Newsletter for August 2009

The U.S. Embassy is transmitting the following newsletter via its warden system as a public service to U.S. citizens in the People's Republic of China.  Please feel free to disseminate this message to U.S. citizens in your organizations or to other Americans you know.

If there are any particular topics you are interested in, please contact ACS at amcitbeijing@state.gov.  We welcome your suggestions and your feedback.

In this issue, the following topics are addressed:

Upcoming Holidays
H1N1 Quarantine Procedures
News from Xinjiang
Renewing your Passport and adding more Pages
Notary Services available at the Embassy
Encourage your friends to register!
Recent Travel Warnings and Alerts
Embassy Contact Information

1. Upcoming Holidays
There are no holidays for the month of August.
Please be advised that the days just before and after a holiday are usually exceptionally busy in the American Citizen Services Unit of the Embassy.  Please be sure to schedule appointments on-line at http://beijing.usembassy-china.org.cn/service.html
 
A complete list of all of our holiday closings for 2009 is available at: http://beijing.usembassy-china.org.cn/holidays.html

In case of emergencies, please call the Embassy's emergency number at 86-10-8531-4000 from the United States or 010-8531-4000 within China.

2. H1N1 Quarantine Procedures
The World Health Organization (WHO) has categorized the level of influenza pandemic alert at phase 6 which is characterized by community level human-to-human spread of the virus.  The overall severity of the influenza pandemic is considered to be moderate.

China is continuing a policy that allows it to quarantine arriving passengers who exhibit fever or flu-like symptoms if they are arriving from a country which has cases of 2009-H1N1, including the U.S.  Travelers with even a slightly elevated body temperature risk being placed into hospital quarantine, while passengers sitting in close proximity to another traveler with fever or flu-like symptoms may be taken to a specially-designated hotel for a quarantine of approximately seven days, even if they show no symptoms themselves.

The Ministry of Health has issued a “Trial plan for A/H1N1 influenza patients with mild symptoms, whom are eligible for home quarantine treatment”.  Patients who display the following symptoms are eligible to be quarantined at home: ordinary flu symptoms, and no other health complications (except for children, elders, pregnant females or patients with chronic illness. Though this policy has been announced, the Embassy continues to receive reports of Americans being put into quarantine in hospitals and specially-designated quarantine hotels.

Travelers to China are reminded that all foreign travelers, including U.S. citizens, are obliged to follow local procedures regarding quarantines and any other public health-related measures. The U.S. Embassy is unable to influence the duration of stay in quarantine for affected travelers. The Chinese government will not compensate people for lost travel expenses. Travelers to China are urged to consider purchasing travel insurance to protect against losses in the event they are quarantined.

Currently, the illnesses and symptoms caused by the novel H1N1 virus have been similar to that of seasonal influenza.  Thus, we continue to encourage all individuals to take responsibility for their own health by following these steps to prevent the spread of germs

·         Cover your nose and mouth with a tissue when you cough or sneeze.
·         Wash your hands often with soap and water, especially after you cough or sneeze.
·         If you become ill with influenza-like symptoms, including fever, body aches, runny nose, sore throat, nausea, vomiting or diarrhea, you should call your health care provider, particularly if you are worried about your symptoms. Your health care provider will determine whether influenza testing or treatment is needed.
·         If you get sick with influenza, CDC recommends that you stay home from work or school for seven days after your symptoms begin or until you have been symptom free for at least 24 hours and limit contact with others to keep from infecting them. Avoid touching your eyes, nose or mouth. Germs spread this way.
·         Maintain healthy eating habits.  The Novel H1N1 virus is not spread by food. 

3. News from Xinjiang, Travel Alert issued on July 09, 2009
The State Department alerts U.S. citizens to safety and security concerns in the city of Urumqi in China's Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region.  This Travel Alert expires on August 10, 2009.

On July 5, 2009, ethnic violence erupted in Urumqi. The unrest continued in the following days, with Chinese state media reporting over one hundred and fifty deaths and more than one thousand injured. There is a significant increased security presence in Urumqi and its environs; sporadic outbreaks of violence may still occur. 

There are no indications that this violence is directed at U.S. citizens; however, Americans in Urumqi and throughout Xinjiang are advised to avoid areas where demonstrations and large gatherings are taking place.  U.S. citizens in Urumqi should remain indoors and avoid unnecessary movement within the city.  Americans planning a trip to Xinjiang are advised to defer travel to the region at this time.

