Ask the Consul
"Ask the Consul" is a collection of questions and answers prepared by the Consular Section that covers a variety of subjects of interest to American citizens in Armenia and to Armenians wishing to visit or live in the United States. If you have a general consular question you would like to ask the Consul, please send it to us by e-mail at AskTheConsulYerevan@state.gov. We will select several of your questions each month and post the answers in the space below. Questions may be sent in Armenian or English; questions and answers will be posted in Armenian and English.
Please note: We WILL NOT respond to personal questions sent to "Ask the Consul," nor will we discuss specifics of individual visa cases in "Ask the Consul". If you have questions regarding a specific, individual visa matter, please refer to the list below in order to direct your question to the appropriate section:
- For nonimmigrant visa issues or general consular questions - ConsYerevan@state.gov
- For adoption or immigrant visa issues - IVYerevan@state.gov
- For Iranian citizen’s immigrant visa issues - IranIVYerevan@state.gov
- For American Citizen Services - ACSYerevan@state.gov
- For Iranian citizen’s non-immigrant visa issues – IranNIVYerevan@state.gov
April 2009
Q: My green card has been lost or stolen while I’ve been visiting Armenia. What can I do to return to the United States?
If your green card has been lost or stolen, and you’ve been out of the U.S. for less than one year, you need to apply for a transportation letter in order to return to the U.S. You can come to the American Citizen Services unit of the Consular Section any day, Monday – Friday, from 1:30 – 4:30 pm to apply for your transportation letter. You will need to provide proof of when you entered Armenia (such as your airline boarding pass or your Armenian passport), a police report showing when your green card was lost or stolen, and the $165 application fee. Once you have submitted all your documentation, the Consular Section can normally issue you a transportation letter in one to two weeks, although sometimes it takes longer. You will also need to present 3-4 passport-style photos.
If you have been out of the U.S. for more than one year, you will need to apply for a returning resident visa to determine whether you still have a claim to immigrant status and can return to the United States. You will need to fill out form DS-117 and come to the Immigrant Visa Unit of the Consular Section, any day Monday – Friday from 1:30 – 4:30 pm, to pay the non-refundable $400 application fee and to present evidence and supporting documentation demonstrating why you were compelled to stay outside of the U.S. longer than one year. Your case will then be investigated to see if you still have a claim to immigrant status. If you do, you will have to pay an additional $400 visa fee to be issued a new immigrant visa to return to the United States.
Q. My minor daughter is planning on going to the United States to participate in a student exchange program. Do I need to give special permission for her to receive her visa?
Minor children applying for a tourist visa should appear at the Consular Section with at least one of their birth parents or legal guardians, to confirm verbally that the parents are aware of and not against their child’s travel. Permission from any parent or guardian not present should be clearly made in a notarized statement and certified translation which the child should present to the Consular Officer. Before issuing a visa, the Consular Officer must determine that both birth parents are not opposed to the child’s travel to the United States.
In the case of minor children immigrating permanently to the United States on an immigrant visa, the permission of both birth parents is required especially if the parents are divorced. In such cases, the remaining birth parent should prepare a notarized statement and certified translation that they do not oppose their child’s permanent immigration to the United States. Please note, the vast majority of minor children who immigrate to the United States with both birth parents, do not need to present any written permission at the time of their immigrant visa interviews.