Where can I get a US visa? Planning a tourist trip

For almost six months now, Andryusiks and I have been traveling around sunny Mexico and we no longer even remember the troubles that we had to face before we got here. At first we spent a long time deciding where to go on our second big trip; after we chose Mexico, we became concerned with technical issues. We bought tickets to Mexico City with a transfer in New York, received a Mexican visa, packed our things and were ready to plunge into a sea of ​​new impressions, but, as it turned out, a big surprise awaited us. Instead of quietly flying to Mexico, Andryusiks and I had to receive US visa in Moscow.

It turned out that for a banal transfer at the New York airport to a plane to Mexico City, an American visa is required. So keep in mind that there is no transit area at US airports; a US visa is required for any transfer. Well, it is necessary, then it is necessary.

So, the action plan for obtaining a US visa is as follows:

• fill out the DS-160 form on the website in English (for those who find it difficult and incomprehensible: an example of filling out the form), then print out confirmation of the application (sheet with photo and barcode);
• we pay a fee of 160 dollars (in our case it was 5280 rubles), print out a confirmation of payment (you can first pay the fee, then fill out the form, since it will take several hours for the funds to be credited);
• register on the site, receive a letter with a password to enter your personal account;
• after the payment is confirmed, we sign up for an interview in your personal account (you will need the number/date of issue/validity period of the international passport, the number and date of the receipt for payment of the consular fee, the ten-digit confirmation number from the page of the DS-160 questionnaire (starts with AA), print out the confirmation invitations to an interview.

The list of documents that must be taken to the interview is MANDATORY:

• a valid international passport (the cover must be removed);
• DS-160 Application Confirmation Page;
• printout of confirmation of invitation to interview.

List of documents that you can take ADDITIONALLY:

• old passport (if you have one);
• color photo 5*5 (photo requirements), in case your photo is not counted from the application form or if you did not upload it at all (in the latter case, you must take a photo);
• a certificate from work indicating the position and salary (in free form);
• documents confirming solvency (account statements, documents confirming the ownership of this or that property, etc.);
• documents confirming the purpose of the trip (for example, if it is tourism, you need to draw up a trip plan indicating where, why and for how long you are going);
• everything else you want.

There is no need to translate documents into English. Do not bring any reservations for tickets, hotels, tours, etc., since their presence reduces the chances of getting a visa (it shows that you really want to get to the States, and this is bad, you need to make a more or less neutral impression, like “give me a visa - fine, if you don’t give it - it’s okay”). In most cases, additional documents are not asked.

However, you can select housing options for yourself in advance, for example, on the now so popular website Airbnb, which provides a lot of interesting options in the States from very inexpensive rooms and apartments to luxury apartments and houses:

Procedure on the day of the interview (using our example):

• The embassy is located at Novinsky Boulevard, building 21. The nearest metro stations are Barrikadnaya or Krasnopresnenskaya. From any of these stations, go towards the Garden Ring and turn right. The US Embassy is located in a building next to the Chaliapin House.
• It is better to arrive for the interview 15-30 minutes before the appointed time. Our time was 8:30, and we arrived at about ten minutes to eight. We arrived and found a rather large queue. Fortunately, she moved very quickly. I only had to stand on the street for about ten minutes. First of all, on the street, our policeman collects passports in sets of ten and takes them to his booth, apparently to register visitors, then distributes them back and allows them into the territory of the Embassy.
• Before entering the building, you will have to lay out all your headphones, lighters, etc., and in general it is better not to take them with you, just like large bags. They will also not let you in with knives, razors, perfume, etc., so if you don’t want to leave them on the street and hope for the honesty of your compatriots, leave everything at home. Only cell phones are accepted for storage and only when they are turned off.
• Upon entering the building, prepare a piece of paper confirming your invitation to an interview; it will be checked. They will also check your bags.
• Go further and hand over your cell phone for storage.
• The following doors await you, before entering which you need to take off your outerwear and belts.
• Go through the frame and place your things on the belt, just like at the airport.
• Go to the 1st hall. There are two windows here. You submit your passport, DS-160 confirmation and invitation confirmation to one of them. A number is attached to your documents, for example A-123. There are three scoreboards hanging right above the windows and in the next room. Wait until your number lights up on the first one. At this time you can sit and relax, buy tea, coffee and sweets, and visit the toilet.
• As soon as you see your number, follow the signs to the 2nd hall. Here again look at the scoreboard which window to approach. You give your auntie your passport and DS-160 confirmation, she does something with them, returns them and sends them back to the 1st hall.
• Now wait until your number lights up on the second display. As soon as you see him, you step back into the second hall, go to the appropriate window and give your fingerprints (first four fingers of your left hand, then four of your right hand and then two big ones, press your fingers harder). Return to the 1st hall again and wait for your number to appear on the third scoreboard.
• If you see it, go to the 3rd hall, where the interview will take place. Again, you are waiting for information about which window to approach. Things can be left on the chairs. Once you have received your number, you go talk to the consular officer.

Andrey and I signed up for the same time, but separately (that is, we had to answer questions in different windows). Family members can complete the interview together, in the same window.

Looking ahead, I will say that then the smiling consul called Andrei, since we were traveling together, and interviewed the two of us.

