News & Information

Visa Question of the Month

August 2008

Q: Why is my B1/B2 visa good for only one year? I have a lot of business in  America and I need to travel back and forth. It’s not convenient to get a new  visa every year.

  Mr. Wang, Suzhou

A: Visas to the United States are based on reciprocity. We can only issue visas  that are the same length as the maximum amount of time that the Chinese  government will issue to American citizens in a similar visa category. Since  the longest visa an American businessperson in China can obtain is valid for  only 12 months, 12 months is the maximum length a Chinese citizen can get  for a B1/B2.

  The good news is that if your last visa appointment was after November 2007,  you may be able to use the CITIC bank Frequent Traveler Program to renew  your visa without making an appointment to appear for an interview. Click  here for more information on the frequent traveler program.

  If your visa was issued prior to November 2007, you may still be eligible to  use our Frequent Traveler program, but you will need to appear at the  consulate for a very brief interview.