China Civil Documents · Updated May 2026

Chinese Names and Pinyin on U.S. Immigration Forms: Surname Order, English Names, and Telecode

Your Chinese passport already decides this. It prints your name in pinyin, surname first, with the given name as one word. The job on every U.S. form is to copy that, field for field, and to know where your English name and any other spelling belong.

Quick answer

Match your PRC passport exactly. Put your pinyin surname (family name) in the surname field and your pinyin given name (written as one word, no space, no hyphen) in the given-name field, even though the passport prints the surname first. If you use an English name that is not printed on your passport, do not put it in the name fields; list it under “Other names used.” On the DS-260, answer “Yes” to the Chinese-character name question and provide the four-digit telecode for each character. Make sure the pinyin on your notarial certificates matches the passport. All mainland-China immigrant visa interviews happen at the U.S. Consulate General Guangzhou.

At a glance

Topic	Details
Whose order wins	Your PRC passport. It prints your name in pinyin with the surname (family name) FIRST, then the given name. Copy it field for field onto U.S. forms: pinyin surname in the surname field, pinyin given name in the given-name field. Do not reorder it yourself.
Given name, one word	A two-character given name is written as one pinyin word with no space and no hyphen (Xiaoming, not Xiao Ming or Xiao-Ming). Match exactly what the passport shows. The surname and given name are two words; the syllables inside the given name are joined.
Your English name (Bruce, Cindy)	If you adopted an English name that is not printed on your passport, it is NOT your legal name for the forms. Enter the pinyin passport name in the name fields and list the English name under 'Other names used.'
Telecode (DS-260)	Consular processing applicants answer 'Yes' to the Chinese-character name question, type the name in Chinese characters, and provide the four-digit Chinese Commercial / Telegraph Code (telecode) for each character. Look it up with a free telecode tool. Surname and given-name codes are entered separately.
Hong Kong / Taiwan spellings	Hong Kong passports often use a Cantonese romanization (Chan, Wong, Cheung) and Taiwan documents may use Wade-Giles (Hsiao, Chiang). These are valid; use whatever your current passport shows as the authoritative spelling and list mainland-pinyin or other variants under 'Other names used.'
Matching the notarial certificate	The pinyin on your notarial birth, marriage, and police certificates must match the pinyin on your passport. A mismatch is a common National Visa Center query. Ask the notary office to align the booklet to the passport spelling before filing.
Interview post	All mainland-China immigrant visa interviews happen at the U.S. Consulate General Guangzhou, which reviews names against the passport and notarial certificates together.

Document and interview details verified May 2026 against the U.S. Department of State China reciprocity page. Verify directly before relying on them.

What to do, in order

1
Open your Chinese passport to the photo page and copy your name exactly as printed there. Mainland PRC passports print the name in pinyin with the surname (family name) first, then the given name with no space inside it (example: WANG XIAOMING, where WANG is the surname and XIAOMING is the one given-name word).
2
On the DS-260 or USCIS form, put the pinyin surname in the 'Surnames / Family Name' field and the pinyin given name in the 'Given Names / First Name' field. Do not flip them to Western order yourself; match the passport, field for field.
3
If you use a self-chosen English name (Bruce, Cindy, Kevin) that is NOT printed on your passport, do not put it in the name fields. Enter it under 'Other names used' instead, so the name fields stay identical to your passport.
4
On the DS-260, answer 'Yes' to the Chinese-character name question, type your name in Chinese characters in the native-alphabet box, and look up the four-digit telegraph code (telecode) for each character. The form asks for the telecode of your surname and given name separately.
5
Make sure the pinyin on your notarial certificates (birth, marriage, police) matches the pinyin on your passport letter for letter. If a notary office spelled it differently, ask them to correct the booklet to match the passport before you submit.
6
If any document shows a different romanization (an older Wade-Giles spelling, a Hong Kong Cantonese spelling, or a misspelled pinyin), write a short explanation letter, and add a one-and-the-same-person affidavit if the spellings are genuinely different words (see the templates below). Submit them in your initial package, not after an RFE.

Templates you can copy

Explanation letter (sample)

To the U.S. immigration officer: The documents in this application show my name in more than one Latin-alphabet form. They all refer to one and the same person, [PINYIN NAME EXACTLY AS ON PASSPORT], Chinese passport number [NUMBER]. Document | Name shown | Reason it differs PRC passport | [pinyin name] | Legal / authoritative spelling Notarial birth certificate | [name shown] | Notary office romanization Other record | [name shown] | Older Wade-Giles / Cantonese spelling / English name I use I confirm all of the above refer to me. Sincerely, [name], [date].

One-and-the-same-person affidavit (sample)

I, [pinyin name as on passport], holder of PRC passport number [NUMBER], born [date] in [city], solemnly affirm that the names [list each variant] appearing on the following documents [list documents] all refer to one and the same person, namely me. The differences are differences of romanization, not a change of legal identity. Signed: [name]. Date: [date]. [Have it notarized; in China a notary public office can issue a notarial declaration to this effect.]

These are sample wording to adapt to your own documents. A genuine legal name change, or a name mismatch on a petition that has already been filed, is a question to raise with an immigration attorney rather than paper over.

Which situation are you in?

The right move depends on whether you are dealing with a clean passport name, an English nickname, a romanization difference, or a real legal name change. Find your row and follow the action.

If: Your passport pinyin and your notarial-certificate pinyin match, and you only have one English name on your passport

Then: Nothing extra. Enter the passport name field for field, surname first, and move on.

If: You use an English first name (Bruce, Cindy) that is not on your passport

Then: Keep the name fields identical to the passport (pinyin only). Put the English name under 'Other names used.' No affidavit needed for a nickname.

If: Two documents show different romanizations of the same name (older Wade-Giles, a Hong Kong Cantonese spelling, or a notary typo)

Then: Use the current passport spelling as authoritative, list the variant under 'Other names used,' and include an explanation letter. Add a one-and-the-same-person affidavit if the variant is a genuinely different spelling, not just a tone mark or hyphen.

If: Your legal name actually changed (a court or household-registration name change, not a romanization difference)

Then: This is a different path: gather the official name-change record (a notarial certificate of name change from the notary office), not just an affidavit. List both names and submit the record.

How your passport name maps onto the form fields

The PRC passport romanizes your name into pinyin and prints the surname first. That pinyin is the legal Latin-script name USCIS, the National Visa Center, and the Guangzhou consulate work from. Here is how each common situation maps to the surname and given-name fields.

Mainland PRC passport (pinyin)

Pattern: SURNAME first, then GIVEN NAME as a single word, no tone marks.

Example: 王晓明 prints as WANG XIAOMING. WANG is the surname (family name). XIAOMING is the given name, written as one word. On the form: Surname = Wang, Given name = Xiaoming.

On the form: Enter Wang in the surname/family-name field and Xiaoming in the given-name field. Do not split Xiaoming into 'Xiao Ming' and do not move Wang to the end.

Self-chosen English name (not on passport)

Pattern: An adopted Western first name many Chinese applicants use socially or at work.

Example: 王晓明 who goes by 'Bruce.' The passport still says WANG XIAOMING. 'Bruce' appears on no Chinese official document.

On the form: Keep the name fields as the pinyin passport name. Put 'Bruce' under 'Other names used.' Do not write 'Bruce Wang' in the name fields, because it will not match your passport, notarial certificates, or visa.

English name printed inside the passport

Pattern: Some passports add an English given name in the same field, shown after the pinyin (for example LI XIAOLING VICTORIA, where Victoria is part of the printed given names).

Example: If the passport given-name field literally reads 'XIAOLING VICTORIA,' that whole string is your given name on the form.

On the form: Match the passport exactly. If the English name is printed in the given-name field, include it in the given-name field; if it is not printed anywhere, it goes under 'Other names used.'

Hong Kong passport (Cantonese romanization)

Pattern: Hong Kong uses a government Cantonese romanization, so the same character romanizes differently than mainland pinyin (Chan not Chen, Wong not Wang, Cheung not Zhang). Many HK names also carry an English given name in the given-name field.

Example: 陳大文 may print as CHAN Tai Man, with an English name like 'Peter' often added: CHAN Tai Man Peter.

On the form: Use the HK passport spelling as authoritative. If a mainland pinyin form (Chen Dawen) appears on any other record, list it under 'Other names used.'

Older Wade-Giles spelling

Pattern: Documents romanized before pinyin became standard (or Taiwan documents) may use Wade-Giles, which spells the same sounds differently (Hsiao for Xiao, Chiang for Jiang, Tsai for Cai).

Example: An older record reading 'Chiang' for a name your current passport spells 'Jiang.'

On the form: Treat the current passport as authoritative, list the Wade-Giles spelling under 'Other names used,' and explain it in the letter. These are romanization differences, not name changes.

Telecode note: The DS-260 (used for consular processing) asks whether you have a name in Chinese characters. Answer “Yes,” type the characters, and enter the four-digit Chinese Commercial Code (telecode) for each. Free lookup tools such as NJStar return the codes; enter the surname codes and given-name codes in their separate boxes.

Matching your name across passport, certificates, and translation

You do not need a separate translation of your name. The pinyin on your passport is already the Latin-script form, and Chinese notarial certificates (公证书) come with the English translation bound into the booklet. The one thing that matters is consistency: the pinyin name on your passport, your notarial birth certificate, your marriage certificate, and your forms should all read the same way, letter for letter.

The State Department requires every notarial document to carry an English translation with a statement that the translation conforms to the Chinese original, as listed on the China reciprocity page (verified May 2026). If a notary office spelled your pinyin differently from your passport, ask it to correct and reissue the booklet before you file, rather than explaining the gap later.

When a difference is unavoidable, an older Wade-Giles spelling, a Hong Kong Cantonese spelling, or an English name you use, treat the current passport as authoritative, list the variant under “Other names used,” and add the short explanation letter from the templates above. For a deeper walkthrough of certified translations and the conformity statement, see the document translation guide.

Common form mistakes and fixes

Mistake	Fix
Writing the name in Western order (given name first) because U.S. forms feel Western	Match your passport field for field. The U.S. form labels the fields 'Surname' and 'Given name,' so your pinyin surname goes in the surname field even though it is printed first on the passport. The form order is by label, not by position.
Splitting a two-character given name into two words (Xiao Ming)	Write the given name exactly as the passport shows it, normally as one joined word (Xiaoming) with no space and no hyphen. A space can make the system read it as a middle name later.
Putting your English name (Bruce) in the first-name field	If 'Bruce' is not printed on your passport, it is not your legal name for the forms. Use the pinyin passport name in the name fields and list 'Bruce' under 'Other names used.'
Leaving the telecode question blank or answering 'No' when you have a Chinese-character name	If you have a name in Chinese characters, answer 'Yes' on the DS-260, enter the characters, and provide the four-digit telecode for each. Use a free Chinese Commercial Code lookup tool; the surname and given-name codes are entered in separate boxes.
Notarial certificate pinyin does not match the passport	Before filing, compare the pinyin on every notarial certificate to the passport. If the notary office spelled it differently, ask them to reissue or correct it so all documents carry one spelling.
Hyphenating the name because an old system used hyphens	U.S. immigration systems generally do not store hyphens in names and replace them with spaces, which can shift how the name reads. Follow the unhyphenated passport spelling and note any hyphenated variant under 'Other names used.'

What applicants report

Aggregated from the VisaJourney China and IR-1/CR-1 forums and forums.immigration.com, 2023–2025. Name handling draws steady but narrow forum chatter, so we lead with the patterns that repeat. Forum bodies are not directly quotable, so the quotes below are paraphrased honestly. Real applicant reports, not legal advice; your case may differ.

Tips from the community

Pick one pinyin spelling and use it on every single document
The repeating theme across VisaJourney China and IR-1/CR-1 threads is consistency over correctness: applicants who used the exact passport pinyin on the I-130, DS-260, notarial certificates, and translations sailed through, while those whose notary booklet spelled the name slightly differently from the passport drew a National Visa Center document query. Fix the spelling at the source before you file.
VisaJourney China and IR-1/CR-1 forums, 2023-2025
English nicknames belong in 'Other names used,' not the name fields
Applicants who go by an English name report the cleanest path is to leave the pinyin passport name in the name fields and add the English name as an 'other name.' Writing 'Bruce Wang' in the legal-name fields created mismatches with the passport and the immigrant visa that had to be unwound later.
VisaJourney and forums.immigration.com, 2024-2025
Do the telecode lookup early so the DS-260 does not stall
Consular-processing applicants describe the Chinese-character telecode field as a small surprise that delays a sitting. Looking up the four-digit codes with a free tool before starting the DS-260, and keeping them with the passport scan, avoids a mid-form scramble.
VisaJourney China forum and DS-160/DS-260 how-to threads, 2024-2025
Hong Kong couples: the consulate is still Guangzhou for mainland-born spouses
Mixed mainland and Hong Kong couples note that a Hong Kong Cantonese passport spelling is accepted as-is, but the immigrant visa interview for a mainland-born spouse is at the U.S. Consulate General Guangzhou. Keep the HK spelling authoritative for the HK-document holder and the pinyin spelling authoritative for the mainland holder, and cross-reference both under 'other names' where they overlap.
VisaJourney China and IR-1/CR-1 forums, 2023-2025

In their words

“My passport says WANG followed by my given name as one word, but the first notary booklet split it with a space. NVC bounced it. The notary office fixed the booklet to match the passport exactly, and after that everything matched and went through.”
Paraphrased from VisaJourney China forum reports, 2024 (forum bodies not directly quotable)

