Q:How to apply for a Chinese visa?

A: I. Signing up and Logging into Your Account. Go to http://consular.mfa.gov.cn/VISA/ (click to redirect)

II. Filling out the Form and Uploading Materials. Please refer to the consular jurisdiction of Chinese Embassy and Consulates-General in the United States (click to view) and select corresponding Embassy/Consulate-General for your submission. Then please refer to the Guidelines for China Online VISA Application, Requirements and Procedures for Chinese Visa Application to fill in the application form and upload required materials.

III. Online Review and Submit your Passport. After the application status displays as “Passport to be submitted（Click for example）”, the applicant or agent should visit the Visa office of the Embassy to submit the passport, a printed copy of the application information page with the barcode, and certain original documents requiring submitted on-site. The Visa Section of the Embassy locates at: 2201 Wisconsin Avenue NW, Suite 110, Washington, D.C. 20007. Office hours: 9:30-14:30 (Monday to Friday, closed on weekends and holidays)

The staff will review the documents and schedule the time for pickup. Usually, it will take 4 working days if the application meets all the requirements. If there is an urgent need for travel, the applicant may apply for expedited processing by presenting the supporting documents. The processing time will be 3 working days (additional fee will be charged).

IV. Pickup. The pick-up form issued by the staff of the Embassy will indicate the earliest estimated date for pick-up. Please check your online application status on or after that date. When the status shows “Passport to be collected”, you may come to the visa office for pickup with your pink pick-up form.

Please use credit card (Master or Visa), Money Order or Cashier's Check for payment. More details.

Q: After the online preliminary review is approved, do I need to make an appointment to submit my passport and to collect my fingerprints?

The Chinese Embassy and Consulates-General in the U.S. provide walk-in visa application services. After online preliminary review approved (with the application status of “Passport to be submitted” ), the applicant or an agent can go to the corresponding Embassy or Consulate-General to submit the passport, a printed copy of the application information page with the barcode, and certain original documents requiring submitted on-site.

According to relevant regulations, applicants are not required to visit in person for fingerprint collection. However, based on the specifics of each case, consular officers may require the applicant to appear in person for an interview. Please follow the instructions of the consular officers.

Q: After I submitted my visa application online, I found that there is incorrect/incomplete information. Do I need to fill out another form?

A: Once your visa application is submitted online, it cannot be modified. If incorrect or incomplete information is found after submission, you may cancel the application yourself, correct the information, and resubmit it.

Please note that Applicants may cancel their application up to a maximum of two times within 90 days. Failure to comply may affect your ability to resubmit. Please carefully check all the information when filling out the application.

Q: My passport expires in 6 months/ has less than 2 visa pages, can I use it to apply for a Chinese visa?

A: No. Please renew the passport first.

Q: I renewed my passport recently. I previously had a Chinese visa on my expired passport which is still within the valid period.Do I need to apply for a new visa?

A: Please check whether there is any change of Name, Gender, Date of Birth and Nationality between the new and expired passports. If the information above has not changed and the purpose of your upcoming trip to China is consistent with the visa type, a new visa is not required. Please travel to China with both passports. If your personal information has changed or the purpose of your trip to China is different from the type of current visa, please apply for a new visa.

Q: I am a Chinese citizen. My child was born in the U.S. with a U.S. passport. What are the requirements for my child applying Chinese visa for the first time?

A: According to the Nationality Law of the People's Republic of China, a person whose parents are both Chinese nationals and have both settled abroad, or one of whose parents is a Chinese national and has settled abroad (for example, holding a non-conditional permanent resident card of the U.S.), and who has acquired foreign nationality at birth shall not have Chinese nationality. These foreign nationals are required to apply for a visa to travel to China. Please refer to the Chinese Visa Application Requirements for U.S.-born Children of Chinese Descent.

Q: After I submitted my application materials, the expected pickup date has arrived, but the system status has not yet updated to "Passport to be collected". Can I go to pick up my passport?

A: No. The date indicated on the pickup form is the earliest estimated pickup date. If the order status does not show "Passport to be collected", please check if the email address or phone number provided in your application have received any notification regarding your application, or ask your agent if they have received any notification from the Visa Office requesting supplement. Depending on the specifics of the case, some applications may take longer to process. Please wait until the expected pickup date has passed AND the online application status displays "Passport to be collected", then you or your agent may go to collect the passport.

Q: I live in Florida. Florida belongs to the Embassy's consular jurisdiction, but it is far from D.C.. Can I apply my Chinese visa through the mail?

A:The Chinese Embassy does not provide mailing services for visa application. Please follow Requirements and Procedures for Chinese Visa Application and submit the application material in person or by an agent.

Q: Why the visa is different from my application in terms of type/number of entries/validity/duration of each stay?

A: Whether to issue a visa, the type of visa, number of entries, validity and duration of each stay will be determined by consular officials. Consular officials will take the applicant's purpose of travel, the duration of stay and the supporting documents into comprehensive consideration and make the decision.

Q: I found that my personal information on the visa is inaccurate. What should I do?

A: Please contact the Visa Section of the Embassy through email washington_visa@csm.mfa.gov.cn or call 202-855-1555 (12:30-16:30, Monday to Friday, except for holidays) as soon as possible. You may also contact staff on-site to adjust the information in time.

Q: My 10-year multi-entry visa was suspended due to the COVID-19. Is there any compensation measures?

A: U.S. citizens holding multi-year multi-entry visas issued by Chinese authorities abroad before March 28, 2020 under bilateral reciprocity agreements, whose visas temporarily suspended of use between March 28, 2020 and March 14, 2023 due to the COVID-19, may apply for compensation. However, if a new multi-year multi-entry visa or residence permit has been issued after March 28, 2020, no compensation will be given for the original multi-year multi-entry visa. Applicants may choose whether to apply for compensation after the expiration of their visas. If you choose compensation, you must submit the application normally through the  Chinese Online Visa Application System and inform the staff when submitting the original passport and other materials on-site that you are applying for visa compensation. A three-year multi-entry visa can be applied free of charge in compensation. If applicants choose to give up the compensation, a new 10-year multi-entry visa can be applied for with normal charge. Please check for more details.