The Consulate-General of the People’s Republic of China in Chicago issued a notice at 05:50 CST on 25 June stating that its consular document hall will be closed to the public on Wednesday, 3 July 2026 due to the US Independence Day long weekend. All visa, passport and legalisation services will pause for one business day and resume Thursday, 4 July. Applicants with urgent travel plans are advised to collect documents or submit expedited visa requests before 28 June, as normal four-business-day processing will be pushed into the following week. Courier pick-ups arranged via FedEx and UPS will also be suspended on 3 July. For corporates relocating staff to China or arranging last-minute business trips, the closure tightens already busy summer appointment calendars at US Chinese Visa Application Service Centres (CVASCs). Mobility teams should review upcoming assignment start dates and, where possible, redirect filings to New York or Los Angeles centres, which maintain limited holiday hours. The brief shutdown underscores the importance of monitoring local consulate holiday schedules—even when China itself is open—to avoid inadvertent overstays of US employees awaiting passport returns. Consulate officials emphasise that emergency travel documents for Chinese citizens will still be handled via the duty hotline.
