U.S. Customs and Border Protection has created the Electronic Visa Update System (EVUS) to periodically collect updates of biographic and other information from certain Chinese nationals holding long-term validity visas. CBP’s goal is to identify individuals who “may pose a threat or who are otherwise inadmissible” to the United States.^[1] EVUS operates similarly to the Electronic System for Travel Authorization (ESTA) used by travelers of about 40 nations under the Visa Waiver Program.^[2]

1. Who Should Enroll?

EVUS enrollment is required for those traveling to the United States with People’s Republic of China (PRC) passports containing B1/B2, B1, or B2 visas valid for 10 years.^[3] This does not apply to travelers on Hong Kong SAR, Macau SAR, or Taiwan passports.^[4]

Some visa holders have an annotation on their visa that EVUS enrollment is required. The EVUS requirement applies even if the visa has no such annotation.^[5]

CBP has the authority to change the scope of “covered” persons^[6] who should enroll in EVUS by publishing a notice in the Federal Register.^[7]

2. When Should Travelers Enroll? What Are the Consequences of Failing to Enroll?

Initial enrollment should be completed “upon receipt” of visas issued after November 29, 2016.^[8]

Failure to complete initial enrollment timely results in automatic “provisional revocation” of the visa. However, that provisional revocation is automatically reversed upon EVUS enrollment.^[9]

CBP further recommends that travelers enroll at least 72 hours before travel.^[10] And CBP recommends that travelers with new passports enroll at least a week before travel.^[11]

In any case, enrollment should take place before boarding an aircraft or vessel destined for the United States, or before applying for admission at a land port of entry. Persons who have failed to enroll will not be able to obtain a boarding pass for a flight or enter through a land port of entry.

3. How to Enroll as an Individual?

Travelers can access EVUS at www.evus.gov. You will have the choice of “individual” or “group” enrollment.

The site will lead you through a 7-step questionnaire, the last step of which is to submit the enrollment:

Before completing the last step, you have 7 days to view and your information to ensure it is complete and correct. If you don’t complete the last step within 7 days, your draft data will be deleted.

After a traveler completes the online EVUS form, he or she will receive an electronic status message on the EVUS enrollment website stating one of the following^[12]:

• Enrolled (aka “notification of compliance”): This is a determination that the visa is valid for travel to the U.S. and has not been revoked.^[13] It is not a determination that the traveler will be admitted to the U.S. Such determination is made by a CBP officer when the traveler applies at a U.S. port of entry for admission to the U.S.^[14]

• Unsuccessful: An “unsuccessful” message may occur for reasons such as failure to provide adequate responses to EVUS questions, use of an invalid passport or visa, or “irreconcilable errors” in the data submitted.^[15] If the enrollment is “unsuccessful,” the traveler will be provided further instructions. In the meantime, the traveler’s visa will be “automatically provisionally revoked for failure to comply with EVUS.” A CBP call center should also be able to provide further assistance.
  
• The State Department has revoked your visa: The traveler will be directed to apply for a new visa, if appropriate.
  
• Pending: CBP anticipates that most cases will be pending for only 20 minutes, but some can take up to 72 hours.^[16] If a “pending” message is received, the individual should return to check the website later.

The traveler should print out or save his or her “Your Enrollment,” showing the data entered and the enrollment status.^[17]

4. How to Enroll as a Group

On the EVUS homepage, select “group of enrollments” rather than “individual” enrollment. You will be asked to designate a group contact person.

That contact person can add enrollments for each member of the group. The contact person can also check the status of all enrollments in the group.

A single $30 payment will cover the entire group of up to 50 persons.^[18]

5. What Data Does EVUS Collect?

CBP expects enrollment will take about 25 minutes.^[19] The system collects the data listed below.^[20] Some of the data fields may be pre-filled with data from the traveler’s Form DS-160, Nonimmigrant Visa Application:

Travel Document Information:

• Full name (first, middle, and last)
• Date of birth
• Do you have a 10-year U.S. visa for business or pleasure?
• B1/B2 visa foil number
• Passport number
• Passport issuing country
• Passport issuance date
• Passport expiration date
• Does the passport you are traveling with contain your visa?

