If it's not one agency it's another!

[Mick]

Federal Express should have advised you that customs does not allow you to send documents to a private address in China.  I dont know if this is US customs or China customs. But they advised me of that.  You must send any package labeled as documents to a business address in China.  This was probably where the problem was.  The customs delay may be the fact that if you sent to her residential place, the package cannot be delivered. When I ask about sending documents on the phone, they have always advised me of this fact. Check with them and see if you get the same answer.

This must be a recent change in policy. When Li and I lived in China, we often had documents sent directly to our home address and in each case they were labeled documents. They always arrived on time and we never experienced a delay. Could be this is a new procedure. Politics are ever-changing.

[warpedbored]

If you don't label them as documents then what do you declaret them as on the customs forms?

[sacman24]

Federal Express should have advised you that customs does not allow you to send documents to a private address in China.  I dont know if this is US customs or China customs. But they advised me of that.  You must send any package labeled as documents to a business address in China.  This was probably where the problem was.  The customs delay may be the fact that if you sent to her residential place, the package cannot be delivered.   When I ask about sending documents on the phone, they have always advised me of this fact. Check with them and see if you get the same answer.

I did call FedEx. It appears that you are correct. Although, they seem a bit confused about the policy as well. I called two different times. The first representative immediately confirmed that China customs will only allow documents to be delivered to a business and not a private address. The second representative at first said otherwise, but upon further inquiry from me she found the regulations stating this procedure. However, she said that this procedure must have just recently been changed.

 

As far as my documents are concerned, they did clear customs in Anchorage, but will not be shipped until Tuesday, whish is the same day as the interview. Now, weather they will clear customs in China is another thing. Hopefully, since Amy already has the most necessary documents in hand we will come out of this alright. By the way, I have faxed the other documents directly to the Embassy.

[tywy_99]

Glad to hear things are working out and that you have faxed the documents. I still don't understand the customs things and I guess I was trying to sell the USPS on you...lol, anyways, good to hear good news.

Yes, the residence address can present a problem. Most Chinese people receive their mail at their place of employment.

I thought of a thing you can try. If your fiancee has a printer you can scan the documents into a .tif image document file and send them over the internet to her. The print loses some of its clarity but not too bad.

Well, good luck on Tuesday

[skrunks]

Couple of suggestions. First, use UPS rather than FEDEX as UPS coverage in china is not as limited as FEDEX. Someone told me that a while back and I have stuck with it and never had delays. Second, the post office, fedex or UPS has a document that tells what items must be declared on international shipments. Almost all documents related to visas are not required to be listed, ie tax forms, visas, birth certificates, letters, documents. So, you just check that box on value of contents and most people put in a $1 default value. If you really want to see what items must be declared, have the post office or a shipper show you what is required. Now does that mean it will or will not be inspected by customs? Not sure. I do know that every package i have sent to china, except the last one (with pictures, my birth cert, etc) was opened and inspected. Even at that, it took less than a week to get from "here to there". Just the price to pay for dealing with china in these days and times. Plan accordingly. g'luck

[skrunks]

OH and the same thing happened to me, we got the P4 just three weeks before her interview date. Yikes! But we had planned ahead knowing it was probably coming soon, and all the paperwork I needed to send was ready, and she had done everything but the medical. So...off went the UPS while she went to Guangzhou for the medical. She came back home, grabbed some more money and my package and headed back to gz yesterday for her appointment tomorrow at 8:30 am! cross your fingers!