Chinese telecode
DS-160 Telecode for Chinese Names
Some Chinese applicants encounter DS-160 telecode questions tied to Chinese-character names. The important input is the applicant's actual Chinese name, not the romanized passport spelling alone.
What telecode depends on
Telecode is a numeric representation associated with Chinese characters. If the applicant has a Chinese-character name and the form asks for telecode, the answer should be based on the Chinese characters, not guessed from pinyin.
The applicant should confirm the surname and given name characters before form filling begins. Missing characters or simplified/traditional mismatches should be resolved by the applicant.
Name facts to prepare
Prepare name data in both passport and Chinese-character forms.
- Passport surname and given names
- Chinese surname characters
- Chinese given-name characters
- Any prior spelling or name-change context
- Applicant confirmation of the final character form
How VisaPod uses the name data
VisaPod can help generate telecode values when the required Chinese characters are present. If the characters are missing or ambiguous, the correct behavior is to ask for confirmation, not guess.