling your case prevail if they differ.

Visa Desk