Steps To Getting Your Visa at The DC Embassy Once

You Have All Your Supporting Documents

The overall process goes like this – You send an email with all your supporting documents to the DC Embassy asking for approval.

I you pass their pre-review, they will email you back,  giving you a Visa Submission number and instructions on how to send in all your documents along with two more documents to send with your application.

Their email states that they will not email you back if you do not pass the pre-review.

Keep reading below for specific steps.

(1) COMPLETING THE ONLINE APPLICATION

Complete the COVA found at this location, print it, sign it, scan it, and save it as a JPEG: https://cova.mfa.gov.cn/

(2) EMAILING THE DC EMBASSY FOR PERMISSION TO APPLY

Send an email to the Washington DC Embassy asking for permission to mail in your documents. Be sure to attach all supporting documents (See below for all the documents I emailed to them). They may email you for more information.

a. They have recently changed their email address to: visaoffice.dc@vip.163.com

b. The title of your email should be "Applicant Name + State You Live  +Visa Type".

Example:   John Smith  Texas   Z Visa  

c. All your attachments should be scanned and saved  in JPEG format. They also ask that each document be named according to what the document is.

d. Keep your sentences short and concise.

Example:   

I would like to get pre-approval to send in my documents for the Z Visa.

I have included copies of the following documents for your review:

Last Chinese Visa (Foreign Residents Permit)

Vaccination Record

28-Day Travel Record

Visa Application COVA

Passport copy

Driver's License

Invitation Letter

PU Letter

Letter of Urgency

Work Permit

(3) CHECK YOUR SPAM FOLDER FOR REPLIES

If you do not get a reply after a few weeks, I would suggest sending the email again.

(4) PASSING THE PRE-REVIEW AND COMPLETING THE EXTRA DOCUMENTS

If they reply telling you that your request has passed the pre-review, they will send you two more documents to complete. Print them, sign them and include them in your mail packet.

(5) COMPILING YOUR DOCUMENTS TO BE MAILED

Take a look at the  email below. The Embassy sent very detailed instructions. Do your best to follow their instructions exactly. I’d say to be meticulous and put everything in the order that they list it. I used a binder clip to keep all my documents neatly in order.

(6) MAILING YOUR DOCUMENTS

a. Only USPS with tracking is accepted. The flat rate priority envelope with tracking is about 8 dollars each way.

b. You will need to write your Visa Submission Number 3 times – 1) On the top of the Cover Page in the box, 2) On the USPS envelope to DC and 3) On the USPS return Envelope to yourself.

c. Notice that on the cover page, you need to write the money order/cashier’s check number and the prepaid return tracking number. This means that you need to order and pay for your money order and get your return tracking number before you actually seal the envelope going to DC. (If you buy your MO somewhere else, obviously you will already have the tracking number. NOTE: The USPS does not accept credit cards  for Money Orders).

d. I stepped out of the line at the post office so that I could check and double check everything without being rushed. Don’t forget to put your return envelope in!

This process took about three weeks.

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AUTOMATED REPLY TO EMAIL REQUEST

Dear Chinese visa applicant,

Thanks for reaching out to us.

Due to the pandemic, the Visa Office of the Chinese Embassy is closed.

This is the urgent visa application preview email address of the  Embassy during the special pandemic time.

We have received your email.

We only process visa applications from the states of our consular jurisdiction area.

(Washington DC, Delaware, Idaho, Kentucky, Maryland, Montana, Nebraska, North Carolina, North Dakota, South Carolina, 

South Dakota, Tennessee, Utah, Virginia, West Virginia , Wyoming, Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, Oklahoma, Texas)

If you decide to apply for a visa now, the title of your email should be "Applicant Name+State You Live+Visa Type".

如您决定申请签证，邮件题目请务必标记为：“姓名+居住州+签证种类”。

Please  upload your driver’s license for verification of your living state. 

Please in one email upload each supporting document for your urgent visa application separately in JPEG （Photo/Picture）format（NO PDF, NO ZIP, NO OTHER）and clearly mark the document name of each JPEG.

