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Updated to reflect a shift to Level 2 “Exercise increased caution” for Mainland China.
Summary: Exercise increased caution when traveling to Mainland China due to arbitrary enforcement of local laws, including in relation to exit bans.
Exercise increased caution when traveling to the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (SAR) due to the arbitrary enforcement of local laws.
Reconsider travel to the Macau Special Administrative Region (SAR) due to a limited ability to provide emergency consular services. Exercised increased caution when traveling to the Macau SAR due to the arbitrary enforcement of local laws.
See specific risks and conditions in each jurisdiction.
Updated to reflect a shift to Level 2 “Exercise increased caution” for Mainland China.
Summary: Exercise increased caution when traveling to Mainland China due to arbitrary enforcement of local laws, including in relation to exit bans.
Exercise increased caution when traveling to the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (SAR) due to the arbitrary enforcement of local laws.
Reconsider travel to the Macau Special Administrative Region (SAR) due to a limited ability to provide emergency consular services. Exercised increased caution when traveling to the Macau SAR due to the arbitrary enforcement of local laws.
See specific risks and conditions in each jurisdiction.
Reconsider travel due to a limited ability to provide emergency consular services. Exercise increased caution due to the arbitrary enforcement of local laws.
Summary: The U.S. government has a limited ability to provide emergency services to U.S. citizens in the Macau SAR due to People’s Republic of China (PRC) Ministry of Foreign Affairs travel restrictions on U.S. diplomatic personnel.
Even in an emergency, the PRC Ministry of Foreign Affairs requires all U.S. diplomatic personnel, including those accredited to the Macau SAR, to apply for and receive visas before entering the Macau SAR. This takes at least five to seven days, significantly limiting the U.S. government’s ability to offer timely consular services in the Macau SAR.
Dual nationality: The Macau SAR government does not recognize dual nationality. Dual U.S.-PRC citizens and U.S. citizens of Chinese descent may be subject to additional security and harassment. If you are a dual U.S.-PRC citizen awnd enter the Macau SAR on a U.S. passport, and you are detained or arrested, PRC authorities are under an obligation to notify the U.S. Embassy or a U.S. Consulate General of your detention and to allow U.S. consular officials to have access to you. In reality, however, U.S. consular officials may be prevented from providing consular assistance, even to those who have entered on their U.S. passports. For more information, visit Consular Protection and Right of Above in HK(SAR) for Dual Nationals – U.S. Consulate General Hong Kong & Macau.
Demonstrations: Participating in demonstrations or any other activities that authorities interpret as constituting an act of secession, subversion, terrorism, or collusion with a foreign country could result in criminal charges. Be aware of your surroundings and avoid demonstrations.
If you decide to travel to the Macau SAR:
Updated to reflect a shift to Level 2 “Exercise increased caution” for Mainland China.
Summary: Exercise increased caution when traveling to Mainland China due to arbitrary enforcement of local laws, including in relation to exit bans.
Exercise increased caution when traveling to the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (SAR) due to the arbitrary enforcement of local laws.
Reconsider travel to the Macau Special Administrative Region (SAR) due to a limited ability to provide emergency consular services. Exercised increased caution when traveling to the Macau SAR due to the arbitrary enforcement of local laws.
See specific risks and conditions in each jurisdiction.
Exercise increased caution due to the arbitrary enforcement of local laws.
Summary: Hong Kong SAR authorities have dramatically restricted civil liberties since the Government of the People’s Republic of China (PRC) imposed the Law of the PRC on Safeguarding National Security in the Hong Kong SAR on June 30, 2020. Following the Hong Kong SAR government’s enactment of its own Safeguarding National Security Ordinance on March 23, 2024, Hong Kong SAR authorities are expected to take additional actions to further restrict civil liberties.