Enrollee Information:

• Surname and given name in native language:
• Gender
• City and country of birth
• National identification number, if available
• Home address
• Home address in native language
• Email address
• Secondary email address
• Telephone type (home, work cell)
• Telephone number (including country code)
• Are you known by any other names or aliases?
• Are you now a citizen or national of any other country?
• Have you ever been a citizen or national of any other country?
• Have you ever been issued a passport or national identity card for travel by any other country?
• Are you a member of the CBP Global Entry Program?
• Father’s surname and given name in English and native language
• Mother’s surname and given name in English and native language
• Do you have a current or previous employer?
• Job title
• Employer name in English and native language
• Employer address
• Employer telephone (including country code)

Social Media Information:

• In 2023, CBP added fields in the EVUS enrollment form to collect social media identifiers (i.e., usernames/handles, platforms used. This data is optional. Omitting this data “will not result in denial.”^[21]

Travel Information:

• U.S. point of contract name and address
• Address while in the U.S.
• Emergency contact information in or out of the U.S.: name, email, and telephone

Eligibility Questions:

1. Do you currently have any of the following diseases (communicable diseases are specified in Section 361(b) of the Public Health Service Act)? Cholera; Diphtheria; Tuberculosis; Infectious Plague; Smallpox; Yellow Fever; Viral Hemorrhagic Fevers including: Ebola, Lassa, Marburg, Crimean Congo; Severe acute respiratory illnesses capable of transmission to other persons and likely to cause mortality
2. Have you ever been arrested or convicted for a crime that resulted in serious damage to property, or serious harm to another person or government authority?
3. Have you ever violated any law related to possessing, using, or distributing illegal drugs?
4. Do you seek to engage in or have you ever engaged in terrorist activities, espionage, sabotage, or genocide?
5. Have you ever committed fraud or misrepresented yourself or others to obtain, or assist others to obtain, a visa or entry into the United States?
6. Are you currently seeking employment in the United States or were you previously employed in the United States without prior permission from the U.S. government?
7. Have you ever been denied a U.S. visa you applied for with your current or previous passport, or have you ever been refused admission to the United States or withdrawn your application for admission at a U.S. port of entry?
8. Have you ever stayed in the United States longer than the admission period granted to you by the U.S. government?
9. Have you traveled to, or been present in Iraq, Syria, Iran, Sudan, Libya, Somalia or Yemen on or after March 1, 2011?

6. How Should Travelers Answer the Question Regarding Prior Visa Denials?

The EVUS online form asks, “Have you ever been denied a U.S. visa you applied for with your current or previous passport….?” For purposes of this question, a denial includes a notice issued by a consular officer under section 221(g) of the Immigration and Nationality Act for “administrative processing” or requesting that the applicant submit additional documents. Even if the visa was subsequently issued, the 221(g) notice technically counts as a denial. ^[22] If the answer to this question is “yes,” in the author’s experience, CBP will manually review the EVUS application within 72 hours of submission to determine whether the individual can be enrolled.

7. Can EVUS Be Filled in Chinese?

The EVUS website is available in both English and Chinese. However, the EVUS questions must be answered in English except where information in the traveler’s native language is specifically requested.^[23]

8. What’s the Fee?

EVUS enrollment was previously free.^[24] But Congress, through the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, established a $30 fee for each individual enrollment or group of enrollments beginning on Sept. 30, 2025.^[25]

Valid payment methods include MasterCard, VISA, American Express, Discover (JCB or Diners Club only), and UnionPay.^[26]

You may pay within 7 days of submitting a single enrollment or group of enrollments.^[27]

If you already have a valid, approved EVUS you do not need to re-apply. When your EVUS validity period ends and you re-enroll for an EVUS, you will be charged the enrollment fee.^[28]

9. What Customer Assistance Does CBP Provide?

Travelers can call the CBP Call Center at 1-202-325-0180. The Call Center is available 24 hours per day, 7 days per week, except for U.S. holidays, to answer questions regarding EVUS enrollments. The Call Center is staffed with Mandarin speaking operators. Travelers may also contact the Call Center by email at evus@cbp.dhs.gov.^[29]

10. When Is Re-Enrollment Required?

Enrollment is generally valid for two years. Your EVUS must be valid at the time of arrival in the U.S.

To avoid automatic “provisional revocation” of the visa, as discussed above, the best practice is to reenroll before the prior enrollment expires.

Earlier re-enrollment will be required if:

• the traveler gets a new passport^[30];
• the traveler gets a new 10-year B1, B2, or B1/B2 visa^[31]; or
• any of the following “significant changes” occur:
  • change of name
  • change of gender
  • change to country of citizenship or nationality, including becoming a dual national
  • the “circumstances underlying” previous responses to the eligibility (“yes/no”) questions have changed.^[32] This includes, for example, a visa denial, arrest, conviction, immigration-related misrepresentation, or unlawful presence in the United States.

