Nonimmgrant Visa

Visa Information Call Center

The Visa Information Call Center provides non-immigrant and immigrant visa-related information to visa applicants and schedules non-immigrant visa interview appointments for the U.S. Embassy in Beijing and the U.S. Consulates General in Chengdu, Guangzhou, Shanghai, and Shenyang. The Visa Information Call Center reopened on June 3, 2004.

For current wait times for visa interview appointments, please visit http://travel.state.gov/visa/temp/temp_1305.html

Contact Information
The Visa Information Call Center can be reached by dialing 4008-872-333 (toll free) or (021) 3881-4611 (local Shanghai number) from within China, or internationally by dialing 86-21-3881-4611(local Shanghai number). Please note that costs for all local and international long-distance calls are solely the responsibility of the caller.

Available Services

• Callers are able to access information on all visa-types and application procedures for both immigrant and non-immigrant visas
  
• All non-immigrant visa appointments for Mainland China are now made through the Visa Information Call Center.
  
• Service is offered in Mandarin, Cantonese, English, the Fuzhou dialect and the Taishan dialect.

Hours
The Visa Information Call Center has pre-recorded visa information available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Live operators are available from 7 am to 7 pm, Monday through Friday and 8 am to 5 pm, Saturday. The Call Center is closed on Sundays and Chinese holidays.

Payment
This is a user-pays service and the charges are 54 RMB for 12 minutes or 36 RMB for 8 minutes. Any unused minutes can be used up at a later time or transferred to another party. Methods of payment are:

1. CITIC pre-paid PIN card
   All CITIC banks that collect the MRV fee also sell pre-paid PIN cards for 54 RMB (12 minutes) and for 36 RMB (8 minutes).
   
2. Credit/Debit Cards via the Visa Information Call Center website
   12-minute and 8-minute PIN numbers can also be obtained from the Call Center website using debit/credit cards.

Change of Payment Method to Make a Visa Appointment
Starting on 1 January 2005, the Visa Information Call Center will no longer accept new payments via the previously available money order or postal note payment option. For customers who have already purchased a PIN number via the money order or postal note payment option, the PIN number will remain active for one year from date of purchase.

Refund Policy

1. Refunds will be given under the following circumstances:
   
   
• The customer has not activated the PIN within 12 months from the date of purchase, subject to verification by the database of XinAn Information Service Ltd;
• The refund request has to be in writing via letter; and
• The customer paid for the PIN by mail postal order or money order, by Visa, MasterCard or China issued debit/credit card via the Call Center website or by purchasing a CITIC Bank prepaid PIN card.

   

2. Refunds will NOT be given under the following circumstances:
   
   

• If the customer used the PIN to call the visa information service for any reason, as verified by the XinAn database.
• If the customer has purchased a damaged (i.e. PIN number is not readable) CITIC Prepaid pin card from the CITIC Bank and has the right to exchange the damaged card for a replacement PIN card with CITIC Bank immediately.
• FAO and waiban service payment are not refundable, as payments are pursuant to post-paid service.
• Non FAO group payments are not refundable.

Refund requests

1. The letter requesting the refund should be sent to:
   XinAn Shanghai Information Service Ltd.
   Shanghai Mail box 122-063
2. Information required in the letter:
   
   
   • Contact person's name
   • Contact person's phone number and address
   • Contact person's ID number
   • Person's bank account number for refund
   • Name of the bank for refund
   • Money order or postal note number or copy of the slip
   • Date and method of the purchase
   • CITIC Bank Prepaid PIN card if the customer never used
   • If the PIN was purchased from the website:
     1. order number
     2. PIN number

The customer is advised to send the refund request letter by EMS or express mail to ensure receipt of the same by XinAn. XinAn will not be responsible if the customer's refund request letter is lost in the post.

Response time to refund requests
Standard turnaround time for a refund is one month from the date of receipt by XinAn of the customer refund request letter. XinAn will notify the customer of its decision to refund or to reject the refund request (based on the reasons stated in this policy) within one month from the date of receipt.