Your passport must be valid for at least six months beyond your period of stay in the United States, unless exempt by country-specific agreements (PDF – 57 KB). If more than one person is included in your passport, each person who needs a visa must submit a separate application.

• Completed Online Nonimmigrant Visa Application, Form DS-160
• Completed DS-157, DS-158

Please note that you must answer EVERY question on the application forms. If the answer to a question is “none,” please write “none”(Do not leave it blank). Incomplete/incorrect forms will be returned and will require you to schedule a new interview appointment.

Important! Many of our visa applicants are completing the DS-160 incorrectly, causing us to postpone their planned visa interview dates.

A passport, DS-160 confirmation page, a 2 x 2 inch color photo not older than 6 months – with a light or white background, and the forms listed in Step 2 are required for the visa interview.

In addition, one week before their interview, applicants or crew agents should submit the following:

• Continuous Discharge Certificate
• Join Ship letter
• Equasis check
• Letter of Employment or Letter from Local Agent containing
  • Applicant Info:
  • Name
  • Job Title/Rank
  • Passport #
  • CDC #
• Vessel Info:
  • Name
  • IMO#
  • Flag/Registry
  • Joining Date
  • Joining Port
    • For D visa (city and country name)
    • For C1 or C1/D visa (port and state name in the U.S.)

Additional documents may be requested to establish if you are qualified. If transiting the United States to meet a vessel, be prepared to provide evidence you are transiting to meet the vessel, for example, a letter from your employer or your employer’s agent.  Additional requested documents may include evidence of:

• The purpose of your trip;
• Your intent to depart the United States after your trip; and/or
• Your ability to pay all costs of the trip.

To schedule an appointment for a non-immigrant visa (NIV) interview, please consult the Embassy’s online NIV Appointment System. Please have your DS-160 Online Nonimmigrant Visa Application Form Confirmation Number handy. It is located on your DS-160 confirmation page, in bold print.

On the day of your interview, please pay the following nonrefundable visa application fees to the consular cashier: $160 for B-1 (Business), B-2 (Tourism & Visit) and C1/D (Crewmember) nonimmigrant visas; and $190 for H, L, O, P, Q and R visas. Payments must be in U.S. or local cash using the current consular exchange rate. No cards are accepted for payment.

Submit the completed DS-160 confirmation sheet, documents specified above, if any, a 5 cm. X 5 cm. (2 X 2 inch) color photo not older than 6 months (white background and no eyeglasses), and a passport valid for more than 6 months, to the Consular Section when you arrive at the Embassy for your interview.

If you are issued a visa, you will usually be invited to return to the embassy in two days to collect your passport and visa.

During your visa interview, a consular officer will determine whether you are qualified to receive a visa, and if so, which category is appropriate based on your purpose of travel. You will need to establish that you meet the requirements under the U.S. law to receive the category of visa for which you are applying.

Ink-free, digital fingerprint scans will be taken as part of your application process. They are usually taken during your interview, but this varies based on location.