Nonimmigrant Visa (NIV)

How to Apply for Nonimmigrant Visa (NIV)

Please follow the five steps below regarding applying for a visa. Please also read the additional advice about applying for a visa.

1. Pay the NIV application fee
2. Complete the  Nonimmigrant Visa Electronic Application (DS-160)
3. Schedule your appointment
4. Gather required documents to bring to your appointment
5. Personally appear at the U.S. Embassy with DS-160 confirmation page, appointment confirmation page, one recent photograph, your current passport and all previous passports and any other required documents depending on the category of visa for which you are applying.

1. Pay the nonrefundable NIV application fee

Bank Payment Process Change: Starting September 1, 2012, it will be necessary to bring a printed deposit slip to the bank for payment. The bank will not process your visa fee without the correct deposit slip. Information regarding the deposit slip can be found on Bank and Payment Options.

Pay the NIV application fee at Standard Chartered or Permata Bank.  Payments may be made up to twelve months before your appointment. Check the list of visa fees and bank locations.

• Click here for step-by-step procedures for paying your visa fee in English or in Bahasa Indonesia.
• Pay each fee individually. Do not combine payments for a family or group onto one receipt. 
• Pay no other U.S. consular or visa-related fee at Standard Chartered or Permata Bank. 
• Pay at no other bank. 
• Bearers of diplomatic passports applying for any visa, and applicants for A, G, C-3, NATO and J visas (only if participating in official U.S. Government sponsored exchanges) are not required to pay an application fee.

2.   Complete the Nonimmigrant Visa Electronic Application (DS-160)

Fill out the Online Nonimmigrant Visa Electronic Application (DS-160) and print out the confirmation page to bring to your appointment.  The DS-160 confirmation page must be printed on letter-sized or A4 paper in portrait format on a high-resolution printer, so that Embassy staff can scan the barcode at the time of your appointment. 

While working on your DS-160 online, save a copy to your computer hard-drive often.  Fill out all required information completely and correctly, including selecting the appropriate visa type.  Your online DS-160 will be verified by Embassy staff when you check-in for your appointment.  If your DS-160 is incomplete, or if it contains more than two errors, your appointment will be postponed.  There is no way to correct or add data to an incomplete DS-160 at the Embassy.   Follow these suggestions to avoid common mistakes:

• Do NOT enter a space between the letter and digits of your Indonesian passport number. Passport numbers must be entered as R000000, NOT R 000000 (note the present of an extra space in the second example).

• Use the dropdown menu for the full/correct name of the city where your passport was issued as it is listed in your passport, e.g. Jakarta Pusat or Soekarno Hatta, NOT Jakarta.

• Choose the correct visa class, i.e., if you are a student you are likely an F1 visa applicant. See our visa type page.

• You must note if you have ever been refused a U.S. visa in the past.

• If requested, please fill out your complete education history.  Include all of your education information, starting from junior and senior high school and including any college or university studies.

3.  Schedule your Appointment

Log on to our online appointment system at http://www.ustraveldocs.com/id/ to schedule your appointment by clicking “Go to Schedule Appointment” and following the instructions.

• Schedule one appointment for each applicant, including children.

• Applicants younger than 14 years old or older than 80 years old are not required to come in person for an appointment.  An immediate relative (parent, spouse or child) may present the completed NIV application on their behalf.  Other persons who are not applying themselves and who are not representing immediate family members will be denied entry for space and security reasons.

• Apply early if you have a need to visit the U.S. in the future.  Most nonimmigrant visas are valid for multiple entries over a period of five years, so there is no need to wait until you have a firm travel date.

• Print your appointment confirmation page and bring it to your appointment.

4.  Gather the required documents to bring to your appointment

Each NIV applicant must bring the following documents:

• Appointment confirmation page
• Passport valid for 6 months beyond your initial U.S. stay
• Receipt from Standard Chartered or Permata Bank for payment for each visa applicant’s fee
• DS-160 confirmation page printed out on letter or A4 paper in portrait format
• One recent front-view 5cm x 5cm passport photo on white background. See Photo Specifications.
• Students or exchange visitors (visa class F, M and J):
  - I-20, I-20M or DS-2019,
  - SEVIS fee receipt, paid at Student and Exchange Visitor Program: SEVIS I-901 Fee,
  - Proof of funds to pay at least the first year’s study and living costs
• Temporary workers or intra-company transferees (visa class H, L, O, P or Q) 
  - notice of action (I-797)
• If you were previously in the United States, any documents attesting to your immigration or visa status, particularly any official documents from Department of Homeland Security (DHS).
• Criminal/court records pertaining to any arrest or conviction anywhere, even if you completed your sentence or were later pardoned
• Spouse and children must bring marriage or birth certificate, and a copy of the spouse or parent’s valid U.S. visa

