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Visa Information
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December 7, 2021

REQUIREMENTS FOR AIR TRAVEL TO THE U.S. (UPDATED DECEMBER 6, 2021)

Starting December 6, U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) regulations require air travelers aged two and older, regardless of nationality or vaccination status, to show documentation of a negative viral COVID-19 test result taken within one day of the flight’s departure to the United States before boarding or proof of having recovered from Covid-19 in the past 90 days.

This is in addition to the requirement that foreign national air travelers to the United States be fully vaccinated and provide proof of vaccination status prior to boarding an airplane to fly to the United States, with only limited exceptions.

Exemptions to the testing requirement will be considered on an extremely limited basis.  Please visit the CDC webpages for more information about the requirement for proof of negative COVID-19 test, proof of recovery from COVID-19, or exemptions : Requirement for Proof of Negative COVID-19 Test or Documentation of Recovery from COVID-19 | CDC

For more information on the vaccination requirements, please visit the CDC webpage: Requirement for Proof of COVID-19 Vaccination for Air Passengers | CDC

Mission China Resumes Regular Visa Services on November 9, 2021

On November 9, 2021, regular visa services will resume at U.S. Embassy Beijing and the U.S. Consulates General in Guangzhou, Shanghai, and Shenyang.  This resumption of services is in accordance with U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention regulations (Requirement for Proof of COVID-19 Vaccination for Air Passengers | CDC ) for all air passengers traveling to the United States.

All non-citizen air travelers holding a valid nonimmigrant visa to the United States must be fully vaccinated and provide proof of vaccination status prior to boarding a flight to the United States.  There is no need as of November 8 for foreign national travelers who have been in one of the 33 countries with restrictions to obtain national interest exceptions in order to travel to the United States.  This new global travel requirement replaces previous country-by-country requirements and is applied worldwide.

More information about the new travel requirements can be found at: https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/international-travel/emergencies/covid-19-faqs-for-travel-to-the-us-information.html 

Please visit https://www.ustraveldocs.com  for information on how to apply for a visa in China.

Information for visa applicants Immigrant Visa services for Mission China:

Immigrant visa services at our U.S. Consulate in Guangzhou are operating normally. For information about visa services at other U.S. Embassies and Consulates worldwide, please visit usembassy.gov.

Information for visa applicants regarding MRV Fees:

The U.S. Mission to China understands that many visa applicants have paid their visa application processing fee and are still waiting to schedule a visa appointment. We are working diligently to restore all routine visa operations as quickly and safely as possible. In the meantime, the U.S. Mission will extend the validity of your payment (known as the MRV fee) until September 30, 2022, to allow all applicants who were unable to schedule a visa appointment as a result of the suspension of routine consular operations, an opportunity to schedule and/or attend a visa appointment with the already paid fee. Please continue to monitor this site for information on when we will resume full visa operations. If you have an urgent matter and need to travel immediately, please follow the guidance provided at USTravelDocs.com, or email support-china@ustraveldocs.com or contact the call center, to request an emergency appointment.

Information about the travel restrictions

  • For frequently asked questions about visa processing during the COVID-19 pandemic, click here.
  • For up-to-date guidance on Department of State travel policies, click here.