I recently renewed my Chinese passport at the Chinese Consulate in Los Angeles because my old passport was about to expire. Below is my experience and the overall process. Be sure to check the latest passport renewal requirements on the websites of the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Chinese Consulate General in Los Angeles based on your own situation.

Basic Information

Passport Renewal

For any passport-related service, the applicant must appear in person. It seems passport pickup may not require that, though.

I was on a student visa, and my passport was about to expire, so I applied for a standard Chinese passport renewal. The newly issued passport is valid for 10 years.

The official definition is: Chinese nationals who hold a regular passport of the People’s Republic of China may apply for passport renewal if they meet one of the following conditions: the passport has less than one year of validity remaining; the visa pages are nearly full; there has been a significant change in appearance and renewal is confirmed to be necessary; or the applicant has legally changed their name.

Consular Jurisdiction

China has 1 embassy and 5 consulates general in the United States, and all of them can handle passport services. You can click through the links there to visit each consulate’s official website.

The official FAQ says cross-jurisdiction applications are allowed, but to be safe, it’s still a good idea to confirm in advance with both the consulate that covers your area and the one where you plan to apply.

Chinese Consulate General in Los Angeles

Passport and document services are handled at the consular office building, not at the main consulate building across the street. Don’t go to the wrong place.

Consular Office Building
Address: 3rd Floor, 500 Shatto Place, Los Angeles, CA 90020
Hours: Monday through Friday (except holidays), 9:00 AM–2:00 PM

Document service info: click here
Document inquiries: click here

There is street parking nearby, including both metered and free spots. If you drive around a bit, you should be able to find one.

Honestly, the consular office building is pretty run-down both outside and inside, which fits the neighborhood. If a country wants to improve its image, wouldn’t the visa/consular office be one of the first places to start?

The photo below shows the entrance. There are two elevators inside, and the document service hall is on the third floor.

Preparation

Required Documents

This post only lists some of the documents. For the full official list, see this page: Required Documents for Regular Passport Renewal at the Los Angeles Consulate

Application Form

The application form is also called the CPT-301 form. It asks for basic information about you and your family members, and it’s fairly straightforward—just fill it out truthfully. It must be completed online, and after finishing it, print out the entire form and bring it with you. One thing to note is that you need to upload a photo while filling out the form. If you don’t have one ready yet, you can save the application and upload it later. You can also technically upload any photo first and then bring a CD and printed photos to the consulate, but that feels like making life harder for yourself for no reason.

Photo

This is probably the part people have the most questions about. If you search online, you’ll find all kinds of opinions, most of them negative, but I actually thought it was pretty simple.

One important thing to remember: Chinese passport photos must be 48mm×33mm, not the standard U.S. passport photo size of 51mm×51mm.

Taking the photo yourself with your phone is completely doable. I used a passport photo app on my phone and took the picture in front of a white wall. It even had built-in “whitening” and “skin smoothing” effects, which made me look at least five years younger. Those were built into the app—I didn’t add them myself.

I transferred the photo from my phone to my computer and uploaded it with the application form. If the system says the photo passes, then you’re probably fine. Just to be safe, I also uploaded the photo to Amazon and spent $0.12 to print four copies, but I didn’t actually need them. The staff member at the counter told me that if your online photo upload is accepted, you do not need to bring a physical photo or a CD.

Here is what the official website says:

  • 2 paper photos, taken within the past 6 months, front-facing, no hat, glossy finish, 2-inch size (1 photo should be attached to the application form. For detailed photo requirements and recommendations, please click here).
  • Because e-passports use a digital photo in the chip, applicants are strongly advised to also provide a CD or DVD containing the same digital photo version (mobile hard drives and other portable storage media are not accepted).
  • If you see a “photo not qualified” message during the appointment process, you may ignore it and continue, then bring the photo CD when submitting your application.
  • If you successfully upload and submit the photo while completing the appointment/application form, then only 1 printed photo is required (no CD needed).

At the far end of the hallway on the same floor, there is a photo shop that can handle the whole package—photo, CD, everything. I heard it costs around $20. If all else fails, you can do it there.

Original Passport and Copy

Bring a copy of your passport’s biographical information page, along with the original passport. If your passport has a still-valid visa in it, don’t worry. In practice, they only clip the corners of the first two pages and will not cut through your visa page. That’s also what the staff at the counter told me.

Original and Copy of Your Proof of Legal Status in the U.S.

Bring the required document and a copy based on your immigration status.

  • Permanent residents: green card.
  • H visa holders: I-797.
  • F1 visa holders: Form I-20.
  • OPT and H1B: I-20 and I-797.
  • J1: Form DS-2019.

Before going, I had read some online DP and also brought my previous I-20s, proof of address, I-94, SSN, and copies of my visa pages. In reality, none of those were requested. They only asked for a copy of my current I-20.

Payment Methods and Mailing

The passport fee is $18. The written instructions say Visa/Master credit card, Money Order, and Cashier’s Check, but the payment notice posted at the pickup counter listed more than just those options. See the image below.

If you want the passport mailed back to you, credit cards are not accepted, and return mailing costs an additional $5. For return delivery, you must provide a UPS or USPS return envelope/package with tracking.

On the Day of the Appointment

Take the elevator to the third floor. The hall on the left is for document services, while the hall on the right is for passport pickup, visas for foreign nationals, and some matters related to children born in the U.S. to Chinese nationals.

Even though there is an appointment time, they don’t really check it when you walk in. Earlier is better. Around 12:00 PM, some staff go to lunch, and the wait can get much longer.

The two counters on the left check your documents, collect your signature, take fingerprints, and verify your identity in person. The window on the right re-checks the documents and then gives you the pickup slip.

I applied on 11/22, and they gave me 12/16 as my passport pickup date. You can pick it up a few days later if needed, but you must do so within 30 days of the listed date, or the passport will be canceled.

I went in at 11:00 and didn’t leave until 1:00, so it still took quite a long time. The staff handling the actual processing were efficient; most of the time was spent waiting. I happened to hit 12:00, and only one clerk remained. The person at the re-check counter disappeared for about an hour, so everyone just had to wait. It really didn’t make much sense that no one covered that position.

The two clerks at the left-side counters were patient, explained things clearly, and seemed very experienced. The supervisor handling the re-check on the right side, on the other hand... not so much.

On pickup day, you just need to bring the receipt and pay the fee.

Pickup is in the first hall on the right after you exit the elevator.

Overall, the process went fairly smoothly. Just make sure to leave yourself plenty of time. I’ve also heard that the consulate replies to emails fairly quickly—my friend tried that before.

Useful Links

Here are a few more useful official links from the Chinese Consulate in Los Angeles. The information there is fairly clear.

Other: