DS-160 Address Translator
Paste a Chinese address and get it split into the DS-160 Street Address / City / State / Postal Code fields; anything over the character limit is abbreviated and flagged.
The rules run in your browser; the address is never sent to a server.
Hard rules of the DS-160 address fields
- •Street Address lines hold at most 40 characters, City 20, State/Province 20, Postal Code 10 - anything longer errors out on submit and is cleared
- •Only Latin letters, digits and common punctuation are accepted; Chinese characters and full-width punctuation are rejected
- •The order is the reverse of Chinese: room → building → compound → street number + street name, with the district / town on line 2
- •For municipalities put the city name in both City and State (Beijing / Beijing)
- •When it does not fit, use standard abbreviations: Room→Rm, Building→Bldg, Road→Rd, District→Dist
Common terms
| 省 / 市 / 区 / 县 | Province / City / District / County |
|---|---|
| 路 / 街 / 大道 / 巷 / 弄 | Road / Street / Avenue / Lane / Lane |
| 88 号 / 2288 弄 (Shanghai) | 88 Jianguo Road / Lane 2288, Zuchongzhi Road |
| 小区 / 花园 / 公寓 | Residential Quarter / Garden / Apartments |
| 栋 / 幢 / 座 / 单元 | Building 5 / Unit 2 |
| 层 / 楼 / 室 / 房 | Floor 3 / Room 602 |
| 东 / 南 / 西 / 北路 | Jiefang North Road |
| 有限公司 / 分公司 | Co., Ltd. / Branch |
| 大学 / 中学 / 小学 | University / Middle School / Primary School |
FAQ
Does the address have to be in English?
Yes. Every DS-160 text box accepts only Latin letters, digits and common punctuation; Chinese characters cause an error.
How do I translate compound or tower names?
Pinyin is fine (Ziwei Garden, Xiandaicheng). The consulate checks that the address maps to a real place, not that it is translated.
What if it does not fit in 40 characters?
Abbreviate first (Rm, Bldg, Rd), then move the compound or district to line 2; if line 2 is also full, drop area names that do not matter for delivery.
Where does the postal code go?
The Postal Zone / ZIP Code field; mainland China uses 6 digits. You may tick Does Not Apply, but filling it in is better.
My employer has an official English name - which do I use?
The official one (from the company or school website). This tool is only for when no official translation exists.
More US visa tools
US Visa Photo Maker
Upload or take a photo and get a 2x2 inch visa photo cropped by the official formula on a plain white background, matching DS-160 upload specs.
DS-160 Chinese Telecode Lookup
Enter a Chinese name and get the four-digit telecodes and passport-style pinyin for surname and given name, ready to paste.
Forms done - now get an earlier interview date
LuckyBee offers free slot alerts and an expedited US visa appointment service.
Consulates read pinyin addresses fine. This tool follows common practice and uses pinyin for proper names (compounds, towers); feel free to swap in the names you normally use.