It’s also possible that CBP may rescind the enrollment due to discovering “irreconcilable errors” in the enrollment or for other, unspecified reasons. Upon rescission, the visa will be automatically “provisionally revoked,” and CBP will attempt to notify the individual through the provided email address. The individual may try enrolling again.^[33]

To re-enroll, at the EVUS homepage (https://www.evus.gov), choose this option:

11. When Can EVUS Data Be Updated?

Besides the above situations requiring EVUS re-enrollment, the system will allow updates to the following data elements without re-enrolling^[34]:

• Primary email address
• Secondary email address
• Home telephone number
• Cell phone number
• Work phone number
• Home address
• Emergency point of contract
• Are you in transit?
• U.S. point of contract
• Address in the U.S.
• Do you have a current or previous employer?
• Employer name, address, telephone number, and title

12. How Does CBP Use EVUS Data?

CBP vets the EVUS enrollment information against selected security and law enforcement databases, including the use of TECS and the Automated Targeting System (ATS).^[35]

EVUS data is also checked against Interpol lost and stolen passport records, and the U.S. Department of State’s lost and stolen passport records and visa revocations.^[36]

EVUS data is also reviewed by CBP officers at ports of entry upon the traveler’s arrival.

13. What Are Some Best Practices for Travelers?

a. Complete initial enrollment by the deadlines set forth above and re-enroll before your enrollment expires to avoid any period that your visa is “provisionally revoked.”

b. Be sure to provide truthful and accurate information in EVUS. Willful misrepresentations could make you permanently ineligible for visas or other immigration benefits.^[37]

c. Print or save a copy of the EVUS “Your Enrollment” for your personal records and carry it with you when boarding a flight to the U.S. or otherwise entering the country.

d. At least 72 hours before travel—preferably earlier—recheck your EVUS enrollment status at www.evus.gov.

e. If you have any questions or concerns, consult with a qualified U.S. immigration attorney.

14. What Are Some Best Practices for Immigration Lawyers?

a. Lawyers and other third parties can help with individual or group EVUS enrollments, check EVUS status, and review and update applications.^[38] At a minimum, arrange to review clients’ draft EVUS data before it is submitted.

b. Prior to enrolling a client in EVUS, consider submitting a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request to CBP to get copies of previously submitted EVUS enrollments.^[39] And consider requesting from the State Department prior Forms DS-160, Nonimmigrant Visa Applications.^[40]

c. You now have at least three dates to add to your firm calendar for a client subject to EVUS: (a) visa expiration date; (b) passport expiration date; and (c) EVUS enrollment expiration date.

d. Where appropriate, assist clients who experience EVUS-related problems to use the DHS Traveler Redress Inquiry Program (TRIP).^[41]

15. Unanswered Questions

a. A visa will be “provisionally revoked” for failure to timely complete initial EVUS enrollment^[42] or re-enroll before their prior enrollment expires.^[43] That determination will be “automatically reversed” upon compliance with EVUS.^[44] The U.S. Department of State’s Forms DS-160, Nonimmigrant Visa Application, and DS-260, Online Immigrant Visa and Alien Registration Application ask: “Has your U.S. Visa ever been cancelled or revoked?” Must a person whose visa has been “provisionally revoked” answer “yes”? ^[45] What if the revocation was later reversed?^[46] It’s not clear. The State Department says that persons whose visas are provisionally revoked do not need to indicate on a subsequent visa application form that they had a visa revoked.^[47] But the Department also states that failure to disclose the provisional revocation may be considered a material misrepresentation.^[48]

b. Covered persons must complete initial enrollment “upon” visa issuance.^[49] How soon after visa issuance must enrollment be completed to avoid “provisional revocation” of the visa under 8 C.F.R. § 215.24(g)(1)?^[50] This is not yet clear.

c. EVUS enrollment is generally valid for two years.^[51] If the enrollment expires without being renewed, the visa is “provisionally revoked.”^[52] A noncitizen present in the U.S. whose visa has been revoked is deportable.^[53] Will provisional revocation render a person deportable?^[54] This is not yet clear.^[55]

d. CPB has the authority to rescind an individual’s EVUS enrollment due to discovering “irreconcilable errors” or due to “other circumstances,” in which case the individual’s visa will be automatically provisionally revoked.^[56] In what situations does CBP foresee using this authority? This is not yet clear.

e. Does CBP foresee using its authority^[57] to designate other nationalities and/or other visa categories as covered by EVUS? This is not yet clear.

f. While CPB states that third parties can assist with EVUS enrollment, EVUS includes this certification: “I, the enrollee, hereby certify that I have read, or have had read to me, all the questions and statements on this enrollment. I also understand all the questions and statements on this enrollment. The answers and information I have provided in this enrollment are true and correct to the best of my knowledge and belief.” Must the enrollee personally tick the checkbox for this certification?

Footnotes:

1. DHS, Privacy Impact Assessment for the Electronic Visa Update System (EVUS) 1, DHS/CBP/PIA-033 (Aug. 25, 2016), https://www.dhs.gov/sites/default/files/publications/privacy-pia-cbp-evus-august2016.pdf (hereinafter, “Privacy Impact Assessment”). See also CBP, Establishment of the Electronic Visa Update System (EVUS), 81 Fed. Reg. 72481, 72482 (Oct. 20, 2016). ↑
   
2. Written testimony of CBP Deputy Commissioner Kevin McAleenan for a Senate Committee on Appropriations, Subcommittee on Homeland Security hearing titled “FY 2017 Budget Request for U.S. Customs and Border Protection & U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement” (Mar. 8, 2016). ↑
   

3. CBP, Notice: Electronic Visa Update System (EVUS) Requirements: Identification of the People’s Republic of China (PRC) as an EVUS Country and Designation of Maximum Validity B-1, B-2, and B-1/B-2 Visas as Designated Visa Categories, 81 Fed. Reg. 72600 (Oct. 20, 2016). This includes visas issued for more than nine years and all replacement visas issued to correct errors in the original visa, as designated visa categories when the visas are contained in a passport issued by the PRC. Id. ↑

   
   

4. CBP, Electronic Visa Update System (EVUS) Frequently Asked Questions (Nov. 24, 2016), https://www.cbp.gov/travel/international-visitors/electronic-visa-update-system-evus/frequently-asked-questions (hereinafter, “CBP EVUS FAQ I”). Confusingly, the EVUS website has a separate article with a similar title: CBP, Frequently Asked Questions, http://www.evus.gov/evus/#/faq (hereinafter, “CBP EVUS FAQ II”). ↑

   
   

5. Id. See AILA, Comments on DOS EVUS Final Rule (Dec. 19, 2016), AILA Doc. No. 16121949 (recommending that such an annotation always be used to notify visa holders about the EVUS requirement). ↑

   
   

6. 8 C.F.R. § 215.23(a) (defining the term “covered alien”). ↑

   
   

7. 8 C.F.R. § 215.22. ↑

   
   

8. 8 C.F.R. § 215.24(c)(1)(ii). ↑

   
   

9. 8 C.F.R. § 214.24(g), (h); 22 C.F.R. § 41.122(b)(3). ↑

   
   

10. CBP EVUS FAQ I. ↑

    
    

11. Id. ↑

    
    

12. 81 Fed. Reg. at 72483. ↑

    
    

13. 8 C.F.R. § 215.23(d). ↑

    
    

14. 8 C.F.R. § 215.23(f). ↑

    
    

15. 81 Fed. Reg. at 72483. ↑

    
    

16. Privacy Impact Assessment, supra, at 2. ↑

    
    

17. See Sample EVUS Enrollment (Nov. 16, 2016), https://lawandborder.com/sample-evus-enrollment/. ↑

    
    

18. CBP EVUS FAQ II, supra. ↑

    
    

19. 81 Fed. Reg. at 72488. ↑

    
    

20. No photograph or fingerprints are required. CBP EVUS FAQ I. ↑

    
    

21. CBP, Notice of a Modified System of Records, 88 Fed. Reg. 41648, 41659 (June 27, 2023). ↑

    
    

22. See AILA, CBP Practice Pointer: Don’t Risk a Misrepresentation Finding, AILA Doc. No. 12060442 (Feb. 11, 2013) (describing how to answer a similar question in the context of completion of the Electronic System for Travel Authorization by travelers under the visa waiver program). See also Kelly McCown, William Coffman, and Michael R. Jarecki, Selected Changes in B-1, B-2, and Visa Waiver Program Travel, in Immigration Practice Pointers 289, 292-295 (2011-12 ed.) ↑

    
    

23. CBP EVUS FAQ I. Curiously, CBP says its website is written in “Mandarin Chinese.” Although “Mandarin” is a spoken dialect of Chinese (as are Cantonese, Shanghainese, etc.), there is no such thing as a “Mandarin” written language. Probably, CBP means that their website is written in simplified Chinese characters as used in mainland China, not traditional characters as used in Hong Kong, Macau, and Taiwan. ↑

    
    

24. CBP Launches the Electronic Visa Update System for Early Enrollments (Oct. 31, 2016), https://www.cbp.gov/newsroom/national-media-release/cbp-launches-electronic-visa-update-system-early-enrollments. ↑

    
    

25. Big Beautiful Bill Act, § 100015, Pub. L. No. 118-123, 138 Stat. 456, 789 (2025), available at https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/house-bill/1/text. ↑

    
    

26. CBP EVUS FAQ II, supra. ↑

    
    

27. CBP EVUS FAQ II, supra. ↑

    
    

28. CBP EVUS FAQ II, supra. ↑

    
    

29. CBP EVUS FAQ I, supra. ↑

    
    

30. 8 C.F.R. §§ 215.24(b)(2), (e). If the traveler has a valid visa in an expired passport, they may travel to the U.S. with both the expired and the new passports. The new passport should be listed as the primary passport in EVUS. CBP EVUS FAQ II. ↑

    
    

31. 8 C.F.R. §§ 215.24(b)(2), (e). ↑

    
    

32. 8 C.F.R. § 215.24(e). ↑

    
    

33. 8 C.F.R. § 215.24(g)(4). ↑

    
    

34. At the port of entry, CBP officers can also make the same limited changes that enrollees can make. Privacy Impact Assessment, supra, at 21. ↑

    
    

35. Id. at 10; See 81 Fed. Reg. at 72485. ↑

    
    

36. Privacy Impact Assessment, supra, at 11; See 81 Fed. Reg. at 72485. ↑

    
    

37. See INA § 212(a)(6)(C)(i) (ground of inadmissibility for misrepresentation). ↑

    
    

38. CBP EVUS FAQ II. Of course, travelers remain responsible for the truthfulness and accuracy of all information submitted on their behalf. 81 Fed. Reg. at 72483. ↑

    
    

39. CBP will generally retain EVUS data for 15 years. Privacy Impact Assessment, supra, at 4-5. ↑

    
    

40. See 9 FAM 603.2-8 (on releasing visa records or information to visa applicants). ↑

    
    

41. DHS Traveler Redress Inquiry Program (DHS TRIP) (Oct. 20, 2016), https://www.dhs.gov/dhs-trip. ↑

    
    

42. 8 C.F.R. § 215.24(g)(1). ↑

    
    

43. 8 C.F.R. § 215.24(g)(2). ↑

    
    

44. 22 C.F.R. § 41.122(b)(3). ↑

    
    

45. See AILA, Comments on DOS EVUS Final Rule (Dec. 19, 2016), AILA Doc. No. 16121949 (hereinafter, “AILA Comments”) (expressing concern that failure to answer “yes” could lead to charges of inadmissibility due to misrepresentation). ↑

    
    

46. In an analogous situation, individuals whose visas were provisionally revoked under Executive Order 13769, Protecting the Nation from Terrorist Attacks by Foreign Nationals, 82 Fed. Reg. 8977 (Jan. 27, 2017), but then reinstated as a result of a temporary restraining order in Washington v. Trump, No. C17-0141 (W.D. Wash.), are “not required to indicate on future applications that they have had a visa revoked.” AILA, DOS Q&As on Visa Revocations Following Trump’s Travel Ban (Feb. 27, 2017), AILA Doc. No. 17022734. ↑

    
    

47. AILA/DOS Liaison Meeting Agenda 17 (Spring 2017), AILA Doc. No. 17041234. ↑

    
    

48. Id. ↑

    
    

49. 8 C.F.R. § 215.24(c)(1)(ii). ↑

    
    

50. See AILA Comments, supra (suggesting a 14-day window to complete EVUS enrollment after the visa is issued or that the government automatically enroll individuals in EVUS up on visa issuance). ↑

    
    

51. 8 C.F.R. § 215.24(b). ↑

    
    

52. 8 C.F.R. §.215.24(g)(2); 22 C.F.R. §.41.122(b)(3). ↑

    
    

53. INA § 221(i). ↑

    
    

54. See AILA Comments, supra (expressing concern about this issue). ↑

    
    

55. AILA/DOS Liaison Meeting Agenda 16 (Spring 2017), AILA Doc. No. 17041234. ↑

    
    

56. 8 C.F.R. § 214.24(g)(4). ↑

    
    

57. See 8 C.F.R. § 215.23(c). ↑