How to get a US visa: the most detailed instructions

2024 Author: Malcolm Clapton | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 03:44

Wait in line in Russia or apply in another country - with this instruction you will do everything right.

How to get a visa to the USA

There are over 30 subcategories of US nonimmigrant visas. The most popular visa for business and tourist travel category B1 / B2. For Russian citizens, it can be issued for a maximum of 3 years. At the same time, you can legally stay in the United States for no more than 6 months.

The period of stay in the country is set when crossing the US border. Your passport is stamped with a date no later than which you must leave the country.

Last year, the issuance of visas was suspended due to the reduction in the staff of the US diplomatic mission. Now consulates in Moscow, Yekaterinburg and Vladivostok have resumed their work, but the representative office in St. Petersburg was closed in March 2018.

Yuri Mosha, founder of Russian America

Consulates are not working well now. The waiting time for an interview reaches 300 days, and there are no vacancies. Enterprising Russians find loopholes and travel to Georgia, Armenia, Kazakhstan, Ukraine or Europe. In some European countries, you can bring an interpreter who speaks Russian.

Problems arise primarily with a tourist visa. For work, student and other visas, the waiting time for an interview is much shorter.

How to pay the consular fee in Russia

The amount of the consular fee depends on the visa category. For a B1 / B2 visa, this is $ 160.

Payment is made in rubles at the current rate at the time of payment.

By bank card online

To pay by credit card, you need to go to and fill in all the empty fields, following the instructions.

The receipt of payment will be sent to you in the mail, so carefully check the email address before completing the operation.

Through the "Russian Post"

To pay the consular fee, you need to print a receipt, fill it out and submit it for payment to one of the Russian Post offices.

The receipt can only be printed from a computer and must have the latest version of Adobe Reader and Java installed.

If you open the receipt through the Internet Explorer browser

When you click on the link, dialog boxes will open in a new tab where you will need to enter your foreign passport number, full name, date of birth and address. After that, a receipt will be generated, which must be printed.

If you open the receipt with another browser

When you click on a link in Safari, Chrome, or Firefox, you will be directed to a new tab and see a white screen with text. You need to download the PDF file.

To generate a receipt, open the downloaded file through Adobe Reader. Dialog boxes will appear in which you need to enter your data.

Passport data

FULL NAME.

Date of Birth

Address

Then you need to select the button "Trust this document always" in the upper right corner and enter your data again.

After that, a receipt will be generated, which must be printed out and taken for payment to the "Russian Post" branch.

All technical requirements for Windows and macOS can be viewed.

And don't forget to pick up your payment receipt at the post office. Without it, you won't be able to schedule an interview.

How to take a photo correctly

Before you start filling out the DS-160 application (which is what you will need to obtain a tourist visa), you need to take a photo that you will upload to the document.

Photography requirements are strict. Failure to comply with at least one point may result in a visa refusal.

• The photo must match your appearance.
• Only casual wear is allowed. Pictures in a uniform or a headdress that hides hair and its growth line will not be accepted. Exceptions are clothing or headgear worn daily for religious reasons. But the face must be fully visible.
• You should not be wearing glasses, headphones, headsets, or similar devices. An exception is a hearing aid if you wear it all the time.
• Facial expression should be neutral and eyes open.
• The head should occupy at least 50-70% of the photo. The position of the head is strictly straight.
• The photo must be in color. The background can be white or close to white.
• The size is 5 × 5 cm, the minimum resolution is 600 × 600 pixels, and the maximum is 1200 × 1200 pixels.

How to complete the DS-160 application

The DS-160 application is completed online.

You need to select the country and city from where you plan to submit documents and enter the captcha.

Then choose Start an Application if you are filling out an application for the first time. Upload an Application, if you have a saved copy of the application and you are referring to the site again to add data. Or Retrieve an Application to restore a previously saved copy.

Then follow the instructions and fill out the form. First of all, you will be asked to select a security question and an answer to it. You will then be directed to the application.

All questions are in English, but you can choose Russian in the upper right corner. Then, when you hover over the questions, a pop-up window with the translation will appear.

The application is filled out only in English. If you are in doubt about your own abilities, it is better to seek help from special agencies or from friends or relatives who speak the language well.

It is very important to fill out the application correctly, providing reliable information. Otherwise, you may be denied a visa. And the consular fee in this case, as in any other, will not be returned to you.

After completing Form DS-160, be sure to print the application confirmation page. You will need it later.

How to schedule an interview if you are applying for a US visa for the first time

An interview is a mandatory procedure when obtaining a visa to the United States for the first time.

What is required to schedule an interview

• Foreign passport number.
• Consular fee payment receipt number.

The ten-digit barcode number from the DS-160 application confirmation page

How to sign up

• in the system, and then under your username.
• Select the type of visa and the purpose of the trip.
• Enter your personal data and the DS-160 confirmation page number.
• Choose the date and time of the interview.
• Print confirmation of your appointment.

Now you can start collecting the documents that you will take with you on the appointed day for your interview at the consulate.

What to bring to your interview

Don't take too many things for an interview. You cannot bring mobile phones, tablets, smartwatches, large bags and much more to the consulate. A complete list of things can be viewed.

What documents are required

• Form DS-160 submission confirmation page.
• Valid international passport. Passport validity must be 6 months longer than the estimated period of stay in the United States.
• One 5 × 5 cm photograph meeting the above requirements.
• The interview confirmation page.

What you can take with you additionally

To obtain a visa to the United States, you do not need to book a hotel in advance, buy plane tickets and present all this to the consul. It is also not necessary to take with you documents that are not included in the required list.

However, during the interview, you may be asked a question and asked to show the supporting document. And it's better to have it in your arms.

