Source: Embassy of the People’s Republic of China in the United States of America 2022.5.27 23:20

Starting from May 20, 2022, the Chinese Embassy will issue health code according to requirements on this notice.

1. Passengers traveling to China must get their samples for the nucleic acid rt-PCR tests collected at the departure city of their direct flight to China. Passengers must allow for the time to take pharyngeal or nasopharyngeal swabsand other sampling in the departure city of their flight and wait in place for the test results before the flight. Upon receiving the reports, passengers need to apply for health code from the Chinese Embassy or Consulate General (based on consular jurisdiction), travel before it expires and be prepared for checking by the airlines before boarding.

2. Passengers are also required to present a negative result of antigen teston top of health codewhen check-in or boarding.

If your antigen test result is not negative, you are advised to take a nucleic acid test (NAT). If the NAT result is not negative, you need to follow the requirements of “9.Passengers with infection history” below before next application of health code. If the NAT result is negative, you need to follow the requirements of “10. Close contacts” below before next application of health code.

3.Foreign passengers can apply for health code at https://hrhk.cs.mfa.gov.cn/H5/ .

4. You can find below the diplomatic mission responsible for issuing health codes and their corresponding direct flights between China and the U.S.

(1) American Airlines:

AA 127 (Dallas→Shanghai) - Chinese Embassy

(2) Delta Air Lines:

DL 283 (Detroit→Shanghai) - Chinese Consulate General in Chicago

DL 287 (Seattle→Shanghai) - Chinese Consulate General in San Francisco

(3) United Airlines:

UA 857 (San Francisco→Shanghai) - Chinese Consulate General in San Francisco

(4) Air China:

CA 988 (Los Angeles→Beijing/Tianjin) - Chinese Consulate General in Los Angeles

CA 770 (Los Angeles→Shenzhen) - Chinese Consulate General in Los Angeles

(5) China Southern Airlines:

CZ 328 (Los Angeles→Guangzhou) - Chinese Consulate General in Los Angeles

(6) Xiamen Airlines:

MF 830 (Los Angeles→Xiamen) - Chinese Consulate General in Los Angeles.

(7) China Eastern Airlines:

MU 588 (New York→Shanghai) - Chinese Consulate General in New York.

5. Samples (nucleic acid and antigen) must be collected and tested at a laboratory institution on the list provided by the Chinese Embassy or Consulates General. See below for the latest list of laboratories accepted by the Chinese Embassy (for the Dallas flight). Please give consent to the sampling agency and testing laboratory to announce the test results and other personal information to the Embassy. The Embassy will contact the issuing agency to verify the authenticity of all the submitted reports and certificates. If any of them cannot be verified, or contain false information, or are deemed altered or forged, the health code will not be issued.

(1) Ayass Bioscience

(2) Realtime Laboratories

6. Test requirements before your departure:

(1)Within 48 hours before departure (e.g. If the flight departs on Jun 10, the sampling time can be any time on Jun 8 or 9), take the first nucleic acid rt-PCR test at a listed laboratory, and the second one within 24 hours before departure at a different laboratoryon the list (e.g. If the flight departs on Jun 10, the sampling time must be any time on Jun 9).

(2)After 14:00 the day before departure (e.g. If the flight departs on Jun 10, the sampling time can be any time after 14:00 of Jun 9), take the antigen test at listed laboratories.

7. The following documents are to be uploaded for health code application:    

(1) Nucleic acid rt-PCRtestresults.

(2) Flight itinerary.

(3) Passport, Chinese visa or resident permit.

(4) If you are vaccinated, please also upload the Letter of Commitment on COVID-19 Vaccination (see below) and vaccination certificate.

(5) If you have infection history / are a close contact / show symptoms, please upload supplementary documents according to the requirements below.

(6) Antigen test result is not required when applying for the health code. Airlines will inspect the original reports when check-in or boarding in either printed or digital form, and only negative results are accepted.

8. Passengers will receive a“blue code”when all their test results excluding the 12-hour antigen test are verified. Before boarding, passengers will be required to present a negative result of antigen teston top of “blue code”. “Green code” will be issued less often, and those issued are still valid. Passengers holding a “green code” can still be accepted for boarding.

9. Passengers with infection history:

(1) If you were diagnosed with COVID-19 or tested positive for nucleic acid rt-PCR, you are considered as having an infection history.

(2) You can apply for a health code if you meet the following requirements:

- Take two nucleic acid rt-PCR tests with a sampling interval of over 24 hours in any laboratory in the U.S. and both tests return negative results.

- Take a self-quarantine for at least 6 weeks and record your daily body temperature and health conditions after the second nucleic acid rt-PCR test. If you develop any symptoms such as fever, cough, diarrhea during the self-quarantine, take another nucleic acid rt-PCR test. If the result is negative, start a 6 weeks quarantine again. If the result is positive, you will need to wait until you recover and redo the whole process.

- After completing the above procedures, follow this notice to perform tests within 48 hours before boarding.

10. Close contacts/showing symptoms

(1) Passengers who have had unprotected contact with confirmed, suspected or asymptomatic casesare considered as close contacts. Passengers with an positive antigen result are considered as close contacts as well.

(2) Close contacts or passengers showing suspected symptoms are expected to self-quarantine for at least 14 days. Please monitor your health conditions and take nucleic acid rt-PCR tests on the 1st, 4th, and 7th day of self-quarantine. After completing the above procedures, follow this notice to perform tests within 48 hours before boarding.

11. About transit

(1) The Embassy does not issue health code for passengers who fly from the U.S. to China by transiting in a third country (region).

(2) For passengers who transit in the U.S. and then fly directly to China:

- Health code will not be issued by the Embassy to passengers whose departure country has a direct flight to China.

- For those whose departure country has no direct flight to China, please follow the requirements of the Chinese Embassy/Consulates General of that country and apply for the health code before coming to the U.S. When transiting in the U.S., please follow the requirements of the Chinese Embassy/Consulates General in the U.S. and apply for the health code for the direct flight for China.

12. Do babies and toddlers need to be tested?

Babies and toddlers under the age of 3 do not need to be tested or apply for a health code.

13. Am I sure to get the health code if I apply as required?

Not necessarily. To ensure the health and safety of international travel and reduce the risk of cross-border transmission of COVID-19, the Chinese Embassy/Consulates General will decide based on a comprehensive review. Please plan your trip accordingly.

14. In the event of any inconsistency between the previously released information and this notice, this notice shall prevail.

Recently, Embassy of the People’s Republic of China in the The Kingdom of Spain,Embassy of the People’s Republic of China in the People’s Republic of Bangladesh,Embassy of the People’s Republic of China in the Arab Republic of Egypt, Embassy of the People’s Republic of China in the Republic of Poland also issued the adjustment to the relevant requirements for pre-departure testing.