Our conversation:
K: Purpose of the visit?
Me: Tourism.
K: Where are you flying?
Me: New York.
K: (laughs) I forgot where you were flying...
Me: New York.
K: With whom?
Me: With my common-law husband.
K: Ahhh, you are a couple. Where is (the couple)?
Me: In line (and point to Andrey, after which the consul calls him over, takes the documents and we go through the interview together)
K: How long are you flying?
Me: Two weeks.
K: (addresses Andrey about his place of work) What does your company do?
A: Provides advertising services.
K: (looks at previous visas in the passport) When were you in Syria?
A: In 2011.
K: (with a smile) Ahhh, no problem.
A: Yes, we did.
K: Your visas have been approved. Will be ready within a week.

All!!! Visas received! The entire conversation took place in a relaxed manner with a smile and took only a few minutes. Perhaps we were just lucky. We were interviewed by a young guy who looked about 25 years old.

It took us 1 hour and 15 minutes to do everything.

Yes, by the way, we did not have Schengen visas in our passports (some people believe that if there are such, they are more willing to give a US visa).

You will leave the Embassy through a different door, so if you left your phone in the storage room, do not forget to pick it up (in the window outside next to the policeman who took your passport at the very beginning).

There are several ways to get your passport with a ready-made visa:

• order delivery to your home or office (you don’t need to pay anything extra, the cost of delivery is included in the consular fee);
• pick up yourself at Pony Express (three offices to choose from).

We decided to pick it up ourselves at Pony Express on Myasnitsky Proezd, 2/1 (Krasnye Vorota metro station).

Greetings to all blog readers website! Today I will talk about my experience of independently obtaining US tourist visa type B1/B2 (visa for tourist and business trips). Currently, such visas are usually issued for three years, but in this article I describe the experience of independently obtaining my first American visa - then I was given it for two years, and initially I only applied for one. After that first visa, there was a second one, but the method of obtaining a second visa to the USA is seriously different from the initial one, so I’ll tell you about it another time.

Why do you need a US visa?

First of all, I’ll tell you in a nutshell why you need a visa to the USA at all :-) The answer to this question is somewhat broader than it seems at first glance. Firstly, an American visa is required to travel around America - everything is clear here. Secondly, a valid US visa allows you to fly from Moscow, for example, to Mexico relatively cheaply Cancun: Direct flights are usually outrageously expensive, and the best connecting tickets tend to have connections in New York- but there is no transit zone at American airports, so even in order to spend a few hours in America and go further to the heavenly beaches Cancun or Playa del Carmen, you must have a visa. Thirdly, having a valid American visa can have a very beneficial effect on the mood of employees of European consulates: for example, having a US visa, I easily and naturally received a French Schengen visa for 5 years, which I still use to travel throughout Europe. Of course, the presence of an American visa was not the most important factor in such visa generosity on the part of the French - rather, it was my long-standing and very careful visa “love” with France that had an impact, but the presence of a very difficult to obtain American visa played an important role.

There is one more point, but for Russians it has ceased to be relevant since 2014: some Latin American countries - for example, Costa Rica And Panama– until 2014, Russians were visa-required, but you can easily enter there if you have a valid US visa. And, although citizens of the Russian Federation no longer need to read this paragraph, for citizens of other ex-USSR countries (including Ukrainians) everything remains the same: an American visa can be very useful for them to visit the United States itself and the above-mentioned Latin American countries.

The algorithm for submitting documents when obtaining a US visa on your own consists of two main stages - preparation for an interview at the embassy and the interview itself.

Visa to the USA on your own - preparation

At this stage, you need to perform the following sequence of actions:

1. We pay the fee in the amount of 160 US dollars (in case of visa refusal, the fee is not refundable) and print out confirmation of payment. Why do we pay first and then fill out the form: transferring money to the consulate’s account can take several hours and it’s better to start with payment so as not to waste time.

2. Then you need to fill it out on the website questionnaire DS-160 . You must fill it out in English (you can see it at this link example of filling out a form ). When filling out the application, you will need to upload your photo, which can then be used as a photo on your visa. Therefore, I would recommend first of all to take a 50mm*50mm color photograph in a photo studio according to US visa photo requirements and have it in two forms: on paper and in electronic format. We attach the electronic photograph to the DS-160 form filled out on the website, and take the paper photograph with us to the interview at the embassy.

3. After filling out the form on the website, we print out confirmation of your visa application.

4. After receiving the payment and filling out the form, you must register on the site and receive a confirmation message with a password to log into your Personal Area .

5. In your personal account, we sign up for an interview at the US Embassy (to do this, you will need to enter in a special form the number, date of issue and validity period of the international passport, number and date of the receipt for payment of the consular fee, as well as the confirmation number of the visa application (ten-digit number from the application page DS-160, starts with AA).

6. We print out the confirmation of the invitation for an interview and, on the appointed day and time, appear for a conversation with an embassy employee. On the website you can select your preferred date and time of visit; in my case, the nearest “window” was 10 days later. My visit to the USA was planned only in 4 months, so I chose a later and convenient time for me.

Now we have come to the most exciting stage of the procedure for obtaining a US visa on your own - the interview at the embassy.