You can take with you any documents that confirm the information specified in the application form:

• Documents confirming income.
• Information about the route of the trip.
• Help from the place of work.
• Documents confirming a close connection with the homeland (for example, a certificate of ownership of an apartment).
• Old foreign passports.

But remember: do not hand the entire package to the consul until he asks you to do so.

How to get a passport with a visa after passing an interview

The result will be known immediately after the interview. If the visa is approved, the passport will be delivered to you at the address indicated in the application within 3-4 days.

In case of refusal, the consul will return your passport and offer to try again after a while.

Having a valid visa does not guarantee you will cross the US border.

You can be deployed during passport control if you have previously violated the rules or are carrying something prohibited. Or if the employee suspects that the purpose of the trip is not tourism, but illegal earnings. And working on a tourist visa is, of course, prohibited.

How to apply at the Pony Express office if you are getting a US visa again

Who can do it

When re-obtaining a visa, you can do without an interview and submit documents at the Pony Express office if:

• During the previous interview, you were fingerprinted (all of your fingers were fingerprinted).
• Your visa is valid or has expired no more than 11 months ago.
• You are applying for a visa of the same category as the last expired or valid visa.
• On a previous or current visa, there is no mark on the additional administrative verification of Clearance Received documents (permission received).
• You are on the territory of the Russian Federation (on the territory of the country where you received your visa last time).

Only if all the points are observed is there a chance that the interview will be avoided. But there are no guarantees: you can still be called for an interview if the consuls have questions during the processing of your application. Therefore, apply in advance, allowing additional time for a possible interview.

What is required

• Foreign passport number.
• Consular fee payment receipt number.
• The ten-digit barcode number from the DS-160 application confirmation page.

How to sign up

• in the system under your username.
• Select the type of visa and the purpose of the trip.
• In step 3, select “Submit documents without an interview through the Pony Express office”.
• Enter personal data, confirmation page number DS-160.
• Choose the date and time for submission of documents without an interview.
• Print confirmation of the appointment for submission of documents without an interview.

What to take with you to the Pony Express office

What documents are required

• Form DS-160 submission confirmation page.
• Valid international passport. Passport validity must be 6 months longer than the estimated period of stay in the United States.
• Current or last expired visa (original).
• One 5 × 5 cm photograph meeting the above requirements.
• Confirmation of an appointment for submission of documents without an interview.
• A list of documents that you submit with the application.

What you can take with you additionally

As in the case of the first visa application, you can take with you any documents that confirm the information specified in the application or prove a close connection with your homeland.

How to get a passport with a visa when applying through Pony Express

Your documents will be sent to the staff of the US Consulate. If more information is required from you, you will receive an email. If your personal presence is deemed necessary, they will also write to you. In this case, you will have to go through an interview where you sent your documents.

If approved, your passport with visa will be delivered to the address indicated on the application form. You can learn more about document delivery.

There is no need to abuse the length of stay in the United States.

If in the application form you indicated that you were going to Disneyland for two weeks, and upon arrival you received a stamp for six months and, for joy, decided to extend the trip, the consuls may have questions when re-applying for a visa.

How to get a US visa in another country

A US visa can be obtained in any country with an embassy. But this is an additional waste of money and time. Therefore, before going abroad, define the criteria that are important to you:

1. Where is the interview conducted in Russian? Among such countries are Armenia, Kazakhstan, Georgia, Ukraine. Some consulates, for example in Poland, offer translation services. In some European countries, it is allowed to take an interpreter for an interview.
2. Where to wait for an interview least of all? According to Yuri Moshi, in Asian countries the waiting period for non-residents can be only 5 days.
3. Which country is the most profitable to buy tickets to?

If you are getting a visa for the first time

The procedure does not change, but there are nuances.

How to pay the consular fee

First of all, as with filing from Russia, you need to pay the consular fee.

If you are traveling to another country, then there you must pay the consular fee. Russia will not be able to do this.

Yuri Mosha, founder of Russian America

Each country has its own payment procedure. For example, in Georgia and Kazakhstan, the consular fee is paid only through a local bank, you cannot online. To find out what payment methods will be available to you, go to the site and select the country you need. In the section with information on consular fees you will find payment details.

How to fill out a questionnaire and schedule an interview

You also need to complete an application form DS-160.

• Contact and ask to transfer your personal account to another country (that is, to the one through which you plan to apply).
• In the questionnaire itself, indicate exactly the place of application, where you will submit documents and undergo an interview. Pay attention to this.
• To register for an interview on the site, enter your details and select the desired consulate.

The list of required documents for scheduling an interview and for passing it does not change.

If you get a visa again

Re-obtaining a visa without an interview is possible only in the country where you received the previous visa. So, if you made a previous visa in Russia, you will have to either wait or go to another country in order to still pass the interview.

What to do in an emergency

Sign up for an urgent interview. Have the right to this:

• Those in urgent need of medical care and those accompanying them, as well as relatives of a critically ill person in the United States.
• Participating in a funeral in the United States or in organizing the transportation of the body of a close relative to Russia.
• Students and participants in exchange programs.

Detailed requirements for each category, as well as the procedure for submitting documents, are available on the official website.

Weddings and last minute vouchers are not considered emergencies.

Why may an American visa be refused

• You are suspected of immigration intent. For example, you have not confirmed sufficient connection with your homeland, you go to the States alone, leaving your family and children in Russia, rarely go abroad.
• You made a mistake filling out the questionnaire. Incorrect transliteration is also considered an error.
• The information provided in the questionnaire does not correspond to reality.
• At the interview, you could not confirm the purpose of the trip and aroused suspicion from the consul.
• You have previously violated the rules of stay in the United States.