Getting a call from the police is never fun, especially while living in China and trying to handle it in Chinese.

Needless to say, when I figured out that it was a policeman on the other end of the line, my knees got a little wobbly, and I passed the phone off to a Chinese roommate. The crackdown on visas was truly starting to hit home.

Apparently I committed a few grave errors. First, some background: I arrived in China eight months ago on a tourist visa. This was suggested by the company that recruited me to work here, as getting an F (business) or Z (employee) visa was much easier from within China than playing the international paper chase/red stamp game.

I came to Shanghai and decided to crash on my friend’s couch to save on cash while I searched for an apartment. Bad idea. The requirements are such that you must register your residence within 24 hours of your arrival (which would have been done at a hotel if I had gone that route).

When I finally found an apartment and went to register with the local station, the two weeks of “floating” cost me 500 yuan (and perhaps a red flag on my file).

Fast-forward to the pre-Olympics crackdown, and the policeman on the other end of the line wants to know why I haven’t come in to re-register with a new visa, as surely the tourist visa has run out. Oh, and while he has the file open, why also didn’t I come back and re-register with him after I left the country for Chinese New Year for a week?

A now-angry policeman tells my roommate I must go into the office the next day to pay some fines.

Thankfully, after some helpful tips from locals that suggested I go in very meekly and apologetically to the office, I was let off with a warning, and some gruff reminders.

From my experience, here are a few summarized tips:

• When in doubt, register with the local station. And then register again. When anything in your status changes, from visa to phone number to address to just-back-from-holiday, it is always a good idea to let the authorities know (as creepy as that seems).
• Do not attempt to fight back (too hard). The sentiment of the authorities seems to be tilting in the direction of contempt of foreigners who think they can do whatever they want. When I suggested to Mr. Officer I was never told that I should re-register upon re-entering the country, I was shown the “Arrival Card” that everyone fills out at customs that states in fine print something to the effect of “failure to register with the police department within 24 hours of arrival can lead to you being deported.” Point taken.

    Channel: Vital News     |