“I go by an English first name at work, but it is not in my passport. We put the pinyin name in the legal-name fields and listed the English name under other names used. The officer at Guangzhou had no questions about it.”
Paraphrased from forums.immigration.com and VisaJourney reports, 2024-2025

Sources

U.S. Department of State: China Reciprocity and Civil Documents (verified May 2026)
U.S. Consulate General Guangzhou: Immigrant Visa Post Supplement (verified May 2026)
U.S. Department of State: DS-260 Immigrant Visa Application (sample form, name and other-names fields) (verified May 2026)
Hong Kong Government Cantonese Romanisation (background on HK passport spellings) (verified May 2026)
VisaJourney China and IR-1/CR-1 forums, and forums.immigration.com (community), 2023–2025

Frequently asked questions

My passport prints my surname first. Do I flip it to Western order on the form?

No. Match your passport field for field. U.S. forms label the boxes 'Surname / Family Name' and 'Given Names,' so your pinyin surname goes in the surname box even though it is printed first on the passport, and your given name goes in the given-name box. The fields are filled by label, not by position.

How do I write a two-character given name like Xiaoming?

Write it exactly as your passport shows it, which is normally one joined pinyin word with no space and no hyphen: Xiaoming, not Xiao Ming or Xiao-Ming. A space can cause U.S. systems to treat the second syllable as a separate middle name on later documents.

I go by an English name like Bruce. Where does it go on the forms?

If the English name is not printed on your passport, it is not your legal name for the application. Enter your pinyin passport name in the name fields and list the English name under 'Other names used.' That keeps the legal-name fields identical to your passport, your notarial certificates, and your visa.

What is the telecode the DS-260 asks for?

Telecode is the Chinese Commercial Code (also called Chinese Telegraph Code): a four-digit number for each Chinese character. If you have a name in Chinese characters, the DS-260 asks you to answer 'Yes,' type the characters, and enter the four-digit code for each. Look them up with a free Chinese Commercial Code tool; the surname and given-name codes are entered in separate boxes.

My Hong Kong passport spells my name differently from mainland pinyin. Which spelling do I use?

Use whatever your current passport shows as the authoritative spelling. Hong Kong uses a Cantonese romanization (Chan, Wong, Cheung) that differs from mainland Hanyu Pinyin (Chen, Wang, Zhang). Enter the passport spelling in the name fields and list any other romanization under 'Other names used.'

My old document uses an older spelling than my passport. Is that a problem?

Usually not, if you handle it. Older Wade-Giles spellings (Hsiao, Chiang, Tsai) and notary typos are romanization differences, not name changes. Use the current passport spelling as authoritative, list the older variant under 'Other names used,' and include a short explanation letter. Add a one-and-the-same-person affidavit if the spellings are genuinely different words rather than a tone mark or hyphen.

The pinyin on my notarial birth certificate does not match my passport. What do I do?

Fix it before you file. Ask the notary public office (公证处) that issued the booklet to correct the pinyin to match your passport exactly and reissue it. A pinyin mismatch between the passport and the notarial certificate is a common National Visa Center document query, and aligning them up front avoids the delay.

Do I need to translate my Chinese name into English separately?

No separate name translation is needed. Your pinyin name is already the Latin-script form, and Chinese notarial certificates come with the English translation bound into the booklet. Just make sure the pinyin spelling is consistent across the passport, the notarial certificates, and the forms.

Key takeaways

✓
Your PRC passport is the authoritative spelling. It prints the surname (family name) first in pinyin, then the given name as one joined word. Copy it onto U.S. forms by field label: pinyin surname in the surname field, pinyin given name in the given-name field. Do not reorder it.
✓
A self-chosen English name (Bruce, Cindy) that is not on your passport goes under 'Other names used,' never in the legal-name fields. Putting it in the name field creates a mismatch with your passport and visa.
✓
On the DS-260, answer 'Yes' to the Chinese-character name question, enter the characters, and provide the four-digit telecode (Chinese Commercial Code) for the surname and given name. Look it up with a free tool before you start.
✓
Hong Kong Cantonese spellings (Chan, Wong) and older Wade-Giles spellings (Hsiao, Chiang) are valid romanizations. Use the current passport spelling as authoritative and list other romanizations under 'Other names used.'
✓
The pinyin on your notarial birth, marriage, and police certificates must match your passport letter for letter. A mismatch is a common National Visa Center query; ask the notary office to align the booklet to the passport before filing.
✓
Consistency beats correctness: pick the exact passport pinyin and use it on the I-130, DS-260, notarial certificates, and translations. All mainland-China immigrant visa interviews happen at the U.S. Consulate General Guangzhou.

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