Visas to the United States

Notice: The Consular Section will be closed to the public for visa interviews from Monday, November 23 to Friday, December 4.  Anyone requiring an emergency visa appointment between November 23 and December 4 should request an expedited appointment as described below. 

The U.S. Consulate in Chengdu processes Non-immigrant Visas (NIVs) only.  For information on Immigrant Visas, please visit the website of the U.S. Consulate General, Guangzhou, which handles all Immigrant Visa applications in China.

Starting on October 20, 2008, all passback of passports and visas for appointments on or after October 20 is being done through EMS and China Post - details are listed below.

NEW: Non-Immigrant Visa Information Sheet in Chinese and English (PDF, 410k). 

WHEN TO APPLY

We recommend that all NIV applicants make their appointment early and interview as far in advance of their planned travel as possible. Applying early will ensure that we have time to conduct your interview, review your application, and determine whether we can issue you a visa.

The majority of visas can be processed in several days; however, some visa applications require additional administrative processing. Administrative processing for NIV applicants is currently taking about two to four weeks, and at time it can take longer.

Applying as early as possible will help ensure that we have plenty of time to schedule your appointment, conduct your interview, review your application, and determine whether we can issue a visa.  Thank you for your cooperation, and for your interest in visiting our country.

HOW TO APPLY

If you are seeking to renew a B-1 (business), B-2 (tourist/visitor), F (student), J (exchange visitor) or H (temporary worker) you may qualify for our Visa Renewal/CITIC Bank Dropoff Service

1. Make an Appointment

To make an NIV interview appointment, call the appointment call center at 4008-872-333.  There is a fee of RMB 54 per 12 minutes to access the call center, and most calls take less than 12 minutes. Methods of payment:

• CITIC Bank:  Applicants may purchase Call Center calling cards directly from CITIC Bank at the time application fees are paid.
• Credit/ Debit Card: Payment can be made by entering the credit/debit card number when logging on to www.usavisainformation.com.cn.

To book an appointment from the United States, please call (86-21) 3881-4611.

You do not need to make an appointment through the Call Center if:

• You want to renew an F, J or H visa that expired less than 12 months ago and was issued in Chengdu, and you are returning to the same school or institution.

Applicants qualifying for this service may bring their applications and supporting documentation to the Consulate Monday, Tuesday and Thursday before 10:00 AM and will be interviewed the same day. Please check here to make sure that we are open before you come in.

2. Complete the Application Forms and Pay the Fee

The visa application fee is US$131 and can be paid at CITIC Bank. L visa applicant holders may have to pay additional fees before their interview.  Visa application forms may also be picked up at CITIC Bank or can be filled out online:

Form Number	Form Name	Required For
DS-156*	Non-Immigrant Visa Application Form (Instructions)	All Applicants
DS-157	Supplemental NIV Application Form	All Applicants
DS-158	Contact Information and Work History	F, M or J Applicants

*If you have trouble accessing the DS-156 through the normal link, please try here or here.

• Please fill out your application forms completely before your interview, providing detailed travel information and complete addresses.

• Each NIV application should include two 2 x 2 inch photos (roughly 50 mm square).  The applicant’s head should be centered in the frame against a white background.

• For Chinese applicants: please hand-write the Standard Telegraphic Codes for your name in boxes 6 and 7 on the DS-156.

3. Come to the Consulate for Your Interview

During your interview, a Consular Officer will examine your documents, take your fingerprints using an inkless scanner, and ask you a few questions. To qualify for a U.S. visa, you will have to convince the officer (1)that your purpose for traveling to the United States is actually what you have stated and (2)that your situation here in China, whatever it may be, is stable and attractive enough that you will return to it at the end of your visit to the United States. These documents are required:

• Valid Passport: if your passport will expire less than 6 months after your planned arrival in the United States, please have it extended or renewed before the interview.  B1/B2 visa applicants must have passports valid for six months beyond their intended period of stay in the United States.
  
• One DS-156 Application Form: with a photograph attached.
  
• DS-157 Form
  
• Original CITIC Bank Receipt for Application Fee: Please note that the fee is not refundable; no refund will be made if the visa is denied or if you choose not to pursue the application.
  

In addition to these required documents, you may also want to bring along documents that show that you have strong economic, social, family and other commitments here in China. These could include documents showing that you own a home or other property, proof of residency (hukou), your marriage certificate, evidence of income, bank statements, proof of employment or business ownership and proof of family relationships. You should be able to show that you have sufficient finances to support yourself during your visit. Also, if you have traveled to the United States or other foreign countries before, please consider bringing along your old passports and perhaps photographs as evidence.

