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My Chinese wife's passport has expired. We live in Atlanta and she seems to think we have to travel to Houston to fix this. Is that correct? Surely there is an easier answer.

Houston is the Chinese Consulate having jurisdiction over where you live, so you will have to go to that consulate, pain because Washington DC is closer for you. Also cannot renew by mail or use a visa travel agency for this, it has to be done in person.

 

Sometimes Houston reps visit other cities to handle these things, (Miami, and Memphis) a couple times.

 

http://houston.china-consulate.org/eng/vp/t53292.htm

 

For us we took and easier approach to renew passport, Wife traveled to China a month or so before it expired, and renewed it in her home town over there before returning back to the USA. But in our case our Chinese Consulate is in NYC about a 6 hour train ride from home. And most recently we have moved beyond this, the wife natrualized and has a new US Passport being processed.

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My Chinese wife's passport has expired. We live in Atlanta and she seems to think we have to travel to Houston to fix this. Is that correct? Surely there is an easier answer.

Houston is the Chinese Consulate having jurisdiction over where you live, so you will have to go to that consulate, pain because Washington DC is closer for you. Also cannot renew by mail or use a visa travel agency for this, it has to be done in person.

 

Sometimes Houston reps visit other cities to handle these things, (Miami, and Memphis) a couple times.

 

http://houston.china...g/vp/t53292.htm

 

For us we took and easier approach to renew passport, Wife traveled to China a month or so before it expired, and renewed it in her home town over there before returning back to the USA. But in our case our Chinese Consulate is in NYC about a 6 hour train ride from home. And most recently we have moved beyond this, the wife natrualized and has a new US Passport being processed.

 

Thanks. I guess she was right. First time ever just about. :gleam:

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We live in Atlanta as well and were facing the same problem with having to go to Houston. We had decided to rent a car and drive there but as luck had it, she had a trip to China come up and she renewed it there before it expired.

 

Any thoughts on your wife becoming a US citizen and not having to worry about a Chinese passport?

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We live in Atlanta as well and were facing the same problem with having to go to Houston. We had decided to rent a car and drive there but as luck had it, she had a trip to China come up and she renewed it there before it expired.

 

Any thoughts on your wife becoming a US citizen and not having to worry about a Chinese passport?

 

She has a greencard and all that. Doesn't she have to be here for like ten years before she can be a Citizen?

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She has a greencard and all that. Doesn't she have to be here for like ten years before she can be a Citizen?

Nope.

 

5 years residency if filing for Naturalization. OR 3 years residency if filling based on marriage to same US Citizen for the entire period of residency.

 

My wife filed for citizenship at 4 years of residency, she waited 1 year to decide.

 

http://www.uscis.gov.../PDFs/M-480.pdf (Go to the worksheet and work your way through the true/false flow chart to determine if able to naturalize.)

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We live in Atlanta as well and were facing the same problem with having to go to Houston. We had decided to rent a car and drive there but as luck had it, she had a trip to China come up and she renewed it there before it expired.

 

Any thoughts on your wife becoming a US citizen and not having to worry about a Chinese passport?

 

She has a greencard and all that. Doesn't she have to be here for like ten years before she can be a Citizen?

 

As Dan said, it's 3 years in your case. I remember you guys from awhile back so I know it has been at least 3 years since she has been here with you?

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She has a greencard and all that. Doesn't she have to be here for like ten years before she can be a Citizen?

Nope.

 

5 years residency if filing for Naturalization. OR 3 years residency if filling based on marriage to same US Citizen for the entire period of residency.

 

My wife filed for citizenship at 4 years of residency, she waited 1 year to decide.

 

http://www.uscis.gov.../PDFs/M-480.pdf (Go to the worksheet and work your way through the true/false flow chart to determine if able to naturalize.)

 

I am very surprised my wife hasn't brought that to my attention. To be honest, I don't really follow all the options of what we can do and don't concerning these type of issues. So, if I can get her cititzenship I also assume that means she no longer has the option of being a Chinese citizen as well?

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I am very surprised my wife hasn't brought that to my attention. To be honest, I don't really follow all the options of what we can do and don't concerning these type of issues. So, if I can get her cititzenship I also assume that means she no longer has the option of being a Chinese citizen as well?

Correct, China does not recognize dual-citizenship. Also technically the USA does not recognize it either, and part of the oath ceramony to become a US Citizen is to renounce foreign citizenship, which China recognizes.

 

Other things.

  • To travel to China using US passport requires visa, and for a person born in China which the US passport indicates the visa applicant needs to send Chinese passport along with US passport to get it invalidated.
  • To renew Chinese passport in the USA requires showing green-card which is a problem for a US Citizen, the green-card is turned in at the oath ceramony.
  • To travel to China on Chinese passport and US passport would require green-card or a US visa to exit China, nether would be avaliable to a US Citizen, and being in China with a US passport without a Chinese visa or entry stamp would be a problem.
  • Some have tried a game where enter China via Hong-Kong, arrive in HK on US passport, secure US passport there, and enter China via HK, then return through HK using a travel doc and reaquire US passport for travel back to the USA, this may be questioned if the HK travel doc is for a set period of time as well as entry to China may need to show a travel doc as to how entered HK in the first place, and returning on future trips may be questioned.

So no matter what you do you are either a US Citizen or a Chinese Citizen, not both.

Edited by dnoblett (see edit history)
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I am very surprised my wife hasn't brought that to my attention. To be honest, I don't really follow all the options of what we can do and don't concerning these type of issues. So, if I can get her cititzenship I also assume that means she no longer has the option of being a Chinese citizen as well?

Correct, China does not recognize dual-citizenship. Also technically the USA does not recognize it either, and part of the oath ceramony to become a US Citizen is to renounce foreign citizenship, which China recognizes.

 

Other things.

  • To travel to China using US passport requires visa, and for a person born in China which the US passport indicates the visa applicant needs to send Chinese passport along with US passport to get it invalidated.
  • To renew Chinese passport in the USA requires showing green-card which is a problem for a US Citizen, the green-card is turned in at the oath ceramony.
  • To travel to China on Chinese passport and US passport would require green-card or a US visa to exit China, nether would be avaliable to a US Citizen, and being in China with a US passport without a Chinese visa or entry stamp would be a problem.
  • Some have tried a game where enter China via Hong-Kong, arrive in HK on US passport, secure US passport there, and enter China via HK, then return through HK using a travel doc and reaquire US passport for travel back to the USA, this may be questioned if the HK travel doc is for a set period of time as well as entry to China may need to show a travel doc as to how entered HK in the first place, and returning on future trips may be questioned.

So no matter what you do you are either a US Citizen or a Chinese Citizen, not both.

 

That is kind of confusing but she will select the US Cititzenship for sure. We have an Austistic son here so she needs to be a Citizen. The In-laws are finally visiting us this year as well. Oh Boy, it should be interesting. I sure appreciate all the help and knowlege both you and Chilton brought here.

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