The study was aimed to investigate the correlation of tissue factor promotor polymorphism -1208I/D with the venous thromboembolism in patients. Tissue factor promotor polymorphism -1208 was detected by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and DNA sequencing in 96 cases of DVT, 14 cases of PE and 59 nonthrombosis normal individuals. The results showed that the allele containing a 18-bp nucleotides insertion at -1208. 67.8% of normal individuals exhibited D/D, 25.4% were heterozygous I/D, and 6.8% were homozygous for I/I. DVT group and PE group exhibited a similar distributions (62.5%D/D, 29.8% I/D, 8.3% I/I and 57.1% D/D, 35.7% I/D, 7.1% I/I). The allele frequencies of D and the allele frequencies of I in the normal control, DVT and PE groups were 80.5%, 77.1%, 75.0% and 19.5%, 22.9%, 25.0% respectively. There was no significant difference in the TF-12081/D genotype frequency between the groups of patients and normal individuals. In conclusion, there is no correlation of the tissue factor promotor polymorphism -1208I/D in the patients with venous thromboembolism. The gene of promoter -1208I/D may not be a major susceptible gene of VTE in Chinese Han. Further investigations would be necessary to define accurately tissue factor gene polymorphisms.