US visa on your own - interview

List of documents that you must take with you to an interview at the US Embassy:

✓ Valid passport

✓ Printout of the DS-160 application confirmation page

✓ A printout of the interview invitation confirmation with the date and time indicated on it

✓ A color photograph 50mm*50mm (requirements for a photo for a US visa), in case your photo is not counted from the application form or there are some technical problems with its use for a visa (anything can happen, my embassy staff themselves asked for a paper photo )

Documents that are not required, but desirable:

✓ Old passport (if you have one) - especially if it contained Schengen and/or British multiple visas

✓ Certificate from work indicating position, salary and contact information for verification (in free form). It is advisable to warn the employee indicated in the certificate about a possible call from the US Embassy - so as not to be scared :-)

✓ Documents confirming your solvency and generally characterizing you as a socially positive character: account statements, proof of ownership of real estate, a car (if it is decent and relatively new, if you have an old rusty “nine” - it’s better not to mention it). For example, at the time I received my first American visa I had a dilapidated VAZ-21043, and I decided not to inform the embassy about it

✓ Documents confirming the purpose of the trip (for example, if it is tourism, a detailed and logical travel itinerary with information about where, why and for how long you are going will be very useful)

✓ Hotel reservations along the entire route

There is no need to translate documents into English. As for booking air tickets, they are not needed at the US Embassy. The local employees proceed from the fact that your chances of getting an American visa are far from 100% and expensive air tickets purchased in advance at a non-refundable fare in case of a visa refusal will mean guaranteed lost money. Well, in general, the less documentary evidence of your burning desire to go to America, the better. By default, US Embassy employees consider everyone who wants to obtain a visa as potential immigrants, and your task is to prove them otherwise. According to my observations, Americans are most willing to give visas to those who do not show any particular interest in this and who are doing well at home. But if you emphasize in every possible way your love for America and demonstrate an overly good knowledge of English, they may well refuse. Also, the chances of obtaining an American visa are not the highest if you have not previously had Schengen and other traditional visas and stamps for Russians: Thailand, Turkey, Egypt and the like. If a person has been sitting at home all his life and then suddenly decides to rush to America for no reason at all, this worries the embassy staff. Well, concluding the topic of “risk groups”, I would advise not to particularly hope for a visa for young people who are not burdened with a family, a stable job, significant real estate at home or a certain number of dependents - all of this can be regarded by US Embassy employees as factors contributing to your transformation from a trustworthy tourist to an illegal immigrant.

Returning to the topic of hotel reservations: although they are not required, having them will help you in a conversation with an embassy employee if he is interested in your travel itinerary.

You can book hotels in America using the search form below:

What's good Booking: in most cases, the reservation made can be easily canceled, which will help “sweeten the pill” in case of visa refusal.

Interview at the US Embassy

The US Embassy in Russia is located at Moscow, Novinsky Boulevard, building 21. Nearest metro stations – "Barricade" or "Krasnopresnenskaya". From both of these stations we go along Barrikadnaya Street towards the Garden Ring and turn right on it. We pass Kudrinskaya Square, Novinsky Passage and the Chaliapin House Museum - the US Embassy is located right behind it.

It is recommended to arrive 15 minutes before your scheduled time. I received my first visa in the winter, it was quite cold and a huge line of visa applicants crowding on the street in front of the entrance was not the most pleasant surprise for me. Fortunately, it moved quickly enough, but I still managed to freeze - in fact, for some reason this is the fact that I remember most from the entire process of obtaining a visa.

While you wait your turn to enter the building, a police officer collects your Russian passports, registers them in his ledger and then hands them back.

Prepare in advance for the fact that Americans take safety measures extremely seriously. At the entrance to the embassy building, you will be urged to remove lighters, small audio equipment, cameras, perfume bottles, razors, knives, etc. from your bags. You will have to leave all this at the entrance and hope that no one will “attach legs” to your things - only turned off mobile phones can be handed over to special embassy employees for safekeeping. It is also not advisable to come to an interview with large bags - in this case, you will be checked even more carefully. I came to my interview with a small sports backpack, which contained only passports (Russian and foreign), printouts of visa documents and a book to pass the time on the subway and in line. No phone, no anything else - less things, less questions and fuss.

At the entrance to the building, your bag will be checked and the interview time specified in the invitation will be checked. You will then be asked to deposit your mobile phone and remove your outerwear and belts - after which you will have to go through a metal detector. While you go through the frame, things need to be placed on the tape - in other words, the verification procedure is absolutely identical to that adopted at airports.

Having successfully passed the security check at the embassy entrance, you will be taken to hall N1 with two windows. In one of them you need to show your passport, a printout of the invitation to an interview and confirmation of submission of the DS-160 questionnaire. The employee will give you a piece of paper with a number - this number will then need to be tracked on electronic boards hanging from the ceiling. As soon as your number lights up on the first board (there are three in total), you need to follow the signs to hall N2 - here we look at the board again to understand which window to go to. We put all the same documents in the window, they are registered again somewhere. At this stage they asked me for a paper photograph - it was this that later appeared on my visa. Then you need to return to the first hall again and wait until your number lights up on the second display - now we go to the appropriate window and give fingerprints: first your left hand (four fingers and a separate thumb), then your right. After fingerprinting, we return to hall N1 and wait for our number to appear on the last, third display. As soon as it lights up, we go to the third hall and there we look at the signs to which specific window to go to.

Then the most interesting part begins: communication with the consular officer. A pretty black woman was talking to me, but she quickly became bored with our conversation. She only needed three questions, after which she announced with a white-toothed smile that my visa had been approved for two years and asked if I would like to pay for this extra year. Of course, I wanted to, but there was a complication: my passport expired in a year - that is, earlier than the visa. I described the situation to the officer and asked if it made sense to pay for the second year in my case. She replied that she did not see any problem: American immigration does not care at all about the validity of national passports and I will be able to enter the United States with a visa in an already invalid passport - the main thing is that along with the visa I also have a valid passport with me.

