A Janpanses woman living in Shenzhen was fined 5,000 yuan (US$699) in Fujian Province earlier this month for having an expired China visa.

Machiko Uematsu was fined and not allowed to leave the country as she waited at Fuzhou International Airport for a Shenzhen Airlines flight to Osaka, the third-largest city in Japan, on Feb. 8.

Under Chinese law, foreigners face being fined and barred from leaving the country if they are found to possess expired visas, according to officials with Shenzhen's exit and entry authorities.

Uematsu's F (business visit) visa had expired Jan. 5. She purchased her air ticket from a travel agency in the Dongmen area in Shenzhen, which did not check the status of her visa when it sold her the ticket.

On Feb. 8, Uematsu flew from Shenzhen to Fuzhou, capital of Fujian Province, from where her flight was scheduled to depart. At the departure gate of Fuzhou International Airport, airport staff found her China visa had expired. Uematsu was fined 5,000 yuan by the exit and entry authorities.

Uematsu came back to Shenzhen on Sunday and demanded an apology from the airline company.

"The travel agency didn't check her passport, and they should be responsible for this issue. In addition, the Shenzhen airport is also partially responsible for this as they didn't realize Uematsu's visa had expired when she headed for Fuzhou," said Yang Jianchang, an official with the Luohu Consumer Council.

The travel agency agreed to refund Uematsu the price of the ticket after mediation by Yang.

Foreigners wishing to renew expired visas can apply by logging on to the Web site of the exit-entry administration of the Shenzhen Municipal Public Security Bureau (www. sz3e.com) or visiting the bureau, which is located at 4018 Jiefang Road in Luohu District. (Cai Yingbo)