Visa to the USA - 2021. How to get it yourself

The goal seems elusive, but it is not! We will tell you step by step how to independently obtain a visa to the United States in 2021. A package of documents, prices and reasons for refusing a visa. List of European countries where you can quickly and easily get an American visa.

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Today it is not easy to apply for a tourist visa to the United States. The number of consular employees has decreased, the registration fee has been increased and the simplified procedure for obtaining visas has been canceled. However, the questionnaire, the volume of documents and the interview procedure remain the same. Find out how to speed up obtaining a B1 / B2 visa.

Step 1: Pay the consular fee

How much do residents of Russia need to pay for a tourist visa to the United States? A visa for one year costs $ 160 (10,720 rubles). You can make a payment using a bank card or at a post office. The payment receipt is valid for one year. During this time, you need to go through an interview at the American embassy or consulate.

Step 2: take a photo

Take a color photograph for your visa prior to submitting your application. In a square photo, you must be without glasses and headgear. For detailed photo resolution requirements, visit ustraveldocs.com.

Step 3: Apply

Fill out the online application DS-160... It will take 1.5-2 hours to compile a detailed questionnaire. The answers will have to be written down in Latin and in English. To save time, write down in advance your travel abroad for the last 5 years, the name of the university where you studied, and the place of work.

Upload a photo to the site. When you're done, print out the barcode summary page.

Step 4: Determine the date and time of your visit to the consulate

The interview is recorded through a personal account or by phone. You will need to indicate the number of your foreign passport, the number of the payment receipt and the 10-digit barcode number from the confirmation page.

With a high degree of probability, there will be no free interview dates at American consulates in Russia. Do not despair! At the end of this article, we will describe the options for filing documents abroad.

There are people who track the status of interview recordings on the consulate's website and post the results in a separate topic on Vinsky's forum. There is a USA Visa Info channel on Telegram, where they report the appearance of places with dates and times for an interview.

You can pay from 2500 to 6500 rubles and make an appointment using a telegram bot. The disadvantages of this decision - you will be recorded on an arbitrary date, and you will be allowed to enter your own personal account.

Step 5: Get an interview and take biometrics

In Moscow, the embassy is located at Bolshoy Devyatinsky Pereulok, 8. In Yekaterinburg, at 15A Gogol Street, and in Vladivostok, at 32 Pushkinskaya Street.

Please arrive 20-30 minutes before the appointed time. Take a printout of the letter with an invitation to an interview, a page with a barcode, a photo, foreign and Russian passports, as well as a prepared package of documents.

First you need to take your fingerprints. The wait and biometrics will take 10-15 minutes. You put your hands on the scanner screen and you're done!

The interview is in Russian. During the conversation, be confident and answer the questions posed. In case of a positive decision, the employee will clarify whether you want to apply for a visa for a year or for 3 years and will take your passport.

Step 6: Get your passport ready

The visa is issued within 3-5 days. The passport can be returned the next day or delayed up to two weeks.

A Pony Express courier will deliver your passport with a stamped visa to the address specified when you scheduled your interview. You do not need to pay extra for this. If you wish, you can come to the nearest Pony Express office and pick up the document yourself. Whether the passport is ready can be easily tracked on the website or by e-mail: The e-mail address is being protected from spambots. Javascript must be enabled in your browser to view the address.

Package of documents

There is no single list of documents. For a tourist visit, it is important to prove that you intend to travel around the country and are interested in getting back on time. For a primary visa, they often only ask for a passport and ask verbal questions about wages.

We advise you to prepare:

USA travel itinerary... Free form. Flights and hotel reservations will not be asked.

International passport... It must have at least one blank page for pasting a visa. The validity of the document must overlap with the dates of the proposed trip.

Old foreign passports... They are needed as proof of past tourist trips. A big plus will be 2-3 Schengen visas over the past few years.

Help from the place of work on letterhead signed by the director and chief accountant. It indicates the position, experience and average monthly earnings. If you are traveling at the expense of a sponsor, attach a certificate from your sponsor's work.

Marriage documents and minor children... Anyone who is married and has children under 18 should attach copies of marriage and child birth certificates. This is important even when you are traveling alone.

Bank statement... As proof of financial solvency, prepare a statement of the movement of funds on the account for the last 3-6 months with a wet seal.

Ownership certificates... It is optional, but desirable to attach documents on the ownership of movable and immovable property.

In which countries can you get a US visa

To shorten the time it takes to apply for a U.S. visa, apply overseas. Combine business with pleasure! You will visit another country and receive an American passport sticker.

Austria... There are no Russian-speaking specialists in Vienna, but Russian passports are treated with respect. If you want to apply for a visa in Austria, the interview will have to be held in English.

Israel... More than 50% of the staff at the American Embassy in Tel Aviv speak Russian. The waiting period does not exceed 3 weeks.

Poland... In Krakow and Warsaw, applications from Russians are accepted without any restrictions. There are more places for interviews in English.

Czech Republic... Sign up for an interview for a US visa in Prague. Waiting time is 1-4 days. The interview is in English. The basic level of the language is quite enough.

Lithuania... The queue for interviews for non-residents in Vilnius is as huge as in Moscow.

Ukraine... Although tensions remain between our states, Russians are received routinely at the American Embassy in Kiev. The interview is easier than at home.

Latvia... For non-residents of Latvia, the queue for an interview is long. Interviews with Russians are conducted in Russian.

Bulgaria... Russian-speaking specialists have appeared at the consulate in Sofia, so you can also apply for an American visa in Bulgaria.

Kazakhstan... Alma-Ata and Nur-Sultan receive 250 people a day - residents and non-residents of Kazakhstan. The waiting period is quite long - from 30 days.

Azerbaijan... It is convenient to sign up for an interview in Russian at the US Embassy in Baku.

Belgium... Visas for Russian residents are also issued in Brussels, but you will have to speak English.

Previously, documents from residents of Russia were accepted in Tbilisi and Minsk. Now a visa to the United States in Georgia and Belarus is not issued. Let's hope that the situation will change. We advise you to keep track of the constantly changing information in the Telegram chat!

Abroad, the rate of refusal of a US visa to Russian citizens ranges from 3.2% to 40%. Least of all are denied in Poland, Ukraine, Austria and Azerbaijan. More bounces in Serbia, France, Finland and Spain.