Citizen Services Hours
For after-hours emergencies involving an American citizen in Mali, please contact the Embassy Duty Officer via the main Embassy telephone number, (+223) 20-70-23-01 or 20-70-23-02
For emergencies during normal Consular hours, please contact the Consular Section at (+223) 20-70-25-05. You are also welcome to come to the Embassy for emergency assistance.
Normal Consular hours are:
Monday through Thursday from 11:00 am to 15:00 pm
Fridays from 8:00 am to 11:00 am.
Please note that U.S. Embassy is closed on all U.S. Federal and Malian holidays.
The consular section strives to respond quickly and efficiently to all public inquiries. In order to do so, it is critical that all citizens respect the following hours:
In an effort to provide more efficient services to American Citizens, the Consular Section of the Embassy of the United States of America, Bamako will be implementing revised public hours effective November 21, 2011. Please note that with the exception of emergency American Citizen Services, all services listed below are now by appointment only.
• U.S. Passport renewals
• Visa pages
• Consular Reports of Birth Abroad
• Notarials etc …
American Citizen Services (non-emergency):
Monday, Tuesday and Thursday: 10:00A.M - 03:00P.M
Friday: 8:00A.M - 11:00A.M
• To make an appointment for visa pages and notarial, please go to: https://evisaforms.state.gov/acs/make_calendar.asp?postcode=BAM&appcode=1&type=3&servicetype=NS&First=Y
• To make an appointment for CRBA and Passports, please go to: https://evisaforms.state.gov/acs/default.asp?postcode=BAM&appcode=1
American Citizen Services (Emergency Only):
The U.S. Embassy is closed on U.S. and Malian holidays and will not be able to provide non-emergency citizen services on these days. For any other American Citizen Services inquiries, please email acsbamako@state.gov
Immigrant visa petitions (I-130)
Please note that effective August 15, 2011, petitioners residing overseas will no longer be able to routinely file Forms I-130, Petitions for Alien Relative, with U.S. Embassies and Consulates except in locations where U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) has a public counter presence within the Embassy or Consulate. Petitioners residing overseas in countries where USCIS does not have a public counter presence will be required, starting August 15, 2011, to file their Forms I-130 by mail with the USCIS Chicago lockbox. U.S. Embassies and Consulates that do not have a USCIS presence will only be able to accept and process Forms I-130 in exceptional circumstances, as outlined below. Forms I-130 that were properly filed at an Embassy or Consulate overseas where USCIS does not have a presence before August 15, 2011, will not be affected by this change.
Filing Instructions beginning August 15, 2011:
Beginning August 15, 2011, petitioners residing overseas who wish to file a Form I-130, Petition for alien relative, may do so as follows:
- If the petitioner resides in a country in which USCIS has a public counter presence, the Form I-130 may be filed directly with the USCIS field office (see instructions below) or through the USCIS Chicago Lockbox at one of the below addresses.
- If the petitioner resides in a country where USCIS does not have a public counter presence, the Form I-130 must be filed with the USCIS Chicago Lockbox at one of the addresses below, unless the petitioner requests and is granted an exception based on one of the criteria described below:
USCIS Chicago Lockbox addresses for regular mail deliveries:
USCIS
P.O. Box 804625
Chicago, IL 60680-4107
USCIS Chicago Lockbox address for express mail and courier deliveries:
USCIS
Attn: I-130
131 South Dearborn-3rd Floor
Chicago, IL 60603-5517
For additional information about how to file a Form I-130 with the USCIS Chicago lockbox, please see the USCIS website at http://www.uscis.gov/ or contact USCIS by phone at 1-800-375-5283.
Filing at USCIS Overseas field offices:
From August 15, 2011, petitioners residing in a country where USCIS has a field office, with a public counter, may choose to file the Form I-130 either through the Chicago lockbox or at the USCIS field office. Petitioners should contact the USCIS field office with any questions regarding the filing of petitions. For more information on where USCIS has overseas field offices and contact information, please Visit: http://www.uscis.gov/international.
Exceptional Filing at U.S. Embassies or Consulates
without a USCIS Field Office:
Beginning August 15, 2011, petitioners, who do not reside in a country with a USCIS field office, but who believe that their situation merits an exception, may request an exception to allow the Consular Section at the Embassy or Consulate to accept the filing. Each request for an exception will be evaluated individually.
A petitioner seeking to file a Form I-130 at an Embassy or Consulate where USCIS does not have a presence should contact the Consular Section to request consideration of the request for exception and explain the circumstances in detail. The Consular Section will then relay the request for an exception to the USCIS field office with jurisdiction over the Embassy or Consulate. The determination of whether the case presents exceptional circumstances that warrant an exception to the general filing process will be made by USCIS. USCIS will be publishing guidance on the circumstances that may qualify as exceptional on their website at: http://www.uscis.gov/ilink/docView/AFM/HTML/AFM/0-0-0-1/0-0-0-3481/0-0-0-6254.html
Please contact the Consular Section at acsbamako@state.gov or (+223) 20-70-23-05 for further information.
American Citizens who wish to enroll in the Smart Travel Enrollment Program are welcome to come during normalConsular hours which are Monday through Thursday from 8:00 am to 4:30 pm, Fridays from 8:00 am to 11:00 am, with the exceptin of Wednesday afternoons when the Consular Section is closed to the public.
