Visa Application Procedures

Travelers to the United States who are not United States citizens require a visa to enter the United States if they do not qualify for the Visa Waiver Program or otherwise qualify to travel without a visa.  A traveler’s age does not exempt the traveler from obtaining a visa. If you will be traveling with a group of people that are not your family members and would like to schedule an appointment together, you may use the “Group Processing” option during registration (Groups consist of people with the same travel itinerary, such as a delegation going to the same conference, or musicians performing together. To schedule a group appointment, you will need the names of all the members of your group).

How to Apply:

Step One: Before proceeding any further, please ensure you have completed the following actions:

• Completed the Nonimmigrant Visa Electronic Application, DS-160 confirmation and received a (barcode) number for each applicant. The application is found at https://ceac.state.gov/genniv.

• Please note that in order to schedule an appointment you will need to complete the payment of the visa application (MRV) fee. You will need to visit the Official Visa Services of the United States of America, available at: http://usvisa-info.com/ then continue through the online registration process to pay the MRV fee. If you choose to pay the fee by cash you will need to print the MRV fee payment slip. Please see fee payment options during your registration. Additionally, please ensure you have the passport number of each applicant available.

Step Two: Follow the flow of this website to schedule an appointment at the Consular Section in Istanbul. During this process, you will be asked to also select a courier option, which will allow your passport to be returned to you following the interview.  

Note: Applicants younger than 14 and older than 80 do not have to appear in person at the Consular Section. Please see “Step 1: Do you need an appointment?” for further information. Additionally, certain applicants renewing visas may qualify for special exemptions. Please see the “Returning Applicants” page. 

Important for E Visa Applicants: 

To request an E visa (Visa for Treaty Traders and Investors) appointment, please complete your registration on www.usvisa-info.com, make your payment and then send an e-mail to EVisasIstanbul@state.gov. Include any supporting documents as a single PDF file (Acrobat Reader) attachment to your e-mail.  We will not accept e-mail attachments that exceed 5 MB.  If your e-mail attachment is more than 5 MB, we will not schedule an appointment for you.

Important Note for Applicants with Fulbright Scholarship: 

Applicants with Fulbright Scholarships cannot schedule their appointments through the new appointment system GSS. Please kindly contact our Public Affairs Section in order to have information regarding how to schedule an appointment.

Step Three: Attend the scheduled appointment to complete the interview and to submit all visa application documents. See note under Step Two for certain exceptions to the appointment/interview requirement.

Step Four: Following the appointment and processing, your passport will be returned to you via the courier option you select on this site.

Accompanying Persons
Due to space and time limitations, the Consular Section can only allow visa applicants, or the parents of applicants under age 18, or one family member of an individual with a disability to accompany the applicant.  Other individuals including petitioners, legal representatives, family members, and friends will not be admitted to the Consular Section.

Security Information
Please do not bring any electronic devices, such as cell phones, laptop computers, Blackberries, iPods, USB sticks, portable game devices, or cameras to the Consular Section. Large bags, such as backpacks, suitcases or packages are also forbidden. There is no parking for applicants at the Consulate.

General Application Documents
The following are required of all visa applicants:

• All nonimmigrant visa applicants (regardless of age) are required to submit the DS-160 Nonimmigrant Visa Electronic Application. Form DS-160 must be completed online. At the time of the interview, applicants must submit the printed confirmation page with the barcode. To complete the DS-160, please visit https://ceac.state.gov/genniv.

IMPORTANT NOTE: Changes to the DS-160 can only be made BEFORE you electronically sign and submit it. Please make sure that all the information you provided on your DS-160 form is correct BEFORE you hit the Sign and Submit button. To make changes in your incomplete application, you may utilize the Retrieve Incomplete Application option. Using this option, you can retrieve applications that were initiated no later than 30 days ago. Alternatively, you can use the Save option to save the application on your computer or portable data storage device. In the latter case, the CEAC system will create a *.DAT file, which you can open later to continue your application.

• A passport valid for travel to the United States and valid for at least 6 months beyond the applicant's intended period of stay in the United States unless country specific agreements provide exceptions. Consult http://www.state.gov/documents/organization/104770.pdf for the list of exemptions. If more than one person is included in the passport, each person desiring a visa must make an application.

• Previous passports showing international trips or previously issued visas to the United States.

• One 5 x 5 cm (or 2” x 2”) color photo taken within the last 6 months. The photograph must meet the following requirements: face must be facing the camera, white background, ears exposed, glasses cannot cause a glare or be shaded dark, heading coverings are not permitted (unless worn for religious reasons). Please click here for photo guidelines.  

• Optionally, applicants may bring documents to support their reason for travel and to establish their professional, financial, and familial ties to their home country, such as verification of student status or employment, evidence of their financial resources, etc.

Family Information/Derivative Visas
An applicant's spouse and unmarried children under 21 years of age may apply for a visa to accompany or follow the principal applicant to the United States. If eligible, the family members will be issued a visa of their own based on the principal applicant's original visa. The principal applicant must be able to prove that the family can be supported financially during the stay in the United States.

1. Generally, the spouse and/or children of the principal applicant are not permitted to work.
2. Children with a derivative visa may attend either public or private schools.
3. A derivative visa cannot be issued to partners who are not legally married. They will have to apply for a Visitor Visa.

When applying for a derivative visa after the principal visa applicant has received a visa, the derivative visa applicant must submit the following in addition to the required application documents:

1. a copy of the marriage certificate and/or birth certificate proving the familial relationship;
2. a copy of the principal's visa or official documentation from USCIS that the principal applicant is in Status;
3. a copy of the personal data page from the principal applicant's passport.