（如您决定申请赴华签证，须提供有关事由的各类证明材料，请务必以照片附件形式，在同一封邮件里分别上传，并清晰标注各文件名称。）

If your visa application email was not sent this way, please re-send it in the way guided above for efficient processing.

If your current situation is not eligible for the urgent visa application in our Embassy, we will not contact you for now.

If we need more information to check whether you are eligible, we will contact you soon. 

For the visa application which has passed the preview by this email, an 8-digit submission number will be sent to you via this email.

For diplomatic and crew visa applications, we will contact you later by email .

Thank you and stay safe and well during the special time.

PRE-REVIEW PASSED EMAIL MESSAGE

Dear Applicant,

Your visa application has passed the pre-review. 

YOUR NAME WILL BE HERE

Your Visa Submission No. :   YOUR VISA SUBMISSION NUMBER WILL BE HERE

 
Visa Fee : $145.00  (Visa$140.00 + Service Fee$5.00) 

Please follow the instructions below to place your materials in order and mail them:

1. Cover page (please see attachment)

Please fill in the "Visa Application Number" and "Part One" on this page, print this page and place this page as the first page of all application materials. If there is no such page, your application will be returned.

2. Important tips for visa application mailing service (please see attachment)

Please sign and date after reading carefully.

3. Online Visa application forms, confirmation page and 1 visa application photo

Please sign on both application form(section 9.1A) and the confirmation page.

4. The original and photocopy of the U.S. passport and the last copy of the Chinese visa or Chinese residence permit(If your last valid visa is in your previoud passport, please also submit the original previous passport)

The U.S. passport must be valid for more than 6 months and contain two blank visa pages

5. Copy of U.S. driver's license

6. A copy of the resident permit of the U.S if the applicant is non-U.S passport holder

7. A copy of the PU letter and Foreigner’s Work Permit Notification(with barcode) 

8. A copy of the invitation letter issued form the inviting company in China

9. Original and printed copy of the Vaccination certification

10. 28-day travel record form

11. Visa application fee

Note: At present, the payment method only accepts "Money Order" or "Cashier's Check". Please make sure the check’s mount is sufficient. Please make the check payable to: Chinese Embassy. Please make sure that the check payable and amount are accurate and unaltered. No other payment methods are accepted.

12. Return envelope

Note: Please use the USPS envelope with inquiry function, fill in the return address by yourself and pay the full postage in advance. The embassy will use the self-addressed envelope to mail the completed certificate to the applicant.

Special Note: 

1. Please use USPS to send the application materials to the embassy certificate office (other mailing methods are not accepted), the mailing address is: 

Visa Section of Chinese Embassy

2201 Wisconsin Avenue. N.W., Suite 110 Washington D.C., 20007

2. If multiple people apply at the same time, they must be mailed separately, and their cash checks and self-addressed envelopes must be prepared separately. Multiple applications cannot be combined in one mailing envelope.

3. The visa application number must be marked on the mailed envelope. If it is not marked, your application will be returned intact.

4. The Chinese Embassy in the United States shall not be held responsible for accidents such as lost/damaged/delayed documents during the mailing process.

5. The return service is irrevocable.

6. The email review is only the preliminary review of the visa, and the consular officer will decide whether and when the visa will be issued based on the mailed materials. In some cases, visa applicants may be required to conduct an interview or supplement other materials. If your visa application is not approved for some reason, the visa office will directly return your passport with a self-addressed envelope, and the application materials will not be returned.

Please contact with us if you have any questions.

7. Under the current pandemic situation, please minimize the visits to public spaces or facilities before you enter China. Please take personal protection to avoid Covid-19 virus infection.

THESE LAST TWO DOCUMENTS ARE FOR REFERENCE ONLY. THE EMBASSY WILL SEND YOU THESE DOCUMENTS TO COMPLETE ONLY IF YOU PASS THE PRE-REVIEW.