The 2020 National Security Law outlines a broad range of vaguely defined offenses, such as acts of secession, subversion, terrorism, and collusion with foreign entities. The 2024 Safeguarding National Security Ordinance builds on this framework with additional vaguely defined offenses, such as treason, insurrection, theft of state secrets, sabotage against public infrastructure, and external interference. According to the legislation, these offenses are applicable to foreign nationals within the Hong Kong SAR and to individuals, including U.S. citizens and permanent residents, located outside its borders. Under these provisions, anyone who criticizes the PRC and/or Hong Kong SAR authorities may face arrest, detention, expulsion, and/or prosecution. Hong Kong SAR authorities are attempting to enforce these provisions against individuals, including U.S. citizens and permanent residents, residing outside their jurisdiction by offering cash rewards for information leading to their arrests in the Hong Kong SAR.
Dual nationality: The Hong Kong SAR government does not recognize dual nationality. Dual U.S.-PRC citizens and U.S. citizens of Chinese descent may be subject to additional security and harassment. If you are a dual U.S.-PRC citizen and enter Hong Kong SAR on a U.S. passport, and you are detained or arrested, PRC authorities are under an obligation to notify the U.S. Embassy or a U.S. Consulate General of your detention and to allow U.S. consular officials to have access to you. In reality, however, U.S. consular officers may be prevented from providing consular assistance, even to those who have entered on their U.S. passports. For more information, visit Consular Protection and Right of Abode in HK(SAR) for Dual Nationals – U.S. Consulate General Hong Kong & Macau.
Demonstrations: Participating in demonstrations or other activities that authorities interpret as constituting an act of secession, subversion, terrorism, or collusion with a foreign country could result in criminal charges under the 2020 National Security Law and/or the 2024 Safeguarding National Security Ordinance. Be aware of your surroundings and avoid demonstrations.
If you decide to travel to the Hong Kong SAR:
DISCLAIMER: THE INFORMATION IS PROVIDED FOR GENERAL INFORMATION ONLY AND MAY NOT BE TOTALLY ACCURATE IN A SPECIFIC CASE. QUESTIONS INVOLVING INTERPRETATION OF SPECIFIC FOREIGN LAWS SHOULD BE ADDRESSED TO THE APPROPRIATE FOREIGN AUTHORITIES OR FOREIGN COUNSEL.
U.S. Embassy Beijing
No. 55 An Jia Lou Road
Chaoyang District, Beijing 100600
Telephone: +86 10-8531-4000
Emergency After-Hours Telephone: +86 10-8531-4000
Fax: +86 10-8531-3300
Email: BeijingACS@state.gov
This consular district includes Beijing, Tianjin, Gansu, Hebei, Ningxia, Qinghai, Shaanxi, Shandong, Shanxi, Xinjiang, Chongqing, Sichuan, and Tibet.
U.S. Consulate General Hong Kong & Macau
26 Garden Road
Central, Hong Kong
Telephone: +852 2841-2211, +852 2841-2225, +852 2841-2323
Emergency After-Hours Telephone: +852 2523-9011
Fax: +852 2845-4845
Email: acshk@state.gov
This consular district includes the Hong Kong and Macau Special Administrative Regions (SARs).
U.S. Consulate General Guangzhou
No. 43 Hua Jiu Road
Zhujiang New Town
Tianhe District, Guangzhou 510623
Telephone: +86 20-3814-5775
Emergency After-Hours Telephone: +86 10-8531-4000
Fax: +86 20-3814-5572
Email: GuangzhouACS@state.gov
This consular district includes Fujian, Guangdong, Guangxi, Hainan, Yunnan, and Guizhou.
U.S. Consulate General Shanghai
No. 1469 Huai Hai Zhong Road
Xuhui District, Shanghai 200041
Telephone: +86 21-8011-2400
Emergency After-Hours Telephone: +86 10-8531-4000
Fax: +86 21-6148-8266
Email: ShanghaiACS@state.gov
This consular district includes Shanghai, Anhui, Jiangsu, and Zhejiang.
U.S. Consulate General Shenyang
No. 52 14th Wei Road
Heping District, Shenyang 110003
Telephone: +86 24-2322-1198
Emergency After-Hours Telephone: +86 10-8531-4000
Fax: +86 24-8610-6904
Email: ShenyangACS@state.gov
This consular district includes Heilongjiang, Jilin, Inner Mongolia, and Liaoning.
