Overseas Chinese communities report a sharp tightening of passport renewal services at Chinese diplomatic missions, with the San Francisco Consulate General refusing applications and directing applicants to return to China for processing. The accounts, circulating widely on social media and confirmed by intermediaries and local observers, coincide with newly published exit-entry rules taking effect on September 15, 2026, and separate reports of domestic authorities pressing citizens abroad to come home.
Refusals at the San Francisco Consulate
A California-based Chinese national posting as Bailey stated on X that her mother’s friend, a retired state-owned enterprise employee with no known sensitive background, was turned away when seeking to renew her Chinese passport. Consular staff told her the renewal could not be handled abroad and that she must return in person to her household registration location in China to apply through the exit-entry administration.
Intermediaries handling visa and passport work have described a broader pattern. One long-time consultant, Liu Anqi, told New Tang Dynasty Television that refusals have expanded rapidly in recent months. Previously limited mainly to applicants from certain sensitive regions, the restrictions now affect a large majority of cases in her experience. Applicants who entered the United States irregularly (“走线”) or who have sought political asylum are frequently told they do not meet renewal requirements. Consular staff have offered one-time travel permits for return to China instead of new passports.
People of Xinjiang origin are also widely reported to face near-total rejection of renewal requests. Even some holders of U.S. permanent residency (green cards) have encountered obstacles. In one case described by Liu, staff immediately noted an “AS6” code on a green card—indicating asylum-based status—and demanded extensive additional materials. Questions focused on the original asylum claim, including details of alleged religious or other persecution and whether the claim had been made primarily to obtain work authorization.
Empty Queues and Community Reaction
Media commentator Allen Zeng posted photographs and observations from outside the San Francisco Consulate in mid-August 2026. On August 17 and 19 he noted the near-total absence of the long dual lines that had previously formed daily—one for visa applications and one for passport pickup. On August 21 he relayed a local resident’s account that two weeks earlier more than 60 people were typically waiting by 9:30 a.m. The metal queue barriers remained in place, but the applicants had largely disappeared. Fang attributed the change to fear generated by the impending new exit-entry rules.
Legal Risks for Asylum Holders
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