Non-Immigrant Visas

Consular Services Notice

Nonimmigrant visa services in Minsk are temporarily suspended until further notice.  Residents of Belarus who wish to travel to the U.S. should make arrangements to apply for a nonimmigrant visa at another post.  The United States values greatly people-to-people contacts between Americans and Belarusians and we continue to welcome Belarusian visitors to the United States.

While applicants may apply in person at any U.S. Embassy or U.S. Consulate where they have an appointment, suggested posts for residents of Belarus are below.    Each of these suggested posts have additional information for non-resident applicants on their websites. 

U.S. Embassy Moscow
U.S. Consulate St. Petersburg
U.S. Embassy Warsaw
U.S. Embassy Kyiv

To apply, please contact a U.S. Embassy or Consulate directly.  Please be aware that at some posts, particularly at U.S. Embassies Vilnius, Tallinn and Riga, the number of visa appointments available for non-residents is extremely limited, and interviews may have to be conducted in English.

K-3/K-4 visa applicants who would normally apply in Minsk should contact U.S. Embassy Warsaw for assistance.

Consular Section Contact Information

Interview Appointments

To schedule an appointment, click here, and follow the instructions.  (Note: Although children under 14 do not need to appear for the interview, they will need to have a separately scheduled appointment.) For Frequently Asked Questions’s regarding the Electronic Appointment System click here.

To schedule an appointment, you must be prepared to provide the following information to the Electronic Non-Immigrant Visa Appointment System:  your name, passport number, telephone number, and (if possible) an e-mail address. You should have a printer connected to your computer to print out an appointment confirmation sheet, or, if you do not have a printer, you should be prepared to hand copy appointment confirmation information from the computer screen onto a sheet of paper. If you need to cancel an appointment, please do so at least a day in advance, so that your appointment slot may be taken by another applicant.

IMPORTANT: An Appointment Confirmation Sheet is generated by the system at the end of the appointment scheduling process. It has your personal data, the time and date of your visa appointment, and your appointment confirmation code. This Appointment Confirmation Sheet is very important; please do not lose it. Should you need to cancel your appointment, the system will ask for the confirmation code, and if you have lost it, you will not be able to cancel your appointment.  If you do not cancel your existing appointment, the system will not allow you to make a new appointment until the day after the originally-scheduled one.

You can schedule a visa appointment yourself using our instructions either by accessing it from your home or work computer or by visiting an Internet café, a post office or library that has Internet access in your hometown, even if you do not speak English. List of Internet cafes (PDF, 192KB) located near the Embassy.  You can also have a friend or relative here or in the U.S. schedule an appointment for you.

All inquiries are handled by the Consular Section Staff daily from 4:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. on tel. 210-1283 or by email (ConsularMinsk@state.gov).

We recommend that applicants schedule their visa interviews at least one month before they intend to travel. It is the applicant's responsibility to ensure that there is enough time to complete the visa application process before traveling to the United States. Processing wait time DOES NOT include the time required for additional administrative processing or special requirements. In such cases, processing wait time will vary based on the individual circumstances of each application. All applicants should be aware that the times given are current averages, and are subject to sharp seasonal fluctuations. Individuals applying for student (F-1, M-1) and exchange visitor (J-1) visas may request priority appointments when they call the appointment line. The Consular Section will evaluate each request on a case by case, first come-first served basis. If a priority appointment is needed, it will be approved.

If you feel that you have a legitimate need to request an Expedited Visa Appointment, please contact the Consular Section at ConsularMinsk@state.gov and describe the urgent need for your travel. Requests will be considered on a case-by-case basis. Response will be given in 2-3 days.

Once an appointment is scheduled, please bring the following documents to the Consular Section at the appointed date and time:
·  $131 non-refundable visa application fee payable in U.S. dollars
·  your passport (valid at least another 6 months from intended date of departure from the U.S.)
·  the completed visa application(s)
·  1 unmounted 5 x 5 cm, full face color photograph (see example photo)
·  proof of your economic, social, family and other ties to Belarus

WE REQUEST ALL APPLICATNS BRING $131 IN EXACT CHANGE. OTHERWISE, IN CASE WE DO NOT HAVE ENOUGH BILLS OF SMALL DENOMINATION TO GIVE CHANGE, WE MAY ASK YOU TO COME ON A LATER DATE TO COMPLETE YOUR VISA APPLICATION.
 

Each applicant should apply personally for a visa. The exception is children under the age of 14, whose personal appearance for an interview is their parents’ discretion.
* Applications of children under 16 traveling alone or with one parent should be presented to the Embassy by both parents. (Exceptions are the cases when physical presence of one of the parents is not possible. In which case, application procedure should be agreed upon in advance with the Consular Section of the Embassy). Additionally, such applications should include child’s birth certificate and both parents’ passports.

Visa application forms (DS-156, DS-157 and DS-158) can be downloaded and completed at the following link, where you can also find instructions and sample completed forms. (NOTE: as of October 16, 2006 ALL visa applicants applying at the Embassy of the United States of America in Belarus must apply only with printouts of computer-generated DS-156 forms. No other form of the DS-156 will be accepted. DS-157 and DS-158 supplementary visa application forms may be printed out blank and filled out by hand.)

Visa Issuance

In most cases, applicants who are qualified for visas will receive their visas on the following day and may pick up their passports at the Embassy between 4:00 p.m. and 4:20 p.m. Those who cannot pick up their passports on the following working day will be able to do it on any other working day at the same time. Due to many additional factors, some visas can take up to 15 or more days to process; please plan accordingly. Please note that listed processing times are averages and timing may vary based on the individual circumstances of each case.

Visa Fees

The following fees are applicable to Belarusian citizens:
 
Single entry business/tourist/visitor/student visa - No fee - ($131 application fee applies)
Multiple entry one-year business/tourist/visitor/student - US$ 100   
Multiple entry one-year work visa - US$ 300  
Transit visa - No fee 
 

CLAIMS MADE BY PERSONS OR PRIVATE GROUPS CLAIMING THEY CAN GUARANTEE U.S. VISAS ARE FRAUDULENT. ALSO, ANY PERSON WHO PRESENTS FALSE DOCUMENTS OR MISLEADING INFORMATION TO THE EMBASSY CAN BE PERMANENTLY DISQUALIFIED FROM RECEIVING A U.S. VISA.

Visa Eligibility

Under Section 214(b) of the Immigration and Nationality Act, visa applicants must overcome the presumption that they are intending immigrants. To do so, applicants must prove to the consular officer at the time of application that they have sufficient ties to Belarus to compel them to return from the United States. Documents showing business ties, property ownership or family ties to Belarus can therefore assist in supporting a visa application.

Invitations:

There is no single document that will qualify an applicant for a visa. Consular Officers will consider all information presented and supporting documents will be returned to the applicant at the end of the interview.

If you are not a citizen of Belarus and would like to know if a visa is required for your country, please view the Visas Waiver Program website for more information.