EVUS requirement to take effect for Chinese travelers Nov. 29

U.S. Customs and Border Protection has announced that beginning Nov. 29, Chinese nationals holding 10-year visitor visas will be required to enroll in the new Electronic Visa Update System before traveling to the United States. EVUS is expected to begin accepting enrollments by the end of October.

Key points:

• Effective Nov. 29, Chinese nationals (mainland only) who hold 10-year visitor (B1/B2, B1, or B2) visas will be required to enroll online before traveling to the U.S. Travelers will have to renew their enrollment every two years or when their passport expires, whichever comes first.
• The requirement will apply to both new visa applicants and current visa holders. Travelers will be required to visit the EVUS website and provide biographical information and information about their employment and travel history. Enrollment will cost $8.
• For now, the EVUS requirement will only apply to Chinese nationals. Customs and Border Protection has said that the requirement may be applied to other countries in the future.

BAL Analysis: Chinese nationals traveling to the U.S. on or after Nov. 29 must complete the EVUS enrollment requirement before traveling. The system is not yet accepting enrollments and is expected to be launched by the end of October. Once it is implemented, those with plans to travel to the U.S. on or after Nov. 29 should consider enrolling ahead of time in order to avoid possible travel delays. BAL will continue to follow the implementation of EVUS, and Customs and Border Protection has said it will update the EVUS website with the latest information.

This alert has been provided by the BAL U.S. Practice group. For additional information, please contact BerryApplemanLeiden@bal.com.

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