Thank you for your inquiry. Please read this email in its entirety to find answers to commonly asked questions. If your question is addressed in this response, you will not receive another e-mail.
In general, a citizen of a foreign country who seeks to enter the United States temporarily must first obtain a U.S. nonimmigrant visa (NIV), which is placed in the traveler’s passport. We advise applicants not to make any travel arrangements before they physically receive their visas. For the most up-to-date information, please visit the following website: https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/News/visas-news.html
IMPORTANT UPDATES
Our Current Operating Posture
The U.S. Embassy in Ankara and the U.S. Consulate General in Istanbul are the two-nonimmigrant visa (NIV) processing posts in Mission Turkey. All scheduling is managed by https://ais.usvisa-info.com/
The U.S. Embassy in Ankara: As of September 1, 2022, the U.S. Embassy has resumed nonimmigrant visa services at its new location, 1480 Sokak No. 1 Çukurambar Mahallesi 06530 Çankaya, Ankara. If you have a visa appointment scheduled on or after this date, the consular section looks forward to serving you at the new location. When you reach the embassy, please proceed to the consular entrance at the corner of Ögretmenler Caddesi and 1480 Sokak.
The U.S. Consulate General in Istanbul: The U.S. Consulate General in Istanbul is processing all categories of nonimmigrant visas. however, appointment capacity is limited.
Renewing Your NIV
If your visa expired within the last 48 months and your biographical information and visa category remains unchanged, you may not be required to have an in-person interview. Please visit our appointment scheduling website for further details: https://ais.usvisa-info.com/en-tr/niv
Emergency NIV Appointments
The U.S. Embassy in Ankara and the U.S. Consulate General in Istanbul consider expediting appointments that have urgent medical/humanitarian issues, have travel connected to public health and safety (aviation/flight safety, food safety, health or medical workers connected to COVID mitigation efforts), or travel connected to significant U.S. economic impact. If you believe you have a genuine emergency that would qualify for an emergency visa appointment, please follow the instructions for Emergency Visa Requests below. Please note, pending school admission, business travel, and family visits do not qualify for emergency services.
To request an emergency visa appointment, sign into your account at the official U.S. Department of State Visa Appointment Service site (https://ais.usvisa-info.com/) and schedule the first available appointment, then select “Request Expedite” under “Group Actions” and detail the emergency (e.g. medical crisis or similar humanitarian circumstance compelling urgent and unexpected travel).
We have a very limited number of emergency visa appointment slots. If we approve your request for an expedited appointment, we will schedule you for the first slot available. Once your appointment has been scheduled no changes can be made. If you cannot attend your interview on a given date, you will be able to reschedule your appointment 24 hours later by logging into your account https://ais.usvisa-info.com/ Your emergency request may be denied if we do not have the appointment capacity to accommodate your request. If your request was denied, please do not send a separate email asking to reconsider. Please monitor the Embassy’s website for updates to our operating status: https://tr.usembassy.gov/visas/nonimmigrant-visas/
Fee Payment Extension
All receipts for payment of MRV fees issued before October 1, 2022, were extended until September 30, 2023, and remain valid until this date. All nonimmigrant visa application fee (also known as the MRV fee) payments made on or after October 1, 2022, are valid for 365 days from the date a receipt is issued for payment of the MRV fee.
Case Status Check: Nonimmigrant visas cannot be processed on the same day. Some cases require additional administrative processing which may take minimum 2-3 days up to 30 days or more. You will be notified by e-mail if we need any additional information from you or when your administrative processing is completed to ask for your passport for visa issuance if we returned your passport to you at the end of your visa interview. We recommend that you should not make final travel plans or purchase non-refundable tickets until your visa is issued and you have received your passport.
Customer Service Center: Please send your inquiries about visa application fee payment issues to esee_contactus+tr+mrv+en@visaops.net and courier or document delivery issues to esee_contactus+tr+courier+en@visaops.net only.
Traveling to the U.S.?
Please click here for the latest CDC requirements for entry into the United States.
For additional resources on applying for your nonimmigrant visa:
- See our Directory of Visa Categories to determine which visa category might be appropriate for your purpose of travel to the United States: https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/us-visas.html
- Appointment updates: https://ais.usvisa-info.com/, then select “Turkiye”
- S. Mission in Turkey’s COVID-19 page: https://tr.usembassy.gov/covid-19-information-2/
- Travel restrictions: https://travel.state.gov/content/travel.html
- FAQ: https://ais.usvisa-info.com/en-tr/niv/information/faqs