The following documents are not required by regulation, but may allow the adjudicating officer to evaluate your application more quickly.  Please bring originals, not extracts:

• Proof of income, pay slips, tax payments, property or business ownership, or assets, such as bank books, bank statements or certificates of deposit.
• Letter from employer detailing your position, salary, how long you have been employed; any authorized vacation; and the business purpose, if any, of your U.S. travel.
• Travel itinerary for your planned trip.

5.  Personally appear for your appointment

Report to the front gate of U.S. Embassy Jakarta, Jalan Medan Merdeka 5, no earlier than 15 minutes prior to your appointment.  All NIV applicants must appear in person at their appointment for fingerprinting (except A1, A2, G1, G2, G3, G4, NATO and C3 visa applicants, those under age 14, and those older than 80 years of age).  Your visa interview with an American consul is the last step in your appointment. 

At the end of your visa interview, you will receive one of these following colored documents:

• White, stating that your visa application is approved and explaining how to collect your passport with the US visa.
• Green, stating that you are asked to provide more information before the consul can make a final decision.
• Yellow, stating that your case requires additional processing and we will contact you when it is complete.  Additional processing can take a few days to a few months.  Most administrative processing is finalized within 60 days, although the length of processing time will vary based on the circumstances of each case.
• Pink, stating that you are currently ineligible for the nonimmigrant visa you applied for.
• Blue, if your application is incomplete, allowing you to return later with the completed application.

Additional advice about the NIV appointment

• Don’t be nervous.  Our goal is to politely and efficiently process your NIV.  Please remember that over 90% of Indonesian applicants qualify for non-immigrant visas.
• You don’t need a letter of guarantee.  Under U.S. law, no one in Indonesia, the U.S. or elsewhere, regardless of their relationship to the applicant or their rank, can guarantee you for a U.S. visa.  Each applicant is considered based on his or her own situation.
• Do not present false documents or statements, or use a fixer or facilitator.  Each applicant is personally responsible for the entire NIV application, documents and statements, even if another person helps prepare your application.  Making false statements to a U.S. government official is a felony and you will be permanently ineligible for a U.S. visa.  In addition, any NIV applicant who gives false documents is turned over to Indonesian police.
• Remember that a visitor (B) visa is only for a brief, temporary stay in the United States.  It does not give the applicant the right to work, study, reside or change to some other status.  There are specific visas for other purposes, and U.S. law requires that you enter the United States with the correct visa in hand.
• Come by yourself.  Family, friends, co-workers or employers (including U.S. citizens) who are not applying for a visa themselves will not be allowed to enter the Embassy facility with you.

Security at the U.S. Embassy

Entry to all U.S. government facilities is strictly controlled, similar to that encountered in international air travel.  Please do not bring the following items as there are no storage lockers at or near the U.S. Embassy:

• All battery operated or electronic gadgets such as mobile phones, digital diaries, digital watches, pagers, cameras, audio/video cassettes, compact discs, MP3's, floppies, laptops, palmtops or portable music players.
• All large, bulky bags, such as travel bags, over the shoulder purses, backpacks, briefcases, or suitcases. Please limit your hand-carry items to a small purse and plastic folder containing your application documents.  
• Any food or consumable.  Drinking water is available. Small snacks are also available for purchase.  
• Sealed envelopes or packages.
• Cigarettes / cigars / match boxes / lighters / other flammables.
• Any sharp objects such as scissors, knives of any size or nail files.
• Weapons or explosive material of any kind.

The list provided above is not exhaustive. All persons and their belongings are subject to search. Other items may be prohibited based on security staff discretion. There is no facility at the Embassy to store prohibited items. 

If you have further question regarding your application or appointment, please see Frequently asked questions for the Online Nonimmigrant Visa Electronic Application (DS-160).
You may also call our call center:  007-803-601-5235, 7 am to 7 pm, Monday through Friday, excluding US holidays and Indonesian holidays, or email support-indonesia@ustraveldocs.com.