Chinese adoptions: Other considerations for your trip to China

Travel documentation

You will need a valid US passport and Chinese visa to get into China and at several points during the adoption and immigration processes. The US passport application process can take several weeks, so make sure you leave enough time for this. A Chinese visa can be applied for at the Chinese Embassy in Washington DC or at one of the other Chinese Consulates in Los Angeles, CA; San Francisco, CA; Chicago, IL; New York, NY and Houston, TX.

Embassy of the People’s Republic of China
Consular Section
2300 Connecticut Avenue, NW
Washington, DC 20008
Tel: 202-328-2500

What to take with you for the child

The length of time you will need to stay in China is impossible to predict. Although there are small grocery and sundry stores in most major hotels, many of the baby products you may want for your child will not be easily available.

Items many people choose to bring with them include:

• Plastic or cloth baby carrier
• Bottle nipples
• Disposable paper diapers
• Baby wipes
• Baby blankets
• Infant wear
• Thermos bottle, for hot water to prepare dry formula
• Milk bottles (plastic, glass and disposable)
• Disposable plastic bags for milk bottles

In case of medical emergency, an ambulance can be called from your nearest hospital by contacting the city Emergency Centre (for Guangzhou, this is 020-120).

You are also advised to register with your nearest US Embassy or Consulate before traveling, to enable the authorities to contact you in case of emergency. The US Embassy in China is in Beijing, and there are Consulates General in Shanghai, Shenyang, Chengdu and Guangzhou. Contact details for the latter are given below:

Consulate General of the United States in Guangzhou:
Adopted Children Immigration Visa Unit
1 Shamian South Street
Guangzhou, P. R. C. 51033
Tel: 011-86-20-8121 8000
Direct Line: 011-86-20-8518 7653
Fax: 011-86-20-3884 4420
Email: GuangzhouA@state.gov

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