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Collecting Your Passport and Issued U.S. Visa After Interview
ALERT: Until April 20, 2022 visa applicants are responsible for payment of mail-in and return of visa related documents by courier service. This cost is not included in the visa fee. The Department of State assumes no legal responsibility for passport delivery in cases of delay or lost or stolen passports. After April 20, 2022 applicants will no longer be responsible for courier service costs.
The U.S. Consulates General in Johannesburg, Durban, and Cape Town have non-immigrant visa appointments available. Please continue to monitor the online appointment schedule, https://ais.usvisa-info.com/, for appointments as they become available.
New appointments are sporadically opened, but may get taken quickly. Approximate wait times for appointments can be found by visiting https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/us-visas/visa-information-resources/wait-times.html. Third country nationals are eligible to apply for a U.S. visa if they are present in South Africa.
The U.S. visa application process in South Africa is two-fold:
You won’t be able to pay until an appointment is available. If available appointments do not suit your schedule, please consider submitting your U.S. visa application through the interview waiver program. Third country nationals are not eligible. You may be able to submit your U.S. visa application without needing to appear for an interview based on age (under age 14 or over age 80) or if you are renewing a visa of the same classification. To qualify for the latter, your U.S. visa must have been issued in South Africa to a South African passport and expired no more than 48 months ago; you must have provided 10 fingerprints at your last interview; you must have been previously issued a full-validity U.S. visa; your visa has not been lost, stolen or revoked; your visa was not annotated with “Clearance Received,” and have the same SEVIS number (for student visas). Please note that L-1 applicants are not eligible for interview waiver if they are renewing their applications with a Blanket L approval. Eligibility is determined based on the answers provided to questions during the appointment scheduling process on https://ais.usvisa-info.com/en-za/niv. However, consular officers reserve the right to request an interview for any visa applicant. Applicants who qualify for mail-in visa renewals or interview waiver applications should note that processing takes about two weeks (about 7-10 working days, not including weekends and holidays) from the time the applicant drops off the application materials with DHL to the time we return the passport and printed visa to DHL for delivery to the applicant.
All expedited appointment requests must be made online at https://ais.usvisa-info.com/en-za/niv. Applicants needing expedited appointments must first booking the next available appointment at any of the consulates general on the website and then request an expedited appointment at the consulate general of their choice through the website.
For more information on how to apply for a U.S. visa, please watch our informational video at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LbQxbqL1vhU or visit https://ais.usvisa-info.com/en-za/niv/information/niv. For your U.S. visa application, you are only required to bring or submit the listed documents: https://ais.usvisa-info.com/en-za/niv/information/required_docs.
Customer service center agents are able to assist you via telephone, Skype or email.
Collecting Your Passport and Issued U.S. Visa After Interview
ALERT: Until April 20, 2022 visa applicants are responsible for payment of mail-in and return of visa related documents by courier service. This cost is not included in the visa fee. The Department of State assumes no legal responsibility for passport delivery in cases of delay or lost or stolen passports. After April 20, 2022 applicants will no longer be responsible for courier service costs.
To arrange for courier return of your documents to your home or business address:
To arrange for return of your documents by DHL to a South African DHL office near you:
A DHL consultant will provide instructions for waybill purchase and document pick up. This step can be completed at any time after booking your appointment until immediately after your visa interview. If you select this service and your visa application is refused, the U.S. Embassy is not able to assist in a refund. For questions regarding refunds, contact DHL at the email addresses above.
Please Note: Payment for document delivery service is not included in the visa fee. If you do not complete this step, you will not receive your passport and U.S. visa.
Visa pickup from the U.S. Consulates will be granted only in emergency situations and for applicants from Lesotho. An “emergency” is defined as a situation when the applicant has little to no control over his/her time of application and travel plans.
Non-Immigrant Visa – Interview Waiver
All applicants must begin their non-immigrant visa application process through the GSS appointment scheduling website at https://ais.usvisa-info.com/.