As for the interview itself before the announcement of the verdict, it seemed to me that the black woman officer was not at all interested in my answers as such: for the entire two minutes that our communication with her lasted, she looked at me intently and recorded how I was behaving - was I calm? whether I show excessive excitement or not, whether I avert my eyes. In short, she analyzed more the non-verbal aspects of communication than the actual answers to routine questions about where and why I was going.

That's all, the visa has been received. Or rather, at this stage it has been approved, and your passport with visa will be given to you a few days after the interview at the embassy. Everything - from the queue in front of the building to the above-described relaxed communication with the visa officer took me an hour and a half - looking at the huge queue in front of the embassy, ​​I was prepared to lose at least four to five hours.

When leaving the embassy, ​​do not forget to pick up your mobile phone (if you deposited it) - it will be on the table in front of the police officer who registered your passport at the very beginning of the procedure.

How to get a passport with a ready-made US visa

There are two ways:

1. Pick up yourself at one of the company’s three Moscow offices Pony Express.
2. Order delivery to the desired address from the same Pony Express. It won't cost you a penny extra, everything is already paid for at the visa application stage.

I decided to pick up my passport myself at the office Pony Express near the metro “Red Gate”– the date of readiness for issue can be tracked Here .

Visa to the USA on your own - result

Obtaining a US visa on my own took me about two weeks from the moment of registering on the website and submitting the application to receiving a passport with a ready-made visa. I received my first American visa for two years - as far as I know, the embassy has recently begun issuing initial visas for three years, which makes obtaining it even more attractive and justified.

Official website of the US Embassy in Moscow US Visa Information Service website in Russia

Life hack: how I save on hotels and insurance

In addition to traditional and well-known tools - such as Booking or Hotellook, new online services have recently appeared that make the life of a traveler much easier and pleasantly protect the thickness of his wallet. One of them - Roomguru– I use it myself all the time and recommend it to all my friends and acquaintances. This service compares prices for an object in 30 booking systems at once and offers you the most interesting options. In addition, it tracks discounts and special offers.

As for good working travel insurance, it was not easy to find before, but now it has become even more difficult due to the constant jumps in the exchange rate of the ruble against world currencies. For the last few years, I have been purchasing insurance for my travels through an online service - here you can compare the products of different insurers and choose what suits you best:

Useful articles about the USA:

P.S. Don't forget to join our facebook groups www.facebook.com/site , google+ www.google.com/site and in contact vk.com/site , and also subscribe to site updates by email to follow the release of new articles about independent travel around the world.

Good luck in obtaining your US visa on your own!
Your Roman Mironenko

, Obtaining a US visa (2019).

About a tourist visa to America for Russian citizens

The United States attracts travelers from all over the world primarily for its diversity: here you can gaze at the ultra-modern skyscrapers of New York, touch the history of Washington, and soak up the beaches of Miami. To see all this, you need to register US tourist visa, but this is not so easy to do. This issue should be approached responsibly. If you have already tried and been refused, then do not despair - getting a US visa after a refusal is quite possible! However, it is better to immediately try not to make mistakes and not spoil your visa history. You can easily cope with this by studying our section on obtaining a US visa for tourism in 2019.

Features of obtaining a tourist visa to the USA

US Tourist Visa in 2019, issued for a period of up to 3 years, allowing the traveler to make multiple trips to America lasting up to 180 days per visit. The number of days possible to stay in the United States on a tourist visa is determined by the border guard at the airport of arrival at each visit. As a rule, 180 days are entered on the first trip. For subsequent visits, the number of days depends on a number of factors, including the frequency and duration of past trips. With a tourist visa, it is not recommended to travel to the USA more than 3-5 times a year and stay in America for a total of more than 50-60 days.

• group or individual tours of American cities;
• holidays on the beaches and resorts of America, Hawaii, the Caribbean;
• visiting various nature reserves and national parks;
• cruises on the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans with stops in the USA;
• practicing various types of extreme sports in America.

The decision on a tourist visa to America is made based on the results of a personal interview between a visa officer and the applicant at one of the official US missions. In 2019, most interviews for US tourist visas for Russian citizens are conducted at the US Embassy in Moscow or abroad. Consulates in Yekaterinburg and Vladivostok accept applicants on a limited basis. On the day of the visit to the Embassy, ​​the traveler must present registration documents, a passport and, as the Americans themselves say, any documents that can confirm your visa application and help during personal communication with the visa officer.

Tourist visa to America– one of the most frequently requested by applicants at the American Embassy. Its design must be approached responsibly, because... It is not enough just to book a hotel or buy a tour to get a tourist visa to the United States. The American Embassy must see the serious approach of the traveler regarding the planned trip to America, strong economic and social ties with Russia, a correctly compiled package of documents, and a correctly filled out electronic visa application form. Moreover, you need to seriously prepare for the interview and be ready to answer any questions about the planned trip.

IMPORTANT The US tourist visa is a B1/B2 category visa. You can find detailed information about this type of visa in the section “B1/B2 Visa: Frequently Asked Questions”. The answers to the questions provided will save you time and help you better understand the features of obtaining a visa to America for the purpose of tourism. Please read this section carefully.

