Non-Immigrant Visas

Non-immigrant visas are required for travelers who wish to visit the United States temporarily for tourism, business, studies or cultural exchanges. Non-immigrant visa applicants are required to schedule an appointment for an interview with a U.S. Consular officer. Interviews are by appointment only. The Embassy does not accept walk-in applications.

Do not schedule an appointment or submit your application until you have read the following information. Incomplete visa applications considerably delay the application process.

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Your visa will be ready at 16:00 the NEXT working day after your interview day except of Thursday interviews. Applicants whose applications were approved on Thursday will receive their passports with visas next Monday at 16:00.

APPLYING FOR A VISA

To apply for a non-immigrant visa to the United States, follow these steps:

• GATHER NECESSARY DOCUMENTS -In addition to the General Documentation Requirements, you must determine which category of visa you are applying for. The visa category is determined by the purpose of your travel. Please refer to the Visa Category chart for information, including additional forms and documents required when applying for each specific visa category. For more detailed information regarding visa categories, see the Bureau of Consular Affairs web site.
  
• TO SCHEDULE AN APPOINTMENT for an interview please click here.
  
• INTERVIEW with a Consular officer.

For routine visa applications, the visa will be ready at 16:00 on the NEXT working day after your interview day. See the Wait Times links on the right for more detailed information.

Please note that the processing times quoted are averages and cannot be guaranteed. Many additional factors, such as the need for additional documentation, special clearances, incomplete applications, and fraud investigations may influence the processing of individual visa cases. Therefore, the actual processing time will vary based on the individual circumstances of each case.

You should never pay for travel arrangements before having a visa in your possession. The U.S. Embassy Consular Section accepts no responsibility if you do so, nor will we expedite visa processing because you have fixed travel dates. If you need an expedited interview, please follow the instructions here.

GENERAL VISA INFORMATION

Some of the information printed on the visa is the category, the expiration date, and the number of entries allowed. The expiration date means the last day when you can ENTER the USA. Upon arrival in the United States, the U.S. Immigration officer at the port of entry determines the duration of your stay.

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Effective January 1, 2008, the application fee for a U.S. nonimmigrant visa will increase from $100 to $131. >>

There are two fees for the issuance of non-immigrant Visas:

• VISA PROCESSING FEE: $131 for each applicant, including children
  
• VISA ISSUANCE FEE for Tajikistani citizens:

Type of visa	Visa processing Fee	Visa Issuance Fee
Single-entry visa	$131	$0
1-year, multiple entry visa	$131	$0
Children under 16, students	$131	$0

The Visa Processing Fee must be paid at the time of your interview and the Visa Issuance Fee, if any, must be paid before the visa will be issued. All visa applicants are strongly recommended to bring the exact amount of $131 or 590 Somoni (subject to exchange rate fluctuation) and visa fees must be paid in cash. The amount cannot be paid partly in dollars and partly in somonies. Whole amount should be paid either in dollars or somonies.

If you are refused a visa, you can apply again.  However, we do not recommend re-applying without any additional or new information that can demonstrate your strong social and economic ties to Tajikistan or changed circumstances of your life.

If you are denied a visa, the $131 Visa Processing Fee will not be refunded.

For more information about visa refusals under 214(b) of the Immigration and Nationality Act, please refer to Visa Denials at travel.state.gov.