Notices & Announcements

• CLOSURES: Beijing's Nonimmigrant Visa Unit Closure Notices
• ANNOUNCEMENT: The New DS-160 Online Visa Application
• Important Notice for Applicants from Visa Waiver Program countries: Electronic System for Travel Authorization 
• Expedite Process for Students, APEC Card Holders, Medical Matters & Other Emergencies
• NOTICE: Drop-Box Fee Reduced! Drop-Box now Mandatory for those Eligible Visa Applicants
  
  

  Happy Holidays!  We are pleased to announce that as of December 25, 2010 the fees for drop-off visa renewal services will be significantly reduced – to 100 RMB for student visa applicants applying for F and M visas and senior citizens who are 70 and above, and 120 RMB for all others.   Drop-off renewal is the easiest, fastest, best way to renew your visa because you don’t have to wait for an appointment or stand in line! Drop-box applications are processed with the same priority as walk-in applications. NO interview is required and applicants do NOT have to make an appointment or wait in line at the U.S. Embassy or Consulates! As of January 1, 2011, it will be MANDATORY for all drop-box eligible applicants to use that avenue to apply. This move is being made to improve services for all applicants. 
  
  Some restrictions apply. To be drop-box eligible, applicants from 14 through 79 years of age must already have a valid visa (or a visa that has expired within the past twelve months with no subsequent refusals) and must be re-applying for the same type of visa. Applicants who are over 80 or under 14 years of age are eligible to use the drop-off renewal process even if they have never applied for a U.S. visa before.
  
  The information above applies to the U.S. Embassy in Beijing.  If you are applying at one of the other U.S. Consulates throughout China (Chengdu, Guangzhou, Shanghai, Shenyang), please check their websites for specifics related to application procedures there.

• NOTICE: Letter to Students and Exchange Scholars—Renewing Your US Visa

• NOTICE
  
  The U.S. Embassy and Consulates in China seek to facilitate travel to the United States. We are encouraged by the growth in demand for U.S. visas.  One downside of this uptick in demand, however, is that wait times for visa interviews have increased in our consular sections, especially during peak periods. As part of our ongoing efforts to keep wait times down in order to better serve customers, we are implementing changes in our appointment process. These changes are designed to assist legitimate travelers while discouraging fraud and abuse. Recently we began requiring all applicants to first purchase an MRV receipt from CITIC Bank prior to making their NIV appointments. The NIV appointment Call Center now requires the MRV fee receipt number as a condition for making a nonimmigrant visa appointment.

• NOTICE
  
  Effective Friday, December 3, each MRV fee receipt must be tied to a particular NIV applicant’s name.  (In the past, it was sometimes possible to purchase an MRV fee receipt that was blank.)  At the time of MRV receipt purchase, CITIC bank will print a name on each receipt. Travel agencies and others will not be able to buy blank receipts. For verification purposes, applicants or their representatives should show either the traveler’s passport or a photocopy of the passport I.D. page to CITIC at the time of MRV fee payment. Once purchased and printed, the MRV receipt is nontransferable and nonrefundable; the information cannot be changed. The fee receipt is valid for 12 months, and can be used any time during that period by the applicant whose name is on the receipt.

  At the time of the nonimmigrant visa appointment, the applicant’s name, birth date, passport number and MRV receipt number will be checked to confirm that the data matches that in our appointment roster. We thank you for your understanding and cooperation as we make changes to assist the traveling public.

• NOTICE: Changes to Appointment Procedures
  
  Effective on November 15^th, applicants making visa interview appointments via the Call Center must provide the customer service representative with their fee receipt number, which can be identified as the red number in the top right-hand corner of the receipt.  When the visa applicant calls to make an appointment, he or she will be asked for identifying information, e.g., name, passport number, and the fee receipt number.  They will then be given an appointment day and time at the U.S.  Embassy or Consulate of their choice.  Please note that providing the fee receipt number will necessitate purchasing the visa fee at any branch of CITIC Bank in advance of making an appointment, and that fee receipts are not transferable or refundable. For further information regarding fees, please visit http://beijing.usembassy-china.org.cn/niv_fees2.html

• NOTICE
  
  For questions about US visa policies and procedures, please call the Visa Information Call Center directly at (86) 4008-872-333 or (86-21) 3881-4611. For an earlier interview appointment, please see here. For other unusual circumstances or questions about specific cases already in process at the U.S. Embassy in Beijing only, please contact us at CIUBeijing@state.gov or by fax at (86-10) 8531-3333 or (86-10) 8531-3082. We cannot respond to other inquiries.

• NOTICE
  
  In order to better serve our customers, effective immediately, all requests for expedited appointments in Beijing *must* be submitted by email. We can no longer accept expedite requests by fax. For the email address and complete details on Beijing’s expedite request policy and procedures, please see here. Note that each post’s expedite policy varies; for details please visit their website.

• NOTICE: China Post's New Location near the Embassy 

• IMPORTANT NOTICE: The U.S. Embassy has no Relationship with any Organizations Providing U.S. Visa Consultation Services 
• U.S. Embassy Urges Students and Exchange Visitors to Interview for Their U.S. Visas Two Months before Their Program Starts
• Business Travelers and Tourists, Apply Early and Keep Your Visa Valid
• Visa Processing and Administrative Processing Wait Times
• WARNING: Only a U.S. Government Official has the Right to Cancel a U.S. Visa! Please Note: If Someone Else Cancels Your Visa, Please Inform the Visa Unit by Sending a Fax to (8610) 8531-3333.
• U.S. Assistant Secretary for Consular Affairs Maura Harty Tells Reporter "If You have a Passport, You Can Apply for a U.S. Visa for Tourism"