Documents for a US tourist visa in 2019

1 – Detailed description of the travel route in the USA. This is about the ability to verbally present a travel plan. For US tourist visa no need to book a hotel, plane tickets, or buy special tours. You just need to be able to clearly and clearly tell where you are going, what you will do and where you will stay. Before receiving a tourist visa to America, the trip is planned, which means you just need to talk about what you are going to do in the States, without documentary evidence. Moreover, providing paid reservations and purchased tickets is perceived as pressure on the visa officer.

2 – Certificate from the place of work of the tourist or sponsor. A certificate of employment is drawn up on the official letterhead of the employing company, indicating details and contact numbers. It is necessary to reflect the applicant’s position, length of service at this enterprise, average monthly salary and briefly describe the scope of the organization’s activities. For tourist visa The certificate can also indicate that, at the time of the trip to America, the applicant will be granted leave. If the applicant does not pay for a tourist trip to the United States on his own, he must provide a letter of sponsorship and a certificate from the place of employment of the tour sponsor.

3 – Passports with current or previous visas. In order to obtain a tourist visa to the USA you need to be an avid traveler. One of the key factors influencing a visa officer’s positive decision is the presence of current or previous visas in the passport. To obtain a tourist visa to America, the applicant must have an impeccable visa history. You should travel as much as possible around Europe and the world in general. As for the Schengen zone, it is preferable to open separate visas for each country of destination. A big plus will be the presence of rare and complex visas in your foreign passport (England, Germany, Australia).

4 – Other documents for a tourist visa. Depending on the interview situation, other documents may be required for a US visa. Our specialists compile an individual list of documents in each specific case. For example, for applicants under 18 years of age, it is necessary to prepare consent for departure from the parents (if the child is traveling to the USA with mom/dad or alone/accompanied by another adult). Students of schools and universities can bring a certificate from their place of study, student ID, and grade book to the interview. It is also recommended to have with you certificates of marriage registration and birth of minor children (if available).

Purchasing a tour as a guarantee of issuing a visa to America

When planning a trip to America, many consider the option of purchasing a tour or cruise from travel companies. There is an opinion that the presence of a paid trip is a compelling argument for a visa officer to issue a tourist visa. This is actually a misconception. Travel documents are accompanying documents for the Embassy and are rarely taken into account. This is quite logical: paid accommodation and air tickets in no way demonstrate a lack of immigration intentions. The same applies to tours and cruises. Usually the interview ends faster than the applicant has time to demonstrate such documents.

Most travelers, clients of our company, organize their trip on their own. When applying for a US visa, we advise them not to book or pay anything until they receive a positive response. When interviewing for a tourist visa, it is important that you have a clear plan for your trip. The officer may be interested in your travel route, sights you plan to see, etc. But documentary evidence of your words is required only in exceptional cases. We will tell you in detail at the consultation before the interview what you need to be prepared for and what documents to take with you to the Embassy.

Information reflected on the US tourist visa

How to get a US tourist visa for three years

1 – Call or write to us. To apply for a US tourist visa, call us at or This email address is being protected from spambots. You must have JavaScript enabled to view it.. After a few clarifying questions, our manager will assess your real chances of obtaining a tourist visa to America and tell you in detail what documents you will need to prepare based on your specific situation. You will also learn about the possible difficulties of obtaining a US visa in your case, as well as the best option for applying for a tourist visa to the United States. We will share with you the most up-to-date and reliable information about the visa process for a Russian traveler.

2 – Come to our company office. You must come to the office to discuss in more detail the details of obtaining a tourist visa to America. You need to take your foreign passports with you: the current one and all previous ones. We will look through them and return them right away - we don’t need to leave the originals! Our specialist will advise on the process of obtaining a tourist visa to the USA in 2019, determine the list of required documents, and give examples of basic certificates. We will also interview and photograph you using the DS-160 questionnaire. Afterwards, a visa support agreement will be concluded with you, and you will leave funds with us to transfer the consular fee.

3 – Prepare documents for a visa. After you leave, we will immediately get to work: process the documents, make an appointment for an interview, having previously discussed with you a convenient time. We will contact you within one or two business days and let you know the date on which you have an appointment with a US visa officer. By the set time, you must prepare documents according to the compiled list. If you have any questions, we will promptly advise you. If you encounter any difficulties in preparing any documents for a US tourist visa, we will help you prepare them taking into account the basic requirements for entering America.

4 – Go through an interview consultation. On the eve of the interview, you come to our office for a consultation. We will carefully review your certificates, arrange them in order of importance, and, if necessary, add documents from our side. We will then provide you with thorough preparation for your US tourist visa interview. We'll tell you how everything will go, what questions the visa officer will ask in your particular case. We will discuss how to answer them correctly and what is undesirable to say, as well as how to behave and look in order to increase the chances of success. This consultation can also be done over the phone if you are limited in time.

5 – Go through an interview with a visa officer. On the appointed day and time you go for an interview. Take with you a complete package of documents for a tourist visa to the USA, confirmation of the completed DS-160 form, civil and foreign passports. Before entering the building, you need to take a queue among the applicants registered at the same time as you. You go inside, following our instructions and advice. Behave calmly and confidently. Answer the visa officer's questions in accordance with the recommendations you receive from us. You can pick up your passport with a tourist visa to America from our office in two to three business days.

Leave a visa application

If you dream of seeing Niagara Falls, walking the bustling streets of Los Angeles, or standing on a glass platform above the Grand Canyon, then welcome to the US Embassy in Moscow. It is here that Russian citizens receive a tourist (aka non-immigrant) visa allowing entry into the United States.

