Non-Immigrant Visas
How to Apply
Applying for a Non-Immigrant Visa at U.S. Consulate General Guangzhou
Note: If you have traveled to the U.S. in the past one year, you may be able to obtain a visa by using the CITIC drop-box. Click here to learn how to apply using the Consulate's dropbox. All first-time applicants should follow the steps below.
Additionally, Passports must be valid for six months beyond the date the traveler will depart from the U.S. The U.S. has signed agreements with a number of countries to waive this requirement, but no agreement currently exists with China. Therefore, when you arrive at the port of entry your passport must be valid for at least six months beyond the date you will exit the U.S. If your U.S. visa is contained in an expired passport, or a passport that will expire in less than six months, you should obtain a new valid passport and carry both the new passport and the old passport containing your valid U.S. visa. If you travel with both passports, there is no need to re-apply for a new visa unless the visa has itself expired.
Step 1: Decide where to apply.
If you live anywhere in China, you can apply for a visa at the Guangzhou Consulate, as well as at the U.S. Embassy in Beijing or at one of our other Consulates in Shenyang, Shanghai, or Chengdu. You can see the current wait times here.
Step 2: Pay the non-immigrant visa application fee.
Applicants must pay a non-refundable application fee at CITIC bank. After paying this fee, you will receive a receipt that must be included in the visa application and present to the consular officer at the time of the interview. Please contact CITIC bank for questions regarding the application fee amount and payment procedure. Click here to find the CITIC bank branch near you.
The application fee for all U.S. nonimmigrant visas that are not petition-based, including B1/B2 tourist and business visitor visas and all student and exchange visitor (F, M and J) visas, is $140 (RMB 966).
The application fee for all petition-based visas is $150 (RMB 1035). This category includes: H (temporary worker or trainee), L (intra-company transferee), O (alien with extraordinary ability), P (athlete, artist or entertainer), Q (international cultural exchange visitors) and R (religious worker).
Please do NOT tape or glue your application fee receipt on any of the printed out forms if you apply for a visa at the U.S. Consulate Guangzhou.
Step 3: Prepare the necessary documents.
All applicants are required to present:
- A passport with at least six months validity beyond the anticipated arrival in the United States.
- a completed DS-160 form
- Two inches square (51mm x 51mm) color photograph, less than 6 months old, against a white background, full frontal view. Click for more information on photo requirements.
- CITIC bank application fee receipt.
- For specific visa category information, please refer to Visa Categories.
IMPORTANT: Applicants should also bring evidence of strong family, work, and financial ties to China that will convince the interviewing consular officer that you will return after a temporary stay in the United States. Such evidence could include bank books, housing/land deeds, family photos, marriage certificates, birth certificates, business cards, letters from your employer, etc. No specific documents are required. You may bring whatever you feel will convince the consular officer that you will return to China.
Step 4: Call the Visa Information Call Center at 4008-872-333 (For caller in Mainland China) or 86-21-3881-4611 (For caller outside Mainland China)* to make an appointment for an interview.
* The Department of State wishes to advise callers that the charges for international calls are solely the responsibility of the caller. Currently, callers are experiencing significant wait times before reaching a live operator.
Applicants who have been previously denied a visa should make this clear to the appointment operator. Failure to disclose a past refusal can harm your chances of receiving a visa.
Requests to expedite visa appointments can be made by directly faxing the U.S. Consulate Guangzhou Non-Immigrant Visa Section (86-20-3884-4424). Requests are generally only approved for humanitarian reasons or for urgent medical situations.
Step 5: The Interview
At the Consulate you will have an opportunity to explain your reasons for going to the United States and present supporting documents. It is important that you respond truthfully to the consular officer's questions. Applicants frequently harm their chances of receiving a visa by making false statements about their income, employment, or family status, whereas a truthful answer would not harm their case. Applicants should not present falsified documents such as fake invitation letters, company licenses, or ID cards. Making false statements or presenting fake documents to a consular officer is a serious offense and could result in becoming permanently ineligible to travel to the United States.
For more information about the interview process and U.S. immigration laws, please read our frequently asked questions.