Only if the appointment scheduling system informs you of your eligibility to complete the visa process without an interview should you continue to the following step.
The Consulate that the passport needs to be collected from and DHL office where passport needs to be delivered to for collection by applicant (Example: U.S. Consulate Cape Town to DHL Bloemfontein) if you have not purchased “Premium Delivery” at https://ais.usvisa-info.com/.
A DHL consultant will provide instructions for waybill purchase, and how to mail in your completed application package at your DHL service point of choice, including your return waybill if you have not purchased “Premium Delivery” at https://ais.usvisa- info.com/. If you select this service and your visa application is refused, the U.S. Embassy is not able to assist in a refund. For questions regarding refunds, contact DHL at the email addresses above.
If any additional information is required to process your case, the U.S. Consulate will contact you directly.
VISITING THE CONSULATE
Security Procedures and Prohibited Items
When visiting the Consulate for your appointment, you will pass through several security checks. To speed up the process, we encourage you to greatly minimize the number of personal items, to include jewelry and metal items you bring with you.
You may not bring electronic devices into the U.S. Consulate. These include cell phones, portable Wi-Fi devices, audio and video players, laptops, pagers, MP3 players, portable gaming devices, and other electronics devices. The U.S. Consulate has a small number of storage lockers that may accommodate the storage of mobile phones and small electronics only. The Consulate cannot store large electronics such as laptops, tablets, iPads, etc. The U.S. Consulate will not be responsible for lost items.
The following items are prohibited, and trying to enter the U.S. Consulate with any of them may result in the loss of your appointment:
· Weapons, including items that may be confused for weapons and replicas of weapons. Examples: firearms, knives, pepper spray, explosives, metal razors, nail clippers, scissors, etc.
· Lighters or other accelerants.
· Large bags (very small bags that can be carried by hand may be permitted).
· Liquids and food items, including perfumes, bottled water, gels and aerosols.
· Sealed envelopes or packages.
These lists are not exhaustive. Other items may be prohibited at the discretion of security staff. There is no facility at the U.S. Consulate to store prohibited items. You must make arrangements to store these items before entering the Consulate. In the case of U.S. Consulate Durban, you must make arrangements to store these items before entering the elevators on the ground floor of Delta Towers.
U.S. Consulate General in Cape Town: The U.S. Consulate General in Cape Town would like to advise visitors that Reddam Avenue between the U.S. Consulate General and Steenberg Village incurs frequent criminal acts against our visitors. Use extra cautionary care if you walk on this avenue. Be situationally aware of your surroundings. If walking along Reddam Avenue, it is best to walk on the west sidewalk (side of the Consulate General). Another option is to drive a vehicle on this road. As with previous guidance, it is best to avoid large crowds of people. If you come upon a crime in progress, move away from the area immediately, head towards a safe location, and then notify the police (call: 10-111).
U.S. Consulate General in Durban: The elevators to the Consular Section on the 31st floor of Delta Towers are nonoperational during loadshedding. If your appointment occurs during loadshedding, you are requested to wait on the ground floor or leave Delta Towers and return once loadshedding has ended. Please do not crowd in the lobby near the elevators and please help to ensure that all stairways are clear. You may consult the latest information from Eskom to determine when loadshedding is scheduled to begin and end in the Durban CBD. In the EskomSePush app, the Consulate is located in the CBD South (12) – eThekwini Municipality area.
If you need reasonable accommodation for your appointment, we encourage you to request your accommodation immediately once you schedule your appointment. We make every effort to provide accommodations to persons with disabilities and medical conditions. Reasonable accommodations vary, depending on the situation and the person’s needs.
Examples of accommodations include, but are not limited to:
If you are unable to provide fingerprints because of a medical condition, including birth defects, physical deformities, skin conditions, you may qualify for a fingerprint waiver for certain fingers.
The waiting room of the Consular Section and its restroom is wheelchair-accessible.
Please call: 011 290 3000
Outside of Office Hours, contact: 011 290 3000
Outside of South Africa: +27 11 290 3000
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