U.S. citizens are strongly encouraged to register with the nearest U.S. Embassy or Consulate through the Department of State’s travel registration website.  By registering, American citizens can receive the Embassy’s most recent security and safety updates during their trip. Registration also ensures that U.S. citizens can be reached should an emergency arise either abroad or at home. While consular officers will do their utmost to assist Americans in a crisis, travelers always should be aware that local authorities bear primary responsibility for the welfare of people living or traveling in their jurisdictions. 

Beijing: The U.S. Embassy is located at No. 55 An Jia Lou Road, Chaoyang District, Beijing.  (Address in Chinese: 北京市朝阳区安家楼路55号). The American Citizen Services section can be contacted during regular business hours and for after-hours emergencies at (86) (10) 8531-4000.  For detailed information please visit the U.S. Embassy web site. The Embassy consular district includes the following provinces/regions of China: Beijing, Tianjin, Shandong, Shanxi, Inner Mongolia, Ningxia, Shaanxi, Qinghai, Xinjiang, Hebei, Henan, Hubei, Hunan, and Jiangxi.

Chengdu: The U.S. Consulate General in Chengdu is located at Number 4, Lingshiguan Road, Section 4, Renmin Nanlu, Chengdu 610041; tel. (86)(28) 8558-3992, 8555-3119; after-hours emergencies (86)1370 8001 422. This consular district includes the following provinces/regions of China: Guizhou, Sichuan Xizang (Tibet), and Yunnan, as well as the municipality of Chongqing.

Guangzhou: The main office of the U.S. Consulate General in Guangzhou is located at Number 1 South Shamian Street, Shamian Island 200S1, Guangzhou 510133.  The Consular Section, including the American Citizens Services Unit, is now located at 5th Floor, Tianyu Garden (II phase), 136-146 Lin He Zhong Lu, Tianhe District; tel. (86)(20) 8518-7605; after-hours emergencies (86)(20) 8121-8000. This consular district includes the following provinces/regions of China: Guangdong, Guangxi, Hainan, and Fujian.

Shanghai:  The Consular Section of the U.S. Consulate General in Shanghai is located in the Westgate Mall, 8th Floor, 1038 Nanjing Xi Lu, Shanghai 200031; tel. (86)(21) 3217-4650, ext. 2102, 2013, or 2134; after-hours emergencies (86)(21) 6433-3936. This consular district includes the following provinces/regions of China: Shanghai, Anhui, Jiangsu and Zhejiang.

Shenyang:  The U.S. Consulate General in Shenyang is located at No. 52, 14th Wei Road, Heping District, Shenyang 110003; tel. (86)(24) 2322-1198; after-hours emergencies (86)137-0988-9307. This consular district includes the following provinces/regions of China: Liaoning, Heilongjiang, and Jilin.

Travelers may obtain up-to-date information on security conditions by calling 1-888-407-4747 toll-free in the U.S. or outside the U.S. and Canada on a regular toll line at 1-202-501-4444.

4. Marriage to a National
American citizens contemplating to marry a Chinese citizen in China should review the following general information on Chinese Government procedures. Marriages in China are registered according to the laws of China. Contrary to popular notion, American diplomatic and consular officers do not have the authority to perform marriages and are not required to witness the marriages of American citizens. One reason for this is that under the U.S. Constitution the administration of civil affairs is one of the powers reserved to the various states. Thus, as Federal Government employees, American consular officers are prohibited from usurping this state role.

The current Marriage Law of the People's Republic of China was passed in September 1980 and went into force on January 1, 1981. Under this law, marriage registration procedures are administered by the marriage registration office of the local civil affairs bureau, (Min Zheng Ju) in each jurisdiction. Persons planning to marry should visit or call one of these offices for specific information. The appropriate civil affairs office will be the one in the jurisdiction in which the Chinese citizen is registered (the location of hukou).

Upon receipt of an application to register a marriage, the civil affairs office will ascertain that both parties are of minimum marriageability age (generally 22 for men and 20 for women, although a higher minimum may be established by the local civil affairs office) and that both parties are single and otherwise free to marry. Persons who have been married previously will be asked to submit original or certified copies of final divorce or annulment decrees, or of death certificates if widowed. The American partner to a marriage in China will generally be asked to submit the following:

• A valid passport with valid Chinese visa
• If both parties are foreigners, one side should present a Chinese residence permit
• An "affidavit of marriageability" which can be prepared at the Embassy on the basis of an affidavit in which the American citizen swears or affirms before a Consul that he or she is currently legally eligible to marry. If a previous marriage ended in divorce or death, you should take a good photocopy with you when you go to register the marriage. Generally, if you present the certified copy with the copy for their review, the Chinese authorities will accept the copy. This is also true for your spouse if he or she has previously been married.) Hold on to your original documents, since these will be required when you file an immigrant visa petition on your spouse’s behalf. Original or a copy of the Chinese fiancé’s ID or passport is required to present when applying for the marriageability affidavit.
• Three photos (5 x 3.8cm) of the marrying couple, taken together
• A registration fee ( RMB 9 for two certificates)

Inquiries on what the Chinese partner must bring submit to the marriage office should be directed to the local marriage registration office (Hun Yin Deng Ji Chu).
Normally, marriage certificate can be issued by the Marriage Registration Office of the Bureau of Civil Affairs on the same day.

