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1. The phone numbers and email addresses provided for the U.S.-China consulate are incorrect. The address WEBMASTER@CHINA-EMBASSY.ORG does not accept email, the correct address is chinavisadc@gmail.com
2. There is some confusion over the need for an original invitation letter. CNNIC insists that an original letter is not needed and travelers need to check with their consulate as to whether an original letter is needed. The response from the local consulate was "Generally, the invitation letter may be submitted as a fax, copy or printout. If necessary, the consular officer will ask the applicant to submit the original invitation letter." So, this becomes a problem of timing. If a visa application is submitted and the consulate then requests an original letter it may take "up to two weeks" to get it. Will there then be enough time resubmit the application?
3. Applying for a visa. According to the instructions "Mailed applications are not accepted" and that an applicant may "entrust someone else or a travel/visa agent to submit your application at the visa office." There is no explanation in the staff instructions as to what a "China visa processing company" is or how to find one if an applicant does not live near a consulate.
4. One travel document issued by staff had an incorrect passport expiration date: DOUBLE-CHECK ALL OF YOUR DATA. Do not assume someone else has done it correctly.
5. The advice by Travel to book your VISA in December which is four to five months in advance is not consistent with other travelers to China opinions.  They argue that  you should order your VISA  so much in advance but more like three months  maximum  They claim that you can stale date your VISA application if you go to China after three months.  The  start date of VISA  is the date the visa is ordered and the clock starts clicking.
   

Some members of the community have been asking, concerning the Chinese visa application: (2.6): asks, "Who will pay for the cost of travelling and living during your stay in China?" The honest answer is "Inviter", mostly. I just want to confirm that this is what is expected for us to do. (2.7) The visa form asks for details about health insurance. If ICANN provides emergency medical assistance; do we list that? For the purposes of  (2.8), that the "inviter" is CNNIC based on the this invitation we are supposed to get. But there is a separate entry (2.9) which asks for a "relative, friend or contact person in China"). What should we put here? A fellow traveller? Or a local resident?

The Chair will be requesting more details on what are official travel couriers as noted in the visa application instructions.

Some members of the community have been wondering about very short "travel buffer" period which does not allow for much rest before the meeting begins, especially for members traveling long distances.

The Chair recommends all At-Large travelers share their experiences here either by posting them in the comments of this page or by contacting the Chair directly.

 Note: ICANN Constituency Travel has indicated it would refund VIsa, photo and shipping costs up to $200. Look for more details here when available.

B. ICANN has supplied links for travel advisories and general information.

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