US Embassy: 10-year visa is here to stay

The Embassy of the United States in Beijing has responded to people's concerns of EVUS on March 15, saying that the system under development would be launched in November.

The Embassy of the United States in Beijing says the EVUS system under development would be launched in November.

"Electronic Visa Update System (EVUS) and visa are two different systems…I want to make it clear that the 10 year visa is here to stay," said Julie Kavanagh, minister counselor of the USA Embassy.

From November 2016 on, Chinese nationals holding B1 and B2 10-year visas will need to enroll EVUS, completing an online form with certain personal information.

As of now, there is nothing Chinese travelers need to do, said Kent Krul, a director with the US Customs and Border Protection.

Krul said that EVUS is specially designed for China, a system similar to ESTA designed to enhance border security in accordance with the bilateral arrangement with China to issue 10-year validity tourist and business visas.

10-year visa holders in China will need to update their information on EVUS in the following three occasions: When the system is launched, register and enroll for the first time; When getting a new passport or visa; When the information online expires after two years without update.

Each EVUS enrollment will require the traveler to provide his or her name, birth date, and passport information as well as other biographical and employment information.

There is no need for Chinese travelers to get any certificates or permission from their employers when submitting the information on EVUS.

Krul said that travelers don't have to do the updates themselves. A friend, relative, travel industry professional, or another third party may submit the required information to EVUS on a traveler's behalf.

As for the fee, Krul said that it's still under discussion, but will not be high. Referring to ESTA, the fee might be about 15 dollars, used to cover the cost of running the system.

"Information enrolled will be confirmed in a very short time," said Krul, adding that if there's any problem with the information, prompt boxes will be displayed and all users need to do is to complete according to the reminders.

Kavanagh said that although this requirement is new, it's similar to requirements that 38 countries currently must follow before traveling to the US."The U.S. Government expects that the EVUS program will apply to additional countries in the future."

Contact the writer at yandongjie@chinadaily.com.cn