APPLYING FOR AN IMMIGRANT VISA FOR YOUR SPOUSE
After the marriage, the U.S. citizen spouse may file an immigrant visa petition on behalf of his or her non-U.S. citizen spouse. Citizens living in Fujian, Guangdong, Guangxi, and Hainan provinces should file their immigrant relative petitions with Department of Homeland Security at the Guangzhou consulate; all others will file with the DHS office at the Embassy in Beijing. U.S. citizens who reside in China may file immigrant visa petitions on behalf of immediate relatives at the Citizenship and Immigration Services Office (USCIS), www.uscis.gov. Please be aware only couples intending to return to the U.S. and reside permanently should file; otherwise, the Chinese spouse will need to apply for a re-entry permit if the couple intends to live outside of the U.S. for an extended period of time. Failing to take this action could result in abandonment of the newly acquired green card.

5. Notary Services available at the Embassy
Consular officers perform notary services customarily provided by Notaries Public in the United States. Persons requiring such services should make an appointment to visit the consular section in person during regular office hours.

What we can do:

• Acknowledgement
  An Acknowledgement of execution is used for legal agreements, deeds, powers of attorney, business documents, etc. for use in the United States.
• Affidavit
  An affidavit is one’s sworn statement. Please keep in mind the consular office assumes no responsibility for the truth or falsity of the representations that appear in the affidavit.
• Certificate of true copy
  Please bring the original document for verification.
• Authentication
  Please make sure the documents you bring to us have already been authenticated by the Notarization and Authentication Division of Consular Affairs Department of the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The telephone number of the Notarization and Authentication Division is (8610) 6588-9796.
  

6. Encourage your friends to register!
Do you have friends or neighbors who have not registered their contact information with the embassy? Remind them how important it is! Should there ever be an emergency in their area, we will know where they are and will be able to contact them to ensure everything is okay. This not only eases your worries, but also the worries of family members back home who may be unable to get in touch with you. It only takes a few minutes, and may save you and your family a lot of stress in the event of a real emergency.

Has your contact information changed recently? Please update the Embassy! The recent unrest in Xinjiang has reminded everyone the importance of registering your contact information with the closest U.S. Embassy or Consulate. The contact of citizens in Xinjiang was made easy because many people had remembered to keep the Embassy updated with their current contact information.

Please register with the Embassy at http://beijing.usembassy-china.org.cn/service.html.  Along the right side of the page is a link for U.S. Citizen Registration.  You may also use the Department of State website: https://travelregistration.state.gov/ibrs/ui/.

7. Recent Travel Warnings and Alerts
The U.S. Department of State has recently issued travel warnings or travel alerts for the following countries and regions:

Travel Warnings:
Kenya    07/24/2009
Afghanistan    07/23/2009
Burundi    07/22/2009
Nigeria    07/17/2009
Haiti    07/17/2009
Iran    07/01/2009
Sri Lanka    06/26/2009
Yemen    06/26/2009
Saudi Arabia    06/26/2009
Uzbekistan    06/16/2009
Iraq    06/15/2009
Pakistan    06/12/2009
Mali    06/02/2009
Chad    06/02/2009
Travel Alerts:
Niger   07/24/2009
Honduras   07/24/2009
Gabon   07/21/2009
Argentina   07/14/2009
China   07/09/2009
China   07/09/2009
Guinea-Bissau   06/10/2009
Hurricane Season   05/29/2009
Mexico   02/20/2009

8. Embassy Contact Information
American Citizen Services
U.S. Embassy, Beijing
No. 55 An Jia Lou Road ( 安家楼路 )
Beijing 100600
Telephone: (86-10) 8531-4000
FAX: (86-10) 8531-3300
Email: amcitbeijing@state.gov

American Citizens should enter the Consular Section at the Embassy's east gate.   The east gate is located at the Tian Ze Road Intersection of An Jia Lou Road, close to Ladies’ Street (Nüren Jie) and Laitai Flower Market, opposite the Kempinski Hotel and Lufthansa Shopping Center.   The nearest subway location is the Liangmaqiao stop on line #10.