Embassy of the United States Spain

U.S. Embassy Annouces Waiver of Interview for Certain Visa Applicants under Reuse/Reissuance Program

Beginning January 18, 2011 certain U.S. visa holders will not need to interview when applying for a new visa.  Any Spanish or Andorran Citizen with a previous visa issued on or after October 2, 2007, and who has previously enrolled a full set of fingerprints (10 prints) at a U.S. Embassy or Consulate will no longer need an interview if he or she:

• is renewing a C1/D, F, J, H, L, M, O, or I visa that expired no more than 12 months ago;
• student visa applicants (F, J, M) are eligible for the reuse/reissue procedures provided that the applicant is renewing his or her visa to continue attendance at the same institution as annotated on the previous visa;
• visa applicants (C1/D, H, L, O, I) are eligible for the reuse/reissue procedures provided that the applicant is renewing his or her visa to continue working with the same company as annotated on the previous visa;
• is not ineligible to receive a visa under U.S. visa law; 
• has never been refused a visa - or if refused, the refusal has been overcome.

These applicants may send by registered mail or contact our courier, MRW, to arrange delivery of their visa applications, passports, and supporting documents to the Embassy for fingerprint "Reuse."  If the U.S. visa is in an expired or soon to be expired passport, please send the old passport AND the new passport to the Embassy together.

• If an applicant had a previous US visa in a passport that was lost or stolen, they must submit the police report (denuncia policial)in addition to the other required documents
• If the applicant is requesting a petition based visa (H, O, L), they must also send in a copy of the valid petition (I-797 form)
• If the applicant is requesting an F, J or M visa, they must also send in a copy of the valid (Original) I-20, or DS-2019 form.
• If the applicant has a valid visa in an expired passport, they must send in the expired passport in addition to the new, valid passport

Applicants who meet all of the above criteria but have not enrolled their fingerprints may bring their passports and documents to the Consular Section from Monday to Friday  between 08.30 and 9.30 (except official Spanish and American holidays) to enroll their fingerprints for visa "Reissuance."  Applicants should receive their passports and visas from MRW within one week.  

If in doubt about whether your fingerprints are on file or if you qualify for the “Reissuance” procedure, it may be safest to make a regular appointment through our Call Center instead.

Finally, please note that we reserve the right to request that an applicant appear in person for an interview after reviewing his or her application.

For a fuller explanation of the criteria, and a list of documents required of applicants in each category, please see http://madrid.usembassy.gov/visas/travel/with/types.html.  For a regular appointment through our call center, see http://madrid.usembassy.gov/visas/travel/with/appointment.html.