Looking at the list of required documents and reading on various Internet sites about the nuances of passing an interview, it seems that you can understand that obtaining permission to enter the United States is difficult. Indeed, every applicant applying for a tourist visa has to provide the consular officer with a lot of documents confirming the recreational nature of the trip to the United States, because everyone is perceived here as a potential immigrant.

Is it difficult to get a visa yourself or is it better to contact a travel agency?

Obtaining an American visa is not a complicated procedure, but it requires proper paperwork. You can do this yourself, but if you don’t have time to delve into the step-by-step instructions, you can contact a travel agency and a qualified specialist. He will help you develop a route, tell you how to fill out the application form correctly, and sign you up for an interview.

For the interview, the applicant is left alone with the visa officer and the main thing is not the number of certificates, but truthful answers to questions about the tourist trip.

Step-by-step instructions for applying for a US visa yourself

Planning a tourist trip

An accurately drawn up itinerary will help you imagine your future trip in detail, and will also be useful during an interview at the consulate (it will be proof of your real intentions). You can also confirm your route by booking hotels.

But the consulate staff themselves do not recommend purchasing air tickets with a fixed departure date. It is better to do this after the visa is approved.

If you purchase a tour package, then this step can be omitted - the voucher will indicate both the route and place of accommodation.

Collection and preparation of documents required to apply for a visa

Applicants wishing to visit the United States for tourism purposes must apply for a non-immigrant visitor visa (classified as Group B). B-1 visas are for short-term business trips, B-2 visas are for recreational, personal trips.

The choice of visa type determines the behavior of the consular officer during the interview (choice of language of communication, approximate plan of questions asked, etc.).

Once the itinerary has been drawn up and the type of visa has been determined, you can begin processing the documents.

• Registration on the website http://www.ustraveldocs.com/ru_ru/ru-steps.asp. All requests to the embassy are recorded here. In your personal account, you must indicate current personal data, including addresses and telephone numbers, international passport number and other information.
• Payment of non-refundable consular fee. How much does it cost? The fee for nonimmigrant visas is $160. The payment receipt is valid for one year from the date of payment.

A visa is required for everyone entering the United States, regardless of age.

A visa is required for everyone entering the United States.

Interview at the embassy

You must have with you: an international passport, a photograph (meeting the requirements of the embassy), printed confirmation of an invitation to an interview and submission of an application in the DS-160 form, all previously issued international passports, as well as a Russian passport, which is required to enter the embassy. In addition to these documents, you can take any documents confirming your tourist intentions. It can be:

1. Certificate of ownership;
2. Certificate of marriage and birth of children (if they remain in their homeland);
3. Certificate of salary, position held and vacation granted;
4. Bank account statement (to confirm the possibility of paying for a ticket, hotel, and related expenses for the requested period);

However, the presence of all the above documents does not guarantee a tourist visa. The main factor for a visa officer may be the presence of tourist trips to the countries of the Schengen Agreement, Asia, the USA, etc., they indicate a good visa history and confirm a high level of income.

Before the interview, each applicant, except children under 14 years of age, undergoes dactyloscopy (fingerprinting procedure).

Obtaining a visa

If the visa is approved, the process of obtaining a passport will take from 2 to 5 days. You can track the readiness of your passport on the embassy website, by email or by phone. It will be delivered to the address provided at the time of scheduling your interview by Pony Express, or will be stored at one of its offices until required.

Where to apply for a visa in Moscow?

The US Embassy in Moscow is located at:

Bolshoi Devyatinsky Lane, 8 index 121099 (nearest metro stations “Barrikadnaya” and “Krasnopresnenskaya”)

Residents of the North-Western, Far Eastern and Ural districts must contact the consulates of St. Petersburg, Yekaterinburg and Vladivostok.

How to get a visa for an unemployed person?

Having a job is one of the guarantors of financial solvency and solvency. And temporary lack of work is not a reason to refuse a visa. You can confirm the material well-being of an unemployed person:

• an extract from a current bank account;
• traveler's checks or certificates of currency purchase;
• banking history (confirmation of receipt of funds into the account);
• right of ownership of real estate.

In addition, you can use a sponsorship letter. This document, written in free form, confirms the willingness of a relative or friend to sponsor you for the duration of the tourist trip. This letter is additionally accompanied by a certificate from the sponsor’s place of work, a photocopy of the Russian passport and a document confirming the relationship.

To obtain a visa you need a guarantor of solvency.

How to get a re-visa?

US tourist visa holders may, in some cases, be allowed to obtain a re-visa without an embassy interview.

This is possible if fingerprinting was completed during the last interview and the visa has not expired or expired no more than 11 months ago. The applicant needs a visa of the same type as the previous one. The citizen himself must necessarily be on the territory of the Russian Federation.

The procedure for applying for a re-visa differs from the original one only in that the applicant submits a package of documents not to the embassy, ​​but to the Pony Express office. The approved visa will be delivered by employees of the same company to the address that the applicant indicated when scheduling an interview.

How to get a visa after refusal?

The most common is 214-B. The refusal is not final, since it is received by those who were unable to convince the consular officer of their tourist intentions. This includes young citizens who are unemployed or in low-paying positions, unmarried, those who previously received a short-term visit visa but remained in the United States for an extended period of time, as well as applicants who did not inspire confidence in the consular officer during the interview.

