United States | Advance appointments required for passport pickup at US Embassy China

Effective Aug. 1, 2026, the U.S. Embassy and Consulates in China require a prescheduled appointment to pick up passports at designated locations.

Key takeaways:

Advance appointment now required for passport pickup. Applicants selecting free passport pickup at standard collection sites in Beijing, Guangzhou, Shanghai, Shenyang and Wuhan must schedule an appointment in advance. The appointment can only be scheduled after receiving a notification email confirming that their “document is ready for pickup.” Collection appointments are available from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. each day.

Collector information must match appointment details. When booking an appointment, applicants must enter the last six digits of the collector’s identification number. If another individual will collect the passport, that person’s information must be used when scheduling the appointment. Chinese nationals must provide a National ID Card number. Non-Chinese nationals must provide a passport number. Passports will not be released if the collector’s identification does not match the appointment record.

QR code required and strict collection deadlines apply. A QR code will be generated upon successful appointment booking and must be presented at pickup. Individual appointments are required for each UID (Unique Identification) number and cannot be canceled or rescheduled once confirmed. Applicants arriving more than 30 minutes late will have their appointments canceled and must schedule a new appointment.

30-day passport holds. Passports will be held for 30 days from the date of the first collection notification email, after which unclaimed passports will be returned to the U.S. Embassy or Consulate.

This alert has been provided by the BAL U.S. Practice Group.

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