A Surprisingly Lax Communist Agency

If you recall from several posts ago, Jessica got a new passport from the US Embassy to replace her sad, tired and damaged old one. When we got the new passport, the American Consular Services ladies told us that we just had to go the Beijing Public Security Bureau and show them a letter explaining that the old passport had been canceled and a new one issued, and then request a visa transfer. The letter would be provided by the embassy, so that would help simplify matters. Easy, we thought. Famous last words...

We of course procrastinated on going over there until this weekend, when I realized that if they needed to hold Jessica's passport for a week or so, we needed to get it in as soon as possible.

Amazingly the PSB has a website with English that even explains their hours and provides directions (although, they were not that exact). The PSB is located just around the corner from the Lama Temple, but you have to head south on the 2nd Ring Road a couple of blocks before you see it (big Nouveau Communist building with a Chinese flag out front). The building is very new and shiny and even features helpful signs in English, I assume because many foreigners have to deal with the PSB for visa renewals, extensions, permanent residency applications, etc.

We waited in line and then got to the head of the line armed with the US Embassy passport letter, both new and old passports, Beijing University offer letter and JW-02 Student Visa Application Form (completed) as well as Jessica's Beijing University Student ID booklet (yep, it's a little red book, not a card). The officer, after much perusal of all the information, eventually decided that they couldn't transfer the visa. When questioned as to why, he said that it was because the visa wasn't issued in China, it was issued in the US. Well, of course it was issued in the US, because you can't get into China unless you get a visa beforehand! After a lot of back and forth, where I said that the US embassy told us that we had to get the visa transferred, and him saying that it wasn't necessary, we were very frustrated. He then changed tactics and said that she could leave the country with the new passport and the expired passport (which has had holes punched in it by the embassy staff) and it wouldn't be a problem. Since this sounded kind of like he was trying to get rid of us (I mean, really, a Communist country that lets you leave on an expired passport? That sounds very fishy!) we decided to regroup and check with a higher authority.

I called the US Embassy but of course ACS was closed. I made the operator (Chinese) transfer me to the Marine post on duty (my tax dollars at work!!) and the very nice and polite Marine transferred me to the duty officer (who sounded like they were at home with their kids). I explained the situation and she promised to get back to me in a couple of days. She agreed that it sounded fishy, so I do think there is something else we need to do. The other option is to change Jess' return flight to the US to be out of Hong Kong, and then take an illegal fishing boat to Hong Kong! Haha, just kidding.