What to do? The very next day after receiving the refusal, the applicant has the right to sign up for an interview again (after paying the consular fee again). However, there is no need to rush: analyze the reason for the refusal and include in the package of documents those that confirm your reliability and solvency. For example, if your monthly income does not exceed $1000, then grab a sponsorship letter from a relative or employer, change your marital status, etc.

The most rare reason for refusal for tourists is Article 212-A. It indicates the impossibility of obtaining a visa in the future. The grounds for refusal of a visa under this article are considered to be an attempt to obtain a visa by fraud (providing false documents, etc.), committing serious crimes, or violating immigration laws.

What to do next? Submit a Form I-601 Petition to the Department of Homeland Security, explaining in detail why you should be granted exceptional entry into the United States. You can do this either independently or with the help of an immigration lawyer (the price of his services can reach 10 thousand US dollars).

Many Russian travelers planning a tour of the United States are interested in the question of how to obtain a US visa on their own without being refused. Our company is ready to offer its twenty years of successful experience in this matter and ensure a good chance of getting your visa application approved. Reasonable prices for services, professional staff, an individual approach to each case - these are our simple guarantees of success.

Difficulties in obtaining American visas

If you decide to apply for a US visa on your own, then you need to know that this is not a very simple matter. The country has a fairly strict official immigration policy, especially recently for Russians. Now the problem of how to get an American visa on your own has become before every citizen of Russia who is going to go there on a trip, tour or for other business. Every person planning to go to America is considered a potential illegal immigrant who wants to stay there. The main task of the US Embassy visa officers is to weed out such people.

Obtaining a US visa on your own is complicated by the fact that in addition to submitting an impressive list of papers and filling out a long application form in English, you also need to undergo an interview at the Embassy in Moscow or Consulates. Behavior during the interview has a decisive influence on the decision. Even if all documents are in perfect order, you can still get a refusal. Those who have now decided to apply for a US visa on their own should prepare very carefully for the conversation and think through the answers to possible questions.

US Visa Types

Depending on the actual purpose of the trip, US visas are divided into several types. A Russian citizen should apply for a visa that clearly corresponds to his objectives.

Tourist

This is one of the most common types of entry visa and is suitable for trips to the United States. She is assigned category B1. like this It’s a little easier to get a US tourist visa on your own than other types, however, there are also pitfalls here. They are associated with a list of required documents.

In the question of how to obtain a tourist visa to the USA on your own, the most important thing is to prove your intentions as a tourist. You need a detailed description of your tour plan, which should look logical and reflect the truth about the movements. It is not even necessary to provide a reservation from the hotel, the main thing is that all points of the route follow one after another, and the picture of the trip begins to logically develop before the eyes of the visa officer at the time of verification. It is important to indicate the real time for visiting certain places.

When a tourist visa to the USA is requested on your own, it is better not to provide any sponsorship letters or invitations from friends or relatives from the USA, as their presence may contribute to refusal. For Americans, relatives are potential help with immigration, and letters of sponsorship from friends do not fit into their mentality at all.

The chances of getting a tourist visa to the USA on your own increase if your passport already contains visas from any Anglo-Saxon country: Great Britain, Canada, Australia, New Zealand. Or there are stamps from distant countries: Japan, Indonesia, and so on. Having Schengen visas is not a particular advantage. How to get an American visa yourself if your passport is new and clean? This is possible, although the chances of approval are less.

Not only tourists can apply for a B visa, it is also suitable for:

• Private visits, trips to visit friends or relatives who live in America;
• Business trips;
• Conferences;
• Meetings with business partners.

In such cases, a combined B1/B2 visa is often issued.

Entry for exchange program participants

In the United States, there are many exchange programs for young professionals and students, under which foreigners can study, gain experience in temporary work, and at the same time learn the language. For such applicants, a J1 visa is approved.

Work and student

Many foreigners want to get an American education or want to work in the United States. It will be much more difficult to obtain visas for these purposes, since to submit an application you must have confirmation from the American competent authorities, as well as collect an impressive package of papers. Before you can obtain a visa to America of this type, you must have an approved petition from Citizenship and Immigration Services.

Fiancée/Wife Visa

A fiancé visa to the USA is needed for family reunification, as well as for those applicants who plan to marry an American citizen. Entry documents belong to categories K1/K2 and are issued at the invitation of the spouse/fiancé. To obtain a US visa of this type, you will need to focus on proving the reality of the relationship, that it is real, and not just fictitious for immigration purposes.

US Transit Rules

There is no transit area at airports in the United States. Even for a short layover at an American airport lasting only a few hours, Russians will need a C1 transit visa, even if they do not leave the plane for all these hours.

American visa on your own: step-by-step instructions and rules

To obtain permission to enter America, you will need to go through several stages:

Registration and photo requirements

When you go to the Ustraveldocs website, all records are available in Russian. You must follow the registration instructions, after receiving your login and password, log in and enter your passport details, your address and telephone number.

The uploaded photo must meet the following requirements:

• Size 5x5 cm;
• A white or close to white background is allowed;
• Headdresses and uniforms are not permitted unless they are worn for religious reasons;
• The facial expression in the photo is neutral;
• Photos wearing dark glasses or glasses with glare are not accepted.

Features of the DS-160 questionnaire

This is a specialized questionnaire that contains several dozen questions. Good knowledge of English is required, despite the fact that all questions can be answered in Russian. If you are not sure of the correctness of the translation, then it is better to simply ask for help. Anyone who obtains an American visa on their own should keep in mind that the visa officer of the Embassy in 90% of cases makes a decision based on the application form, so you need to fill it out especially carefully.

