The purpose of your intended travel and other facts will determine what type of visa is required under U.S. immigration law. As a visa applicant, you will need to establish that you meet all requirements to receive the category of visa for which you are applying.
See our Directory of Visa Categories on usvisas.state.gov to determine which visa category might be appropriate for your purpose of travel to the United States.
Urgent information for visa applicants regarding novel coronavirus:
Entry of non-LPR foreign nationals who were present in the People’s Republic of China, not including the Special Administrative Regions of Hong Kong and Macau, the Islamic Republic of Iran, the United Kingdom, the Republic of Ireland or the 26 countries that comprise the Schengen Zone within 14 days prior to their arrival at the port of entry in the United States is suspended, per Presidential Proclamation. If you reside in, have traveled recently to, or intend to transit or travel to China, Iran, the United Kingdom, the Republic of Ireland or the Schengen Zone (which includes Austria, Belgium, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Italy, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, and Switzerland) prior to your planned trip to the United States, we recommend you postpone your visa interview appointment until 14 days subsequent to your departure from the subject country(ies). There is no fee to change an appointment and visa application fees are valid for one year in the country where the fee was paid. Information concerning rescheduling a pending consular appointment is available at Official U.S. Department of State Visa Appointment Service. Read More
Nonimmigrant Visas
Travel to the United States on a temporary basis, including tourism, temporary employment, study and exchange.
Immigrant Visas
For foreign citizens who want to live permanently in the United States.
What is a Visa?
A citizen of a foreign country who seeks to enter the United States generally must first obtain a U.S. visa, which is placed in the traveler’s passport, a travel document issued by the traveler’s country of citizenship.
Certain international travelers may be eligible to travel to the United States without a visa if they meet the requirements for visa-free travel. The Visa section of this website is all about U.S. visas for foreign citizens to travel to the United States.
(Note: U.S. citizens don’t need a U.S. visa for travel, but when planning travel abroad may need a visa issued by the embassy of the country they wish to visit.).
Contact Us
Consular services are available by appointment only.
For all information about U.S. visas please visit the Official U.S. Department of State Visa Appointment Service (https://ais.usvisa-info.com) for nonimmigrant (https://ais.usvisa-info.com/en-rs/niv) and immigrant (https://ais.usvisa-info.com/en-rs/iv) visas.
For specific questions about nonimmigrant visa cases after the visa interview email us at consbelgrade@state.gov.
For questions about immigrant visa applications, immigrant visa petitions, diversity visa program (DV Lottery), fiancé(e) visas, returning resident visas, transportation letters, boarding foils for lawful permanent residents and immigrant visa waivers, please contact the immigrant visa unit by email belgradeiv@state.gov .
Customer Service Statement
The Department of State manages the visa process strictly but fairly in order to best protect the United States. We are committed to the essential openness for which the United States has always been known. Travel to the United States is welcomed and encouraged.
We promise to you, the visa applicant, that:
- We will treat you with dignity and respect, even if we are unable to grant you a visa.
- We will treat you as an individual and your case as unique.
- We will remember that, to you, a visa interview may be a new or intimidating experience and that you may be nervous.
- We will use the limited time available for the interview to get as full a picture as possible of your travel plans and intentions.
- We will use our available resources to fairly assist all applicants to get appointments to allow travel in time for business, study, and other important obligations.
- We will post detailed and accurate information on visa requirements and application procedures on every Embassy and Consulate website.
- We will provide information on non-immigrant appointment waiting times at every Embassy and Consulate posted on http://travel.state.gov.
- We will explain the reason for any visa denial to you.
Furthermore, if you are a:
- Student, we will make every effort to ensure that you get an appointment and, if qualified, a visa in time to start classes.
- Medical and humanitarian emergency traveler, we will expedite processing for those dealing with life threatening emergencies.
- Business traveler, we will establish appropriate mechanisms to facilitate business travel and expedite cases of particular concern to American business.
At the same time, we expect you, the visa applicant, to:
- Plan your travel and visa application as far in advance as possible.
- Complete your application fully and accurately.
- Be forthcoming about your purpose and plans.
- Prepare for your interview by being able to clearly and concisely describe your intentions.
