Embassy of the United States Dominican Republic

Welcome to the Non-Immigrant Visa Section of the United States Embassy in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic. Our goal is to offer customer service guided by transparency, fairness, professionalism and integrity.  We are pleased that you want to visit the United States, and we hope  the information contained in this page, will assist you in the preparation of your non-immigrant visa application.    

What is a non-immigrant visa?

Non-Immigrant visas are used for temporary visits in the United States, whether it is for tourism, business, training, to participate in a conference or seminar, study, work temporarily, to participate in exchange programs, among others.  If you wish to immigrate to the United States, then a non-immigrant visa is not the appropriate visa for you.  For further information on non-immigrant visas and their different visa categories, please visit our Department of State page regarding:  Temporary Visits to the U.S.

A non-immigrant visa is a permission to enter the United States, but it does not guarantee that the entry will be authorized.  Please note, that the visa validity that was granted does not determine how much time you will be permitted to stay in the United States.  Both the entry and the length of stay will be determined by Customs and Border Protection at the port of entry.  

Who needs a visa?

Citizens of the Dominican Republic need a visa to travel to the United States.  However, there are citizens of some countries (many European and some Asian countries) that can travel to the U.S. without a visa, if they fulfill certain requirements.  For more information regarding the Visa Waiver Program, visit the Department of State website (http://travel.state.gov/visa/temp/without/without_1990.html)

How can I apply for a visa?

To apply for a non-immigrant visa, you must follow the steps that appear in the How To Apply Section

How do I use a visa?

One entry visas can only be used to enter the United States one time.  This means that once the visa is used, it is no longer valid to enter the U.S. again.  Multiple entry visas permit you to enter the U.S. repeatedly, during the visa’s validity time period.  Once, at the port of entry, the immigration authorities will decide the maximum amount of time you can remain in the United States.  If the type of visa you have was not granted for the purpose of extended periods in the U.S., then very frequent travel patterns or long periods of stay may affect negatively your future visa applications.

Important Security Notices

• Whenever I travel to the US, I am always delayed at the Point of Entry for questioning. How can I try to resolve any misunderstanding about my identity?
• List of Items that Cannot be Brought into the Consular Section Building