Embassy Appointment

All applicants are required to attend their visa interview, including all children no matter their age.   For children under the age of 18, both parents must be present.  If the second parent cannot attend the interview, at least one parent must be present and must present a notarized letter and a copy of the cédula from the absent parent granting permission for the child to travel.

You must bring the following documents with you to your interview for a non-immigrant visa:

• Your appointment confirmation letter from http://ustraveldocs.com/pa or appointment confirmation e-mail.
• The printed receipt for your visa application fee.
• Valid passport or passport with at least 6 months of validity from the date of interview. Some countries have an agreement with the U.S. to allow for the use of passports that are valid for at least the length of a visitor’s stay in the U.S. 
• The DS-160 confirmation page.
• Parents applying for their children’s visas must bring their children’s birth certificates.
• Students and exchange visitors applying for F1, M1, and J1 visas must bring proof that they have paid the SEVIS fee, as well as an I-20 or DS-2019.
• One photograph taken within the past six months (approximately 2”x 2”) with white background; forehead, chin and both ears must be shown. See here for more details.

It is strongly recommended that you bring documents that show your ties to Panama:

• All employed persons: a recent job letter addressed to the Consular Section which states: length of time in job, position (permanent or temporary), salary, and available vacation time.
• Salaried employees: your last social security receipt (ficha), or, for an employee of the Government of Panama, your last pay stub.
• Self-employed persons: your income tax declarations and receipts from the last three years.
• Retirees: your last pension check stub, or for retirees of the U.S. government, any document showing your yearly income or annuity.
• Dependents or minor children: the documents of your parents.
• Spouse who is not employed: the documents of your working spouse.
• Students: your last registration receipt from school or university and employment documents of your parents or whoever is paying for your education.
• Other documents that may support your application: letters from banks where you have a checking or savings account, vehicle titles, title to property, etc.
• Expired passports containing previously issued U.S. visas.

If you are traveling to the U.S. for medical treatment, please ensure that you bring the documents requested here.

Please note that presenting the requested documents does not guarantee that your visa will be approved.  Submitting inaccurate, altered or counterfeit documents may result in lifetime ineligibility for a visa or even arrest.

If your question was not answered, or for more information about visas to the U.S., the visa process and the U.S. Department of State, please click here.

Appointment Time
Please arrive at the Embassy no earlier than 30 minutes before your appointment.  Your visa interview will be processed by your appointment time, not the time you arrived in the Consular Section.  Arriving early will likely mean that you have to wait longer.

Parking
Due to security concerns, we are no longer able to offer parking inside the Embassy compound.  Consular visitors will need to find parking in the lot located immediately outside of the Embassy compound. These spaces are available on a first come, first serve basis.   If you are disabled or elderly, please click here for special instructions.

Note about bringing pets to the Embassy
Please take note that pets are not allowed on Embassy grounds.  Exceptions are made for service animals such as seeing-eye dogs.  If visitors come to the Embassy with pets, they will be asked by the guards to either leave them in their vehicles to be parked outside the front gate, or left in the care of someone they know.

Security
To enter the Consular Section of the Embassy, you will pass through a security check.  Please note that due to worldwide security concerns, cell phones, luggage, backpacks and carrying bags may not be brought into the Consular Section.  Please do not attempt to bring these items inside.  The guards have been instructed to prevent access of any luggage or carry bags or packs unless there is a clearly demonstrated emergency or medical need that is authorized by the Consular Officer or the Regional Security Officer.  After passing through security, you will be allowed into the waiting room, where your application and documents will be reviewed for completeness.

If your documents are in order, you will be asked to take a number and to sit down.  Before your interview starts, your fingerprints will be taken electronically.

Fingerprinting
Please see the video below for an illustration of the fingerprinting process.

Fingerprinting Video - Click Here

When using the DS-160, submitting your fingerprints is your certification under penalty of perjury that you have read and understood the questions in your visa application and that all statements you made therein are true and complete to the best of your knowledge and belief.  It also certifies under penalty of perjury that all of the statements you make during your interview are true and complete to the best of your knowledge and belief.

If your question was not answered, or for more information about visas to the U.S., the visa process and the U.S. Department of State, please click here.

Consular Interview
When it is time for your interview, the officer will call your number.  You will go to the window specified, and the officer will begin your interview.  The interview is your opportunity to explain to the officer your ties in Panama (or another country outside the U.S.), why you seek to travel to the U.S., and other relevant information. 

As a result of the large number of people applying for visas each day, the interviews are often short.  It is essential that the visa applicant be able to describe a clear, coherent travel plan and provide accurate answers to all written and oral questions.  Inconsistent, inaccurate or unrealistic answers make it difficult for the consular officer to conclude that the proposed trip is temporary in nature, or that the applicant is otherwise qualified for a visa.

Consular officers base their decisions solely on the law, the regulations and Department of State policy. Consular officers have discretion to review or not review documents that are brought to an interview.  Please be aware that visa decisions may be made solely based on the content of the interview irrespective of any documentation presented.

If your question was not answered, or for more information about visas to the U.S., the visa process and the U.S. Department of State, please click here.