Faster visa service for foreigners who lose passports in Shanghai

From September 1, foreigners who lose their passports in Shanghai can have their urgent visa applications processed in under seven days, the exit-entry administration said on Friday.

The procedures and materials required for such an application are the same as before, and police remind foreigners who acquire a new passport that they should re-register their accommodation information at a hotel or at a police station before applying for the visa.

The faster visa service will also be extended to foreign tourist groups who have one or more members requiring a separate visa to leave the group to deal with urgent matters in another country.

Foreign ship crew and their family members on board who need an urgent residence permit to leave Shanghai and take a passenger flight from another city in China are also entitled to the faster service.

The applications can be submitted only at the Shanghai Exit-Entry Administration Bureau at 1500 Minsheng Road in the Pudong New Area. On the third floor, a special counter has been opened to deal with urgent visa applications from foreigners.

Similar measures which are part of new policies introduced by the State Immigration Administration will take effect in all places in China from September 1.