NIV General Information

Welcome to the US Embassy of Beijing's Nonimmigrant Visa Unit web page. The Embassy processes non-immigrant visas for applicants who normally reside in the Beijing Consular District.  Applications for non-immigrant visas to the U.S. are reviewed at the U.S. Embassy of Beijing Monday-Friday from 8:00am-5:00pm, except U.S. and Chinese holidays.

ALL APPLICANTS MUST USE THE ELECTRONIC VISA APPLICATION FORM. Please use a computer to fill out the Electronic Visa Application Form on line before your interview.  Please submit the ORIGINAL PRINTED form, including the last page, which contains the bar code—photocopies or faxes of the printed form are not acceptable. In addition, please do NOT fold the printed application form.

Do not wait until the last minute!  As some cases require additional processing, you are encouraged to appear for an interview at least one month before your planned travel dates and be sure to inform yourself of application requirements.

Visa Appointments

To make a nonimmigrant visa appointment from within China, please call the Visa Information Call Center at 4008-872-333, or call local Shanghai number (021) 3881-4611. To make an appointment from within the United States, please call the Visa Information Call Center at (86-21) 3881-4611.  You need to obtain a Personal Identification Number (PIN) in order to make an appointment.  Please visit the website of the Visa Information Call Center for detailed information on how to obtain a PIN number.

 

How to Request an Expedited Appointment

Applicants may request an expedited appointment based on the following reasons:

• Student and Exchange Visitor
  
• APEC Business Travel Card Holders
  
• Other Emergency like urgent medical treatment and family emergencies, etc.

For detailed information on how to request an emergency interview appointment, please click here.

Average Appointment Wait Time

Click to check the average visa appointment wait time for visitor (B1/B2) visa, for Student (F, M) or Exchange Visitor (J) visa and for all other Non-immigrant Visas.  

Visa Processing This means the number or working days after a consular officer decides to issue a visa, for the passport and visa to be returned to the applicant.

How long to process your visa?  Check the average visa processing time

Note: All applicants should be aware that the times given above are AVERAGES, and that the processing times of a specific case can vary due to individual circumstances and other special requirements.