Embassy of the United States

Non Immigrant Visas

Visa Application Process

Scheduling an Appointment

All applicants (except those who qualify for the drop box program) must appear at the consular section for a personal interview. The fee for applying for a non-immigrant visa is USD $131. This non-refundable fee must be paid in advance at any Bank of Transylvania and the original receipt must be brought to the interview.

For more information on the visa issuance fee and other visa fees, please visit the Fees and Reciprocity Tables page.

Appointments are scheduled through the schedule center, not through the consular section. To make an appointment, follow these steps.

1. Pay the USD $131 MRV fee and get a PIN number (USD $11) at any Banca Transilvania. Note - The PIN number becomes active the next business day after 1:00 pm.
2. Call the schedule center at 0800 88 8472 (0800 88 VISA) or 021-202-9999 8:00 am to 6:00 pm, Monday to Friday to schedule your interview.
3. Applicants or their relatives located in the United States may call at 1-877-604-3202 between 8:00 am to 6:00 pm (Romanian local time), Monday to Friday to schedule your interview. The PIN fee will be paid over the phone using a credit card.
4. Provide your PIN to the customer service representative when requested.
5. One PIN is good for up to five appointments for members of a single family at the same address.
6. Provide the information requested by the customer service representative.
7. To re-schedule an appointment, contact the Schedule Center, not the consular section.

Applicants may not bring any electronic devices, metal objects, large bags, liquids, weapons, and/or any other items as instructed by the embassy’s security guards.

Note – The schedule center agents are not Embassy employees. They may answer general questions about the visa application process but cannot give advice about specific cases. For more information on the various types of visas, please visit the Non-Immigrant Visas page.

Emergency Appointments

All applicants for non-immigrant visas must first schedule an appointment through the call center following the instructions indicated above. If the call center is unable to schedule an appointment in time for your travel, or in the event of a life and death emergency, you may contact the Embassy directly to request an expedited appointment.

All applicants requesting an emergency appointment must send their request by fax (40)21-200-3381 or by email to VisasBucharest@state.gov. The request must include the following information:

• applicant’s name;
• applicant’s date of birth;
• applicant’s phone number including home, work and cell phone (if available);
• applicant’s reason for requesting an emergency appointment. (Please provide as much detailed information in your fax /email as possible so that the consular officer can determine the urgency of your request.); and
• attach any documentary proof of the emergency situation you have.

All letters for an emergency appointment will be reviewed on the day they are received and the applicant will be informed whether he/she has been given an emergency appointment. The embassy’s guidelines are very specific regarding what constitutes an emergency. These include:

• severe illness or death of an immediate family member (the applicant’s husband, wife, son, daughter, mother, father, brother, and/or sister);
• emergency medical treatment which includes any persons needing to travel for support (such as a parent caring for an ill child);
• emergency business travel; and/or
• emergency student travel.

Unfortunately, the Embassy is not able to grant emergency appointment requests for non-emergency travel (i.e. tourism). Travelers should therefore defer buying airline tickets until after receiving a U.S. visa.

If you are granted an emergency appointment, the consular section will contact you with the date and time of your appointment and a list of required documents to confirm your emergency situation. This is in addition to the documents required for all visa applicants, which can be found on the Forms and Documents page.

Drop Box

Certain applicants may qualify to use the drop-box program, which allows them to apply for a visa without a personal interview. Qualified applicants include those who are

• age 80 years or older; or
• minors under the age of 14, where both parents have valid tourist visas and also have previously traveled to the United States.

These applicants may submit their applications and supporting documents to the consular section via a courier service of their choice or in person between the hours of 2- 3 pm Monday through Thursday. Include the visa application form, photo, original passports (current and previous) of the applicant and the parents if applying for a minor, original bank receipt (electronic version), copy of the minor’s birth certificate, and any other supporting documents. If the applicant chooses to use a courier service, the courier service will return the applicant’s passport and other documents after the consular section has processed the application. The consular section returns the documents to the courier service within two business days, and the courier service is then responsible for the delivery of the documents to the applicant. The courier service cost is paid directly by the applicant(s).

If the applicant chooses to drop off and pick up the passports and documents in person, the applicant may return to the consular section after two business days at 3 pm Monday to Friday.

Submission of documents through the drop-box does not ensure visa issuance. In some cases, a consular officer may request that an applicant come to the consular section for an interview.

Visa Processing Time

In most cases, the consular officer will make a decision at the conclusion of the visa interview. If an applicant qualifies for a visa, the visa and passport will be ready the following business day. If the applicant does not qualify for a visa, the passport is returned at the conclusion of the visa interview along with a letter explaining the legal basis for the refusal. In some cases, visa applicants are asked to come back at a later date with additional documentation.

If the visa is approved, the applicant may pick it up at the reception at 3:00pm the next business day (Monday through Friday). If the applicant is not able to pick up his/her passport in person, he/she may use a courier service to have it delivered. If the applicant wishes to use this service, he/she must fill out a mailing slip immediately after the interview. Mailing slips and instructions are available in the waiting area next to the cashier.

The cost depends on the zone in which one lives. See the courier’s website for additional information. The charge is paid upon delivery of the passport. Delivery takes approximately 2 – 3 business days after the interview. The U.S. Embassy bears no responsibility for lost passports, if an applicant decides to use the courier service.

Business Travel Facilitation Program

Employees of members of the Romanian-American Chamber of Commerce may qualify for a special appointment program. For more information on the program, please contact the Romanian-American Chamber of Commerce.

For any visa-related question not answered on the consular section’s website, applicants may refer to the A-Z Subject Index or send a message to the following email address: VisasBucharest@state.gov. In most cases, the message will be answered within 3 business days.