Quick answer: every Chinese visa office in the United States — Washington, New York, Chicago, San Francisco and Los Angeles — is closed Thursday, October 1 through Monday, October 5, 2026 for China's National Day holiday. Separately, the embassy's visa office in Washington is closed Wednesday to Friday, September 23–25 — confirmed by an embassy notice posted September 21, the same days as the Chinese President's state visit. If you travel before about mid-October and your passport is not already at the consulate, the week of September 21 is the week to ship it.
What is closing, and when
Washington, D.C. — September 23–25 (confirmed). The embassy's visa office posted a notice on September 21 that it will close September 23 to 25, citing internal operational needs. Our Washington courier had flagged the closure on September 17; the dates match. Plan on it.
All five offices — October 1–5 (confirmed). Thursday, October 1 through Monday, October 5, for National Day. The 3rd and 4th fall on a weekend, so the offices lose three business days. Posted by Washington, New York, Chicago, San Francisco and Los Angeles; Chicago repeated it in a fresh notice dated September 19.
Washington, Chicago, San Francisco, Los Angeles — Monday, October 12 (confirmed). Columbus Day. New York stays open that day, and on November 11; the other four close both. All five close November 26–27 and December 25. The full year is in our 2026 consulate holiday schedule.
Why
China's President Xi Jinping is paying a state visit to the United States from September 23 to 25, 2026 (Foreign Ministry announcement, September 21), with the White House visit on September 24 (The Hill). The visa office's own notice cites internal operational needs; the closure dates coincide with the visit. That is the whole story as far as your application is concerned; nothing about the visit changes what the consulate asks for.
October 1 is China's National Day, and the offices in the U.S. observe the Golden Week holiday every year. It is on every office's posted 2026 schedule.
Who this affects
September 23–25: anyone whose application goes through the Washington embassy. That jurisdiction covers Alabama, Arkansas, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Mississippi, North Carolina, Oklahoma, Puerto Rico, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia, West Virginia and the District of Columbia. Not sure which office is yours? Find your consulate by state.
October 1–5: everyone, at every office.
The people at real risk: travelers leaving before roughly October 16 whose passport is not already sitting at the consulate. Everyone else has time.
The submission cutoffs
The consulates state their own processing: four business days for Regular service and three for Rush, counting the day of submission. Closure days do not count. To have a passport collected before Golden Week — that is, by Wednesday, September 30 — these are the last submission days by our count:
Regular: submitted by Friday, September 25 at New York, Chicago, San Francisco and Los Angeles. At Washington, by Tuesday, September 22, because of the September 23–25 closure.
Rush: submitted by Monday, September 28 at every office, Washington included (it reopens that day).
Anything submitted after those days is collected Tuesday, October 6 at the earliest; a Regular application submitted in the last days of September comes back October 7–9.
Two caveats. These are our counts from the consulates' stated timelines, and the consulates control processing; a day either way happens. And COVA's online preliminary review is done by the same visa offices, so it may pause while they are closed — we have not yet measured a review across a closure, so plan for the pause rather than around it. Our measured review times are on the China visa processing-time page.
One thing that makes this easier: our online quote now counts these closures when it estimates your return date, so the date you see already allows for them — including Washington’s September 23–25 and New York staying open on October 12. It is an estimate, not a promise; the consulate sets processing times.
Los Angeles: slower than usual on Regular (reported)
Our Los Angeles courier reports, as of September 18, that the consulate is running slower than usual on Regular service. Nothing is posted about it. If you apply through Los Angeles and your date is close, Rush is the safer choice — and he stresses the point that matters most: the processing speed cannot be changed once a passport is submitted. Decide Regular or Rush before it goes in.
What to do
If you travel before about October 16: get your passport shipped and submitted next week. Do not wait for the embassy's notice.
Rush only helps if it gets the passport submitted and collected before September 30. Rush shortens the consulate's count; it cannot buy back days the office is shut. Paying for Rush on a passport that arrives at a closed office does nothing.
Decide the speed before submission. It is fixed once the passport is in.
If your date is close, call us: (708) 360-7277. Tell us where you live and when you fly, and we will tell you whether the timing works at your office, which office that is, and what to send. That is a five-minute conversation, and it is the one to have now rather than on September 29.
If your dates are comfortable — travel in late October or later — you can start your application online and it will route to the right office automatically.
Where we fit in
We coordinate the courier run to the consulate in your jurisdiction and file every business day the offices are open, which is why we hear about closures like Washington's before they are posted. Two things we can do and one we cannot: we can get an application submitted on the last open day, we can tell you honestly whether a date is reachable, and we cannot make a closed office process anything. Have a look at how the China visa service works, or what to bring if you are going to the consulate yourself.
Get My Passports is a private company that provides passport and visa application assistance and courier coordination services where available. We are not affiliated with or endorsed by any government agency. Government authorities make all approval decisions and control official processing times. Our service fees are separate from government fees.
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