American Citizens Services
June 2009 American Citizens Services Newsletter
U.S. Consulate General Hong Kong and Macau
Welcome to the June newsletter! Here are this month's topics:
New Topics:
- Planned Consular Services on Macau Day
- Summer Hints for Easier Passport Services
- H1N1 Precautions
Continuing Topics of Interest:
- Upcoming Closures
- Subscribing/Unsubscribing
PLANNED CONSULAR SERVICES ON MACAU DAY
On Wednesday, June 24, 2009, our staff will travel to Macau to provide limited consular services for American Citizens. Services to be offered during this visit include notarials (US$30 for each signature of the consular officer), passport processing (US$75, US$85, or US$100 depending on age and type), birth registration (US$65 for each child), and adding additional visa pages. Please note that we will only be able to accept credit cards as payment – no cash transactions will be permitted. Customers may pay using MasterCard, Visa, American Express, Diners Club or Discover card. Customers must present their card at the time of payment and the person whose name is listed on the card must be present to sign the payment slip. All charges will be in U.S. dollars.
Provided your passport is in good condition, the American Citizens Services unit will also process requests for additional passport pages. In order to have additional pages inserted in your passport in Macau, you must complete and sign the application form (DS-4085) in full and scan and email it or fax it to our office no later than Friday, June 19. The form is available at https://pptform.state.gov/?Submit=COMPLETE+FORM+DS-4085+ONLINE. In addition, please send a copy of the biographic page of your passport (the page with your photo) with the application. Our email address is acshk@state.gov and our fax number is (852) 2845-4845. Bring the completed application form with your passport to Macau Day, where the additional pages will be added. If we are unable to provide this service to you in Macau, we will notify you in advance of Macau Day and ask you to come to the Consulate General in Hong Kong.
Services will be available from 12:00 noon to 2:00 p.m. at the Academy of Music (see map - PDF format)*, located at Rua de Santa Clara, No. 19, 2/F, adjacent to City Hall and near Catholic Social Services. Individuals who are physically challenged and/or require special arrangements to access this location may call (852) 2841-2211, 2841-2323 or 2841-2225 in advance to facilitate access.
To enable us to best assist you in Macau:
- Please check our website for information on what specific identification, forms and supporting documents are required for each service. Download the appropriate forms and bring them with you.
- Please present your U.S. passport for all services.
- Please bring the original and one photocopy of each piece of identification and/or supporting document (such as passports, birth certificates, marriage and divorce certificates, Macau ID cards, etc.).
If you need a service not listed above, please contact us in advance at (852) 2841-2211, 2841-2323, or 2841-2225. We may be able to bring with us what you need for that service.
SUMMER TRAVEL HINTS
- Check your passport's expiration date. Some countries in the region including China, the Philippines, and Indonesia require that a U.S. passport be valid for at least six months for visa issuance or visa-free entry. For further details about visa and entry and exit requirements of countries in the region please go to the International Travel section of the travel.state.gov website or check with the airline or your travel agent.
- Children's Passports. Check the expiration date of your child's passport – remember that passports for children under 16 are only valid for 5 years.
- Make an appointment early for passport services. All non-emergency consular services require an appointment. You can make an appointment online through our website: http://hongkong.usconsulate.gov/acs_appointment.html. It typically takes 7- 10 working days from the time you apply to receive a full validity passport. There is a high level of demand for appointment slots in the days and weeks before a holiday and during the summer school holiday.
- Avoiding a long wait or don't come in at all. Avoid scheduling your appointment on Mondays or the days immediately before or after a holiday when wait times are longest. If you are just adding pages or renewing a passport that has expired within the last year, you can download your application from our website, complete it and send it to the Consulate with a courier.
- Check the website. You can find the answer to many common questions, as well as useful forms and instructions, on the Consulate website at http://hongkong.usconsulate.gov.
H1N1 PRECAUTIONS
In light of the current H1N1 Influenza A outbreak, the U.S. Consulate General Hong Kong's Consular Section is taking every precaution to protect the health and safety of all of our customers. We will continue to provide regular ACS services as normal, but request that you reschedule your appointment if you or any of your immediate family members are experiencing flu symptoms. If you have printed your appointment confirmation, you can cancel and reschedule your appointment on line at https://evisaforms.state.gov/acs/make_cancel_main.asp. If you have misplaced your confirmation, please contact us either by telephone at 852-2841-2211 or via email at acshk@state.gov to reschedule your appointment. For the health and safety of all of our customers, we reserve the right to refuse anyone entry to the Consular Section if we observe that a visitor exhibits flu-like symptoms. Thank you for your cooperation and understanding.
UPCOMING CLOSURES
The Consulate General has no scheduled holidays or other closures in June.
SUBSCRIBING/UNSUBSCRIBING
If you wish to subscribe or unsubscribe from this newsletter, please do so by going to our web page at http://hongkong.usconsulate.gov/acs_subscribe_newsletter.html.
New subscribers will be sent the last few messages we have sent out in a digest form to help them catch up. Back issues are on the web at http://hongkong.usconsulate.gov/acs_newsletter.html.
*(To view and print PDF files, please download the FREE Adobe Reader.)
This newsletter is published by the American Citizens Services Unit, U.S. Consulate General Hong Kong and Macau. Tel: 2841-2211, 2841-2323, 2841-2225; fax: 2845-4845; e-mail: acshk@state.gov; website: http://hongkong.usconsulate.gov. All services are by online appointment only.
Last modified: June 1, 2009
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