Chinese citizens in Africa do not need to go back to China to renew or replace an ordinary passport. You apply to the Chinese embassy or consulate in your country through the China Consular app (中国领事). Since 29 January 2022 all ordinary passport and travel document applications abroad can be made in the app; people with urgent needs, or who genuinely cannot use the app, can contact the embassy for an in-person “green channel” [1]. At the Chinese Embassy in South Africa, for example, a renewed or replacement passport takes about 10 working days from acceptance and a travel document (旅行证) usually 4 working days [2].
You cannot send your passport home for relatives to renew it, and the passport must stay with its holder: if you are abroad, apply to the Chinese mission there [1]. Overseas Chinese citizens may apply at any Chinese embassy or consulate [2], though the mission covering where you live is usually the most convenient.
When you can renew, replace or get a travel document
| Service | When it applies |
|---|---|
| Passport renewal | The passport has expired or has less than one year left; visa pages are nearly full; your appearance has changed a lot. If more than a year is left but you need a new passport early for a local residence permit, visa extension or work permit, you can apply with an explanation [5] |
| Passport replacement | The passport was lost, stolen or damaged, and you can wait for a new one to be made [2] |
| Travel document (旅行证) | A short-term traveller’s passport is lost, stolen, damaged or expired and they need to return to China urgently; or an emergency leaves no time to apply for a passport [2] |
Renew when less than a year is left. Under international practice you normally need at least six months’ validity to cross borders, or an airline may refuse to board you or you may be refused entry [6].
Applying in the China Consular app
- Download and register: get the app from the Apple App Store, Tencent MyApp, Xiaomi or Huawei app stores. Register with an email address or a Chinese mobile number, then verify your identity with your Chinese ID card number or ordinary passport number [1].
- Choose the service: if you live, study or work locally, choose “护照旅行证” (passport and travel document). The “应急旅行证” (emergency travel document) module is only for short-term travellers who lost their passport and must return urgently [1]. Then choose the embassy or consulate.
- Fill in and upload: complete your personal details, sign the declarations online, and upload your photo, the data page of your current passport and other documents [1].
- Face recognition: if it fails you can skip it, but you will then need a video interview or an interview at the mission [1].
- Submit and pay: payment methods differ. The embassy in South Africa takes only card payments and bank transfers, not cash or cheques [2]. The embassy in Tanzania sends an SMS with a CONTROL NUMBER on the day it accepts your application, which you pay at an NMB bank branch or by mobile money such as M-Pesa [5].
- Visit the mission: when your order shows you can come in, bring your old passport, hand in your documents and give fingerprints [3][5]. If you genuinely cannot attend, explain why in the app and the embassy will decide [3].
- Collect: when the app shows the new document is ready, collect it in person or choose delivery by post [1].
Documents and photos
- Your current passport and a copy (for a replacement, a copy of the old passport if you have one) [4].
- Two 2-inch photos on a white background, meeting the e-passport photo specifications. You upload a digital photo in the app; whether you also need paper prints depends on the upload [4].
- Replacement: a written statement on how the passport was lost or stolen; if damaged, the damaged passport [4].
- Under 16: one parent or legal guardian must attend or join the video interview, with their own ID and proof of guardianship (birth certificate, household register, etc.) [2][4].
The embassy may ask for more documents in individual cases. Follow the notice on your mission’s website [4].
Processing times and fees
| Mission | Service | Processing time | Fee |
|---|---|---|---|
| Embassy in South Africa (June 2026 notice) | Passport renewal or replacement | 10 working days from acceptance | R250 |
| Embassy in South Africa (June 2026 notice) | Travel document | Usually 4 working days; express service on request in special cases | R250 (excluding express fee) |
| Embassy in Tanzania (from July 2019) | Ordinary passport, travel document | Not published | RMB 120 each, charged as TZS 40,000 |
According to the embassy in Tanzania, the fee for an ordinary passport or travel document fell from RMB 160 to RMB 120 from 1 July 2019, and missions charge the equivalent in local currency [7]. For other countries, check the fees and times published by your embassy or consulate.
If your passport is lost or stolen
- Report it to the local police straight away and keep the police record [6].
- If you have time, apply for a replacement passport in the app. If you need to return to China urgently, apply for a travel document [1][2].
- Prepare a written statement on the loss or theft, and photos [4].
- Once a replacement application is accepted, the old passport is cancelled. It cannot be used even if found, and visas in it become invalid; travelling on a cancelled passport can lead to refused entry or fines [1][2]. The embassy in Tanzania says that if you find the passport while your app order is still at “初审中” (initial review), you can cancel the order and keep using it [5].
- Do not falsely report a passport lost in order to get a travel document, and do not apply for one because your passport is at another country’s embassy for a visa [6].
Your passport number changes with a new passport. Whether foreign visas and residence permits in the old passport stay valid depends on the country, so ask the local immigration department [1]. For local residence and work permit rules, see country pages such as South Africa visas and work permits and Kenya visas and work permits.
If you need to travel urgently
- Passport expired or lost and you must go back to China: explain the situation to your embassy or consulate and apply for a travel document to return; renew your passport in China [1].
- Lost on a trip to another country: apply for a travel document at the Chinese mission in that country, or for a replacement passport if you can wait [1].
- Funerals, medical treatment or visiting a critically ill relative: you can apply for urgent processing with supporting documents [6].
- Before using the green channel, contact the mission by phone or email [2].
- Before using a travel document to go anywhere other than China, check with the mission and the destination country.
Keep photos of your passport data page and visa pages in your own email, and carry a few paper photos; it makes a replacement much faster [8]. For more checklists, see Africa Essentials. If your passport is taken in a robbery or you face another emergency, see Consular protection and the 12308 hotline.
References
- Applying for passports and travel documents (China Consular Service Network, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, 2026)
- Chinese Embassy in South Africa: notice on ordinary passports and travel documents (Chinese Embassy in South Africa, June 2026 update)
- How to use the China Consular app (Chinese Embassy in South Africa, July 2026)
- Checklist of documents for ordinary passports and travel documents (Chinese Embassy in South Africa, August 2026)
- Passport and travel document services (updated June 2026) (Chinese Embassy in Tanzania, May 2026)
- Chinese Embassy in Tanzania: keep your travel documents safe (Chinese Embassy in Tanzania, January 2026)
- Chinese Embassy in Tanzania: reduced fees for ordinary passports and travel documents (Chinese Embassy in Tanzania, June 2019)
- Guide to China’s Consular Protection and Assistance (September 2023) (MFA Consular Protection Center, 2023)