Visa interviews are brief, and officers are required by law to assume that applicants are intending immigrants (and therefore ineligible for non-immigrant visas) unless they can demonstrate otherwise. While the vast majority of applications do get approved, bear in mind that the burden is on you to show that you are qualified.

If your application is approved, in most cases you will be able to pick up your passport and visa two business days after your interview in Chengdu or arrange for your visa and passport to be mailed to you via EMS (see below).  This is, however, by no means guaranteed. Occasionally, technical problems may mean that we will not be able to return passports until two or three business days after your interview. Also, in cases where additional administrative processing is required after the interview, several weeks are sometimes required to approve a visa. Please apply as early as possible. Timely submission of an application does not guarantee that a visa will be issued, but it may ensure that the process for applying for a visa will be completed in time to allow the applicant to travel if he or she does qualify for the visa.

EMS Passback Service

Starting on Monday, October 20, 2008, applicants who are approved for a visa during their interview will be asked to go to an EMS location across the street from the Consulate at #8 Linshiguan Lu, Wanxingyuan A, Room 8007. The applicant will then arrange with EMS, for a fee, to have their passport and visa mailed to them through China Post anywhere in the Consular district.  Applicants may also pick up their passport at the Linshiguan Lu EMS office.

EMERGENCY APPOINTMENTS

Under certain emergency circumstances applicants who cannot wait for a normal visa interview appointment may request an expedited appointment.  Valid reasons may include:

• Emergency medical treatment
  
• Emergency business travel
  
• Family emergencies (such as death)
  
• Other emergencies (such as appearance in a U.S. court)

To request an expedited appointment, make an appointment through the Call Center and then send an email to ConsularChengdu@state.gov or a fax to US Consulate Chengdu at (28) 8554-6229 requesting that your appointment be expedited.

Please include the appointment information you received from the call center, your name as it appears in your passport, your passport number, date of birth, and a telephone number where we can reach you. Please send either an email or a fax - not both. We normally respond to email inquiries within three business days. For faxed requests for expedited appointments, we will respond only if are able to grant the request.

Visa Renewal/CITIC Bank Drop-off Service

Applicants seeking to renew a B-1 (business), B-2 (tourist/visitor), F (student), J (exchange visitor) or H (temporary worker) visa may drop off their visa application at participating branches of China CITIC Bank according to the following requirements:

• The previous visa was issued on or after November 14, 2007.
• The previous visa must be currently valid, or must have expired within the last twelve months.
  
• The applicant must be applying for the same type of visa at the U.S. Embassy or Consulate in China where he/she was issued his/her previous U.S. visa. The only exception is that if an F, J or H1B visa holder previously applied at another post in China (Shanghai, Guangzhou, Chengdu or Shenyang), they may use the Beijing drop box for another F, J or H1B visa.
  
• Applicants must be traveling on a People’s Republic of China passport.  Applicants with passports issued by authorities in Taiwan, Hong Kong, or Macao are NOT eligible to use this drop-off service.
  
• Applicants whose previous visas applications required additional administrative processing time, or who have any previous visas with a “clearance received” date printed in the annotation area, must make an appointment to interview in-person.  They are NOT eligible to use this drop-off service.  Use of the drop-off service by these applicants will result in a delay of the visa application process.
  

Specific requirements may also apply to certain types of applicants:

• Applicants seeking to renew F, J and H visas must be returning to the same school, institution or workplace as was indicated on their previous visa application.  J visa holders must be applying under the same exchange visitor program number as their previous visas.
  
• F and J visa applicants returning to schools in the U.S. must submit their official transcripts of their coursework with their applications.
  
• For applicants going to the U.S. for a business purpose, it helps to provide a copy of the invitation, itinerary, and applicant’s résumé when submitting the application.
  
• Public Affairs Passport holders may also use this service: ask the local foreign affairs office about the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs drop-off service.
  

Applicants who are qualified to use this service may go in person or send a representative to any participating China CITIC Bank branch during working hours with the necessary supporting documents, including the passport that contains the original of the applicant’s previous U.S. visa.

At most locations, China CITIC Bank charges a non-refundable service fee of RMB 200.  The fee may be slightly higher in certain locations.  For more information about submitting visa applications at a local branch of China CITIC Bank, please visit their website or inquire at a Bank location near you.