U.S. Consulate General Wuhan
No. 396 Xin Hua Road
Wuhan Minsheng Bank Building
Jianghan District, Wuhan 430015
Telephone: +86 27-8563 2800
Emergency After-Hours Telephone: +86 10-8531-4000
Fax: +86 27-5949 6496
Email: WuhanACS@state.gov
This consular district includes Henan, Hubei, Hunan, and Jiangxi.
Chinese Attorneys/American Law Firms in China: It is our understanding that Chinese law offices are within the jurisdiction and authority of the Ministry of Justice. Under the Ministry of Justice is the Department of Public Notaries and Lawyers, which in turn establishes legal advisory offices at provincial and local levels. All lawyers and public notaries in China are part of this system, and as such are employees of the State. Lawyers in the Chinese system therefore do not necessarily assume the advocacy role expected of lawyers in the United States, but rather have obligations to the State as well as to their clients. Anyone who retains the services of a lawyer in China should understand this difference between the American and Chinese legal systems. American law firms with a presence in China maintain representative offices which may provide legal advice to clients on commercial, tax, or economic law as it relates to investment in China by foreign firms.
China is a party to the Hague Convention on the Service Abroad of Judicial and Extra Judicial Documents in Civil and Commercial Matters. Complete information on the operation of the Convention, including an interactive online request form are available on the Hague Conference website. Requests should be completed in duplicate and submitted with two sets of the documents to be served, and translations, directly to China’s Central Authority for the Hague Service Convention. The person in the United States executing the request form should be either an attorney or clerk of court. The applicant should include the titles attorney at law or clerk of court on the identity and address of applicant and signature/stamp fields. In its Declarations and Reservations on the Hague Service Convention, China formally objected to service under Article 10, and does not permit service via postal channels. For additional information see the Hague Conference Service Convention website and the Hague Conference Practical Handbook on the Operation of the Hague Service Convention. See also China’s response to the 2008 Hague Conference questionnaire on the practical operation of the Service Convention.
Service on a Foreign State: See also our Service Under the Foreign Sovereign Immunities Act (FSIA) feature and FSIA Checklist for questions about service on a foreign state, agency or instrumentality.
Service of Documents from China in the United States: See information about service in the United States on the U.S. Central Authority for the Service Convention page of the Hague Conference on Private International Law Service Convention site.
Prosecution Requests: U.S. federal or state prosecutors should also contact the Office of International Affairs, Criminal Division, Department of Justice for guidance regarding the U.S.-China agreement on mutual legal assistance in criminal matters.
Defense Requests in Criminal Matters: Criminal defendants or their defense counsel seeking judicial assistance in obtaining evidence or in effecting service of documents abroad in connection with criminal matters may do so via the letters rogatory process.
China is a party to the Hague Convention on the Taking of Evidence Abroad in Civil and Commercial Matters. The Chinese Central Authority for the Hague Evidence Convention designated to receive letters of request for the taking of evidence is the Ministry of Justice. See the Hague Evidence Convention Model Letters of Request for guidance on preparation of a letter of request. Requests for the taking of evidence under the Hague Evidence Convention are transmitted directly from the requesting court or person in the United States to the Chinese Central Authority and do not require transmittal via diplomatic channels. Letters of Request and accompanying documents should be prepared in duplicate and translated into Chinese.
China does not permit attorneys to take depositions in China for use in foreign courts. Under its Declarations and Reservations to the Hague Evidence Convention and subsequent diplomatic communications, China has indicated that taking depositions, whether voluntary or compelled, and obtaining other evidence in China for use in foreign courts may, as a general matter, only be accomplished through requests to its Central Authority under the Hague Evidence Convention. Consular depositions would require permission from the Central Authority on a case by case basis and the Department of State will not authorize the involvement of consular personnel in a deposition without that permission. Participation in such activity could result in the arrest, detention or deportation of the American attorneys and other participants.
China is not a party to the Hague Convention Abolishing the Legalization of Foreign Public Documents. Documents issued in the United States may be authenticated for use in China by (a) contacting the U.S. Department of State Authentications Office and (b) then having the seal of the U.S. Department of State authenticated by the Embassy of China in Washington, D.C.Documents issued in U.S. states must first be authenticated by the designated state authority, generally the state Secretary of State.
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