Home›Forums›General Discussion›Flying Domestic In China Without A Passport?
- This topic has 11 replies, 8 voices, and was last updated 11 years ago by
Bartek.
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September 29, 2013 at 11:28 am #35694
AndrewD
ParticipantI’m in a bit of a quandary: I’m currently having my tourist visa converted to a student visa, and my school has given my passport, documents to the PSB…however, because of the upcoming holiday, this process will likely take longer than initially expected. In the meantime, I have a (unfortunately non-refundable…) ticket booked to Shanghai to visit a friend on the 10th of October. I’m 90% sure I won’t have my passport/visa back before then. Can I still go somehow?
I’ve scoured other forums, blogs, etc to find some clarity on the issue. Some say it’s possible with the receipt I have from the PSB saying they have my documents (to which I can affix a passport-sized photo) which functions as a temporary ID, and a copy of my passport. Others say no chance.
I’m going to head to the Entry/Exit Bureau at the airport to see what they say, but I thought I’d post on here as well and ask you guys. Does anyone have any experience with this sort of thing? Any advice would greatly appreciated. Thanks a million.
September 29, 2013 at 1:07 pm #35697Larry
ParticipantNo way, Jose.
The receipt works for registering at the ol’ 派出所 but not certain if it’ll cut it for a flight. I’d ask both the PSB and the airline if it’s possible. Spidy senses are saying no though.
September 29, 2013 at 1:41 pm #35700AndrewD
ParticipantYeah I’ll definitely head to the PSB to see what they say. Will they be open at all during the holiday?
September 29, 2013 at 3:44 pm #35702Paul Yeandle
ParticipantI have just got back from the the PSB exit and entry bureau and have a wait until 23rd for my residency permit – I was told no travel outside Chengdu (apart from day trips) during this time and I would imagine they would be closed all holiday – hence the backlog and long waiting times.
Hope you can sort it out though!
September 29, 2013 at 10:52 pm #35722Kim Duistermaat
Participantsome PSB’s can give you a card with name and photo on it that will entitle you to travel on domestic flights and trains. perhaps they can still issue one?
September 30, 2013 at 12:36 am #35727AndrewD
ParticipantYeah, I’m going to go and talk to them tomorrow. I guess if worst comes to worst I can always postpone my flight a bit for a small fee, not the end of the world.
September 30, 2013 at 1:34 am #35730Brendan
ModeratorYou will need to be on your A game to make this happen TOMORROW, otherwise I’d guess at NO CHANCE!
That said, in situations like this you should just take every run at it you can until your flight actually leaves the tarmac on take-off. At that point if you’re not on the flight at least you know you tried.
If you have a (smart/persistent) Chinese friend you can take with you, that will possibly boost your chances of success.
Good luck.September 30, 2013 at 12:11 pm #35740Rick in China
ParticipantI had my passport stolen once. PSB issued me a document I used to fly. It was a little bit of a hassle at the ID check at airport but nothing major, and worked…..
October 4, 2013 at 5:02 pm #35795Daniel Wikstrand
ParticipantKinda curious, how did it work out ?
Daniel
October 4, 2013 at 5:40 pm #35796AndrewD
ParticipantHey thanks for the responses/advice everyone! So the PSB said it should be fine on this end, but they didn’t know what the situation would be like in Shanghai coming back. I figure with all the hoops I’d have to jump through it really isn’t worth it, and since I can pay a small fee to change push my flight back a few days to when I get my passport/visa back I think I’ll likely do that and save myself the worry.
Hope everyone’s enjoying the holidays.
October 6, 2013 at 4:07 pm #35814Rick in China
ParticipantNo sense of adventure…
October 10, 2013 at 5:30 pm #35992Bartek
ParticipantLast month I had to leave Chengdu to do some business and was in the similar situation as OP (visa extension in progress and no passport). PSB gave me a receipt after taking away my passport in order to extend my visa. Just the regular one they issue to everyone, nothing fancy. It had my photo, passport number, date of birth etc.
I called the airport and asked if they let me board the plane. They said that I more than welcome. I was able to fly into multiple places (Shanghai, Hangzhou some other smaller cities) without any problems at all. I also didn’t have any trouble to stay in hotels.
So if I could do it everyone else should as well.
Cheers
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