The DS-160 form contains the following sections:

1. Personal data of the applicant, where you need to indicate contacts - address, phone number, as well as passport data: Russian and foreign passports;
2. Marital status and personal data of the spouse;
3. Information about parents;
4. Section where you need to select the type of visa;
5. Section, which must be completed by men from 16 to 45 years old;
6. Information about accompanying persons: names, contacts, etc.;
7. Data about the trip indicating its purpose: detailed plan, tickets, flight numbers (if any), date of arrival, date of departure, cities of arrival/departure, reservations from a hotel or other place of residence in the United States, and so on;
8. Information about work and study - you will need to describe your previous places of work, as well as the educational institution where you received your education;
9. The last few sections of special questions about whether the applicant plans to engage in money laundering in the United States or terrorism, as well as other provocative questions, should be filled out with extreme caution.

Form DS-160 must be completed in English, or can be written in transliteration. Read about all changes or additions on the US State Department website.

Interview

To obtain a US visa on your own, this is one of the most important steps. Registration for it occurs on the website after entering the application number and payment code received by email when paying the consular fee. If a family is going on a trip, then all members must sign up for the same time. You can register at one of four US Consulates: in Moscow, St. Petersburg, Vladivostok, Yekaterinburg.

It is better to arrive for the interview itself about 15 minutes in advance. Before getting to the visa officer, you will need to go through several electronic queues, in each of which the applicant is assigned an individual number, according to which the electronic queue moves. As a rule, this procedure takes a few minutes, which indicates a good organization of the process.

Many applicants are concerned about the question of how to get an American visa guaranteed on the first application. It is recommended to take to the interview as many necessary additional documents as possible confirming strong ties with your homeland and provide them upon request of the visa officer.

How to prepare yourself for an interview, additional tips:

• It is better to tell the truth and not get confused by the facts;
• There is no need to provide all the documents at once and demonstrate excessive interest in convincing the officer of your non-immigration intentions - this seems suspicious;
• You should not show too deep knowledge of the English language, unless a work or student visa is requested - the officer will feel like he is being pressured, but complete ignorance of the language is also not welcome;
• You should behave calmly and answer questions clearly; if something is not clear, it is better to ask the question to be repeated;
• If a refusal is received, then there is no need to nervously try to convince the officer on the spot, otherwise the applicant risks never getting a visa at all.

If you strictly follow these step-by-step instructions for obtaining an American visa on your own, then passing the interview will not be difficult, and your chances of success will certainly increase.

Traveling with children

Entry documents for minors are the same as for adults. A child can go on a trip without his parents, but he must have the appropriate permission signed by the parents in order to present it at the border.

Price

When it comes to obtaining a US visa on your own, the cost plays an important role. There are quite a lot of types and subtypes of entry visas, so structured information on how much it costs to issue a document is given in the table.

The consular fee will need to be paid in rubles. The current ruble exchange rate for payment is set by the Embassy in Moscow.

Validity periods

An American visa is valid for up to three years. During this time, you can enter the territory of the state any number of times. The duration of one visit should not be more than six months or 180 days.

Registration period

For many applicants, it is important not only how to apply for a US visa on their own, but also the time it takes to obtain it, especially if the trip is urgent. The applicant receives an answer immediately on the spot from the visa officer after he conducts an interview and looks at the documents. The finished passport with a stamp is delivered by mail by PonyExpress within two or three days to the applicant's address.

The wait for an interview at the Embassy in Moscow or at the Consulates takes no more than one or two weeks. General The maximum period for completely obtaining a visa can be determined as two and a half to three weeks. But if the applicant’s work is related to science or high technology, then a so-called administrative check may be assigned, which is completed within two months.

You can submit documents for obtaining an American visa yourself at any time before the start of your trip, so it is better to do this in advance to avoid delays. The sooner you submit your documents, the less likely it is that your trip will be disrupted.

Possible reasons for refusal

Perhaps the most important concern for anyone who applies for a visa to America on their own is the high probability of being refused. This really happens often, but it’s also impossible to say that every second person is rejected for any reason. You can even look at the statistics of visa applications on the Internet, they talk about the percentage of refusals. If the visa officer finds even a slight discrepancy between the application form, documents and the words of the applicant, he will not think about it, but will immediately refuse.

Any visa to America must be applied for responsibly and very seriously. We should try to maximize our chances so that we don’t have to apply again - consular fees are quite high and in case of refusal they are not refunded, you will have to pay everything again. Before submitting an application, it is recommended to read comments from the personal experience of tourists, pay attention to the nuances of the application form, look at tips from tourists on how to pass an interview, and pay attention to a thorough study of refusal cases.

The following categories of citizens have a high chance of being refused:

• Without strong ties with the homeland;
• Having relatives or friends in the United States and requesting a visitor visa;
• Brides;
• Without sufficient proof of financial status.

Help our company

It is quite possible to obtain an American visa on your own, but you should remember that now even those who were flawless at the interview and strictly followed all the instructions will be denied. To avoid having to risk your money and spoil your nerves, we suggest contacting our company, choosing an excellent service, we will help you quickly obtain a visa. Many years of experience, professionals who know all the intricacies, many successfully resolved complex client cases - here are the guarantees that we are ready to provide you.

The cost of our services is small compared to what you could lose if you are refused. Don’t hesitate, contact us right now - we know how to get a US visa quickly, easily and without unnecessary problems the first time. Write, call or come!