Record of Shaanxi Citizen Lü Dongli’s Passport Applications
On August 9, 2026, this outlet learned that to legally leave the country, one must first have a passport (even with a passport and visa, one may not necessarily be able to leave the country). In order to obtain a passport, Shaanxi citizen Lü Dongli exhausted every legal avenue, to no avail. According to his records:
In mid-October 2015, Lü Dongli personally applied for a passport at the Qianyang County Exit-Entry Document Service Hall. After asking his superior, Liu Jianjun, for instructions, Liu told him in person that they simply would not process it and would not provide any written document, saying, “Go ahead and complain wherever you like.” Subsequent personal applications on multiple occasions also produced no result.
In November 2016, Lü mailed his passport application from Beijing to the Qianyang County Exit-Entry Hall by postal registered mail.
In February 2017, he sued the Qianyang County Public Security Bureau for failure to perform its administrative duties.
On March 14, 2017, the Qianyang County Public Security Bureau issued Qian Gong (2017) No. 01 Notice of Non-Issuance of a Passport and a Mainland Travel Permit for Hong Kong and Macao.
After Lü Dongli filed a lawsuit with the court in March 2017, the defendant revoked the Qian Gong (2017) No. 01 notice of non-issuance, but refused to issue any administrative document. Subsequently, following a ruling by the Baoji Intermediate People’s Court, Lü applied to the Enforcement Bureau of the Jintai District People’s Court of Baoji for compulsory enforcement.
On October 18, 2018, the Qianyang County Public Security Bureau issued a notice of non-acceptance of the passport and Mainland Travel Permit for Hong Kong and Macao, document numbers (barcodes):
186103280000788
218610328000605
On April 14, 2019, Lü sued the court, requesting the revocation of the notice issued by the defendant on October 18, 2018, document numbers (barcodes):
186103280000788
218610328000605 Notice of Non-Acceptance of Passport and Hong Kong-Macao Travel Permit Applications. Both the first and second instances rejected the case on the grounds of “the Ministry of Public Security’s restriction on leaving the country.”
On March 2 3, 2023, Lü Dongli applied for a passport and received Notice of Non-Acceptance No. 236103280000135 from the Exit-Entry Administration Brigade of the Qianyang County Public Security Bureau. He subsequently took the case to court.
On June 1 4, 2024, he received the dismissal judgment from the Baoji Intermediate People’s Court of Shaanxi Province.
In January 2026, Lü Dongli submitted to the Ministry of Public Security the grounds cited in all the judgments concerning “the possibility of endangering national security after leaving the country.”
On February 26, 2026, he received Government Information Disclosure Response No. 2026 (Answer) 201 from the Government Information Disclosure Office of the Ministry of Public Security.
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