Forums > Living in Kunming > Do I actually have to go to another country to be re-stamped back in?

I work that the US Consulate in Chengdu in the American Citizen Services section. I can say from experience this will not work - if you do not "enter" Vietnam on a valid visa, the PSB will not consider it a lawful "exit." If past conduct is any indicator of what will happen, the border guards will put a blue stamp over the exit stamp, in effect voiding the exit stamp, when they realize you cannot legally enter Vietnam. The PSB will not consider it a valid exit when deciding whether you have overstayed your visa. I recommend just getting the visa to Vietnam and legally crossing the border, then re-entering.

Forums > Living in Kunming > 3/13/09, American Citizen Services in Kunming

The US Consulate in Chengdu is holding an American Citizen Services event in Kunming on Friday, March 13. We will be able to help Americans in Kunming with notarials, passport renewals, passport add pages, and other services. For more information, please contact us at ConsularChengdu@state.gov.

Forums > Living in Kunming > 3/13/09, American Citizen Services in Kunming

.S. Consulate General Chengdu, American Citizen Services Outreach in Kunming
Friday, March 13, 2009 1:00 pm to 5:00 pm

The United States Consulate in Chengdu will be sending a consular officer to Kunming on Friday, March 13. American citizens in Kunming can meet with the consular officer by appointment between 1:00 pm and 5:00 pm to perform routine American Citizen Services (see below).

All appointments will be held at The Grand Park Kunming Hotel near Green Lake Park (昆明君乐酒店,云南省昆明市洪化桥20号). To make an appointment to meet with the consular officer please e-mail us at ConsularChengdu@state.gov by 5 pm on Tuesday, March 10. In your e-mail, please provide:

- Your full name
- Your cell phone number or other contact number
- The American Citizen service or general topic you would like to discuss.
- A suggested meeting time between 1:00 pm to 5:00 pm, meeting times will be in 30 minute blocks.

The consular officer will contact you by phone or e-mail between Tuesday, March 10 and Wednesday, March 11 regarding a specific meeting location and to confirm your meeting time.

American Citizen Services:

The consular officer will be able to perform a number of limited American Citizen Services, and for some of the services we may have to take some of your materials back to Chengdu and return them to you via EMS. Mailing through EMS is done at your own risk, as we cannot guarantee EMS service. You must bring your address, in Chinese, and 20 RMB EMS mailing fee to the appointment.

The consular officer will have no change available, so exact change is required.

The consular officer will bring a number of forms, but it is suggested that you download, print, and fill out any required forms before your appointment from our website (chengdu.usembassy-china.org.cn/service.html).

Application for the following services can be accepted in Guiyang:

- Passport applications and renewals for adults (532.50 RMB or $75.00) and children younger than 16 (603.50 RMB or $85.00)

- Applications for Consular Reports of Birth Abroad (461.50 RMB or $65.00)

- Certificates of Marriageability (213 RMB or $30)

- Notarials of US government documents (no fee)

- Some notarials of non-US government documents, the consular officer will have to review the specific document to determine whether we can notarize the document in Guiyang (213 RMB or $30)

- Applications for adding pages to your US passport

- Passport delivery if you have already applied in Chengdu and your passport has arrived and is waiting for pickup.

Information on the services above can be found on our website: chengdu.usembassy-china.org.cn/service.html. For passport applications and renewals for children under the age of 16, both parents and the child must appear at the time of the application.

If you have any questions, please contact the Consular section at ConsularChengdu@state.gov.

Best Regards,
Chengdu Consular Section

Forums > Living in Kunming > 3/13/09, American Citizen Services in Kunming

.S. Consulate General Chengdu, American Citizen Services Outreach in Kunming
Friday, March 13, 2009 1:00 pm to 5:00 pm

The United States Consulate in Chengdu will be sending a consular officer to Kunming on Friday, March 13. American citizens in Kunming can meet with the consular officer by appointment between 1:00 pm and 5:00 pm to perform routine American Citizen Services (see below).

All appointments will be held at The Grand Park Kunming Hotel near Green Lake Park (昆明君乐酒店,云南省昆明市洪化桥20号). To make an appointment to meet with the consular officer please e-mail us at ConsularChengdu@state.gov by 5 pm on Tuesday, March 10. In your e-mail, please provide:

- Your full name
- Your cell phone number or other contact number
- The American Citizen service or general topic you would like to discuss.
- A suggested meeting time between 1:00 pm to 5:00 pm, meeting times will be in 30 minute blocks.

The consular officer will contact you by phone or e-mail between Tuesday, March 10 and Wednesday, March 11 regarding a specific meeting location and to confirm your meeting time.

American Citizen Services:

The consular officer will be able to perform a number of limited American Citizen Services, and for some of the services we may have to take some of your materials back to Chengdu and return them to you via EMS. Mailing through EMS is done at your own risk, as we cannot guarantee EMS service. You must bring your address, in Chinese, and 20 RMB EMS mailing fee to the appointment.

The consular officer will have no change available, so exact change is required.

The consular officer will bring a number of forms, but it is suggested that you download, print, and fill out any required forms before your appointment from our website (chengdu.usembassy-china.org.cn/service.html).

Application for the following services can be accepted in Guiyang:

- Passport applications and renewals for adults (532.50 RMB or $75.00) and children younger than 16 (603.50 RMB or $85.00)

- Applications for Consular Reports of Birth Abroad (461.50 RMB or $65.00)

- Certificates of Marriageability (213 RMB or $30)

- Notarials of US government documents (no fee)

- Some notarials of non-US government documents, the consular officer will have to review the specific document to determine whether we can notarize the document in Guiyang (213 RMB or $30)

- Applications for adding pages to your US passport

- Passport delivery if you have already applied in Chengdu and your passport has arrived and is waiting for pickup.

Information on the services above can be found on our website: chengdu.usembassy-china.org.cn/service.html. For passport applications and renewals for children under the age of 16, both parents and the child must appear at the time of the application.

If you have any questions, please contact the Consular section at ConsularChengdu@state.gov.

Forums > Living in Kunming > US voters: mailing your ballot for free

My name is Aaron Rupert, and I am a consular officer at the US Consulate in Chengdu. We have some information up about the FedEx/Express Your Vote program on our website at this address: chengdu.usembassy-china.org.cn/vote_2008.html

If you can, when you print out your FedEx waybill, staple a copy to your ballot envelope (in a way that you don't staple through your ballot if you can), as the waybill acts as your postmark. It's in the online instructions, but a lot of people have been missing it. If you did not do so, it should not be a problem if your ballot arrives before the election.

If anyone has problems with the FedEx/Express Your Vote service, or any other questions about voting in 2008 let me know at ConsularChengdu@state.gov.