Chinese Visa Name Change

[dademonia]

Hi everyone,

 

So I acquired  Canadian citizenship years ago (former PRC citizenship), and got my first Canadian passport. I have multiple Chinese visa on my first Canadian passport. Now that my first passport expired, I got my second one with a different name (I got a name change while I had my old passport, but never updated my passport). The sad part is, I lost my name change document. Now the problem is, my new passport has no Chinese visas, so in order to get one, I must show my old visas on my old passport, but my old passport was under a different name, and I lost the name change document. 

 

My old name has the format of:

(Old first name) (Last name)

 

My new name has the format of:

(New first name) (Old first name as middle name) (Last name)

 

Would it be a problem for me to get the Chinese visa onto my new passport? If so, what can I do to get the visa?

 

Thank you!

[zhouhaochen]

not sure how the name change thing works, however for most visas you do not need to prove that you had a visa for China previously. I do not know if there is any chance you can connect your old self with your new self in the Chinese visa system (I deal with it almost every day and still have no real idea how it works internally), however why don't you just apply for a new visa as a "new person"? Loads of (in fact most) people come to China and get visas who never had a Chinese visa beforehand.

What else you will need for your visa will depend on which kind of visa for which duration you apply.

[Lu]

Is there any way you can get a new name change document, or some other official document that says that John San Zhang was formerly San Zhang and this is the same person? That would resolve it, and I imagine this is not the last time you'll need to proof that.

[gato]

You might be able to get another copy of the legal name change certificate from the government office in Canada that processed your name change.

 

See here for example:

http://www.vs.gov.bc.ca/name/certificate.html

British Columbia

 

http://www.ontario.ca/government/how-do-i-apply-legal-name-change

Ontario

[jbradfor]

I'm guessing that the OP is under time pressure to get the visa, or else would just get a new name change document, which is obviously the right decision (and should be done anyway, as it'll be useful).  I don't see any choice than to submit what you have, with a letter explaining your name change.  If you have any documents that help support this (e.g. old drivers licenses with old name, anything) that might help.

 

 

 

Loads of (in fact most) people come to China and get visas who never had a Chinese visa beforehand.

The issue is that, as I understand it, as a former Chinese citizen one needs to provide ones previous Chinese passport (or similar documents), which would have ones old name.