Can a Tibet Travel Permit be issued with Chinese visa in an expired passport?
I'm organising a trip to China including a visit to Lhasa in Tibet for a group of four people this April. Most of the trip is now booked, but a possible problem has come to light. One of our group has a two-year Chinese visa which is valid until May in an expired British passport. He also has a new passport. This has already been addressed on this site and elsewhere, and everyone seems to agree that if you have a valid passport and a valid visa in an expired passport, that's fine so long as you take both with you and the visa wasn't defaced when the passport was cancelled. The Chinese embassy have confirmed this on the phone.
But I have a complication. Our Tibetan tour operator is now saying that it is not possible to issue a Tibet Travel Permit unless the Chinese visa is in a current passport. Can anyone shed any light on whether this is accurate, or suggest how I might verify this? It seems surprising to me, but I can't seem to find anything that addresses this on the internet.
Best Answer
I am going through this issue right now. My travel agency said that Tibet refused my Visa because my Chinese Visa was in my expired passport. I had sent both my new passport and my expired passport with a Chinese Visa that was good for another 8 years. I was told that I could go to China with the Visa but not to Tibet. I am in the process of getting a new Chinese Visa in my current passport with less than 3 weeks before I leave.
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Can I go to Tibet with a Chinese visa?
Tibet is a part of China, thus no extra Visa is needed for traveling there. Tibet Travel Permits must be handled by a travel agency in China and independent applications are not accepted. The application procedure is very simple: the only required documents are travelers' passports and China visa copies.Are old Chinese visas still valid?
The validity of a China visa is the period between the "Issue Date" and "Enter Before" date shown on your visa. It is usually 3 months, 6 months, 1 year, and sometimes even 10 years. Holders please note that they must enter mainland China before 24:00 of the "Enter Before" date.How do I get a Tibet permit?
Tibet Travel Permit (Tibet Visa)Do you need a permit to travel to Tibet?
Tibet Travel Permit, also known as Tibet Visa or Tibet Entry Permit, is an indispensable travel permit for international tourists to enter Tibet in addition to Chinese visa. For every foreign traveler, Tibet Permit is required as a must entry pass to board the flight or Tibet train bound for Lhasa.Tibet Travel Permit: How to Get Tibet Travel Permit (Tibet Visa) Successfully in 2019 and 2020
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Answer 2
It is okay for you to apply for the Tibet Travel Permit with Chinese Visa in an expired passport. You just need to send your travel agency your old passport, new passport, and your Chinese Visa. And you need the old passport, new passport, Chinese visa, and Tibet Travel Permit to check in when you take the flight to Lhasa.
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