Step 5: The Day of the Interview
- On the day of your interview, all visa applicants first report to the "Sala de Servicios Migratorios Muncipal" located in the Embassy Plaza Shopping Center on the north side of the Consulate compound. Please do not arrive at the Municipal Waiting Area more than 30 minutes before your scheduled appointment. Your place in line will not be determined by the order you arrive. It is not necessary to arrive in the pre-dawn hours to get in line.
- Please bring originals of all your documents to your visa interview. Applicants must also bring the appointment letter issued by NVC or the Consulate. If you do not, you will be turned away.
- The following people may accompany the visa applicant during his or her visit to the consulate:
- Interpreters - an applicant may bring one interpreter if he or she does not speak English or Spanish well enough to participate unassisted in the visa interview
- Special Needs Visitors - Applicants may bring one person to help if they are elderly, disabled or if the applicant is a minor child applying for a visa.
- If you have a medical or other condition requiring a wheelchair or a special accommodation, please alert the greeters/guards to your needs as you enter the building.
- Due to the limited size of our waiting room, the high volume of visa applicants and the time required screening consular clients, other accompanying persons cannot and will not be admitted to the Consulate. Drivers, friends, extra relatives and others not specifically named above cannot be permitted to enter and will be asked to wait to meet the applicant at the Sala de Servicios Migratorios Municipal, located next to the Consulate to meet the applicant after the interview is completed. Attorneys will NOT be permitted to accompany anyone into the waiting room or to the interview.
- Dress appropriately for the interview and for the weather. Much of the Consulate waiting area is outside the building where there is no heat or air conditioning. You will not be allowed to bring in food or drink. Snacks and beverages are available for sale in the outside waiting area.
- To enter the compound, all persons must go through an airport-security type of screening. Click to see the list of items that are prohibited in the Consulate. The Consulate does not provide lockers or storage bins for personal items. Any person refusing to comply with all security screening procedures will be denied entry into the compound.
- Once you are allowed into the Consulate, you will be given a ticket number that you will need throughout the interview process as you go from the cashier, to the final check of documents, and to the actual interview. Your ticket number and which window to go to will flash on one of several screens in the waiting areas. Please pay attention to these screens. Occasionally we may have to call you by name. If you miss your number or name, the next applicant will be called and your wait will be longer. At each window and during the interview, it is important you answer each question honestly and provide as much information as you can. If you do not provide honest answers, your visa may be denied or you may be rescheduled for another day. DO NOT attempt to conceal or give inaccurate information.
NOTE: Any fees for visa services are collected only inside the medical clinics or within the Consulate. Neither the medical clinics nor the Consulate collect fees outside - do not pay any fees except at the cashier inside the clinics or Consulate. Individuals in Plaza Nicole, local hotels or other locations do not work for the Consulate or medical clinics. For accurate information about your visa case, Consulate staff are available to answer your questions at the windows at the Consulate security entrance.
Remember, during the entire visa application and interview process, you must tell the truth and give complete and accurate information. If you do not, your visa will be delayed or you may be found ineligible for a visa that you may have qualified for otherwise.