US Visa Application Center in Moscow - official website

How can a Russian citizen independently obtain a visa to the USA?

Obtaining permission to enter the United States is not a simple procedure. Especially if you do not use the services of intermediaries. However, this is possible if you know where to turn and in what sequence to act.

US Visa Application Center in Moscow

If you live in the European part of the Russian Federation, you can apply for an entry permit at the US Embassy in Moscow

Address

Bolshoi Devyatinsky Lane, 8 Moscow, Russian Federation, 121099 Consular Section: Bolshoi Devyatinsky Lane, 8

How to get there

From the Barrikadnaya metro station, the walk will take no more than 10 minutes. At the exit from the metro, the landmark will be the Stalinist high-rise building on the right side. You need to cross the roadway at the pedestrian crossing and go around this building on the left side. Next there will be a staircase along which you can climb to the square. Go diagonally through it to the Garden Ring. Without crossing the road and moving in the same direction, in 3 minutes you will reach the US Embassy building

Operating mode

The Visa Department receives visitors daily on weekdays from 9.00 to 18.00. Lunch break from 12.00 to 13.00 hours

Contacts

Phone fax)

Email Website: https://ru.usembassy.gov/embassy-consulates/moscow/

Applying for a US visa at the US Embassy in Moscow

In order to obtain a US visa, the applicant must undergo an interview with a visa officer. You can sign up for an interview at the US Embassy in Moscow on the official website by first creating a personal account there and filling out the DS-160 form. On the appointed day, you need to arrive at the address: Moscow, B. Devyatinsky lane, building 8. The interview time is very limited: Americans accept applicants on weekdays from 08:00 to 11:30. It is impossible to get an appointment without an appointment, since the territory is guarded and you simply will not be allowed in. You must come to the interview at the US Embassy with the necessary documents and passports in this case.

Please note that visitors are carefully screened upon entering the building. You cannot bring large bags, backpacks, or packages with you; Electronics are not allowed (including cell phones), and you will also have to leave food and drinks outside the door. There are no territorial boundaries when obtaining a visa, so the US Embassy in Moscow is ready to accept applicants from all over Russia for processing. But at the same time, keep in mind that waiting for an interview in 2021 may take many months. The reception of applicants at this diplomatic mission is irregular: places appear very rarely, and, of course, they are instantly snapped up. There is no guarantee of recording.

When applying for a US visa at the Embassy in Moscow, we recommend that you carefully prepare for this event. To avoid unnecessary worries, you can seek help from specialists who have the most up-to-date information about the process of obtaining a US visa. We will fill out the DS-160 form, taking into account all the nuances, take a photograph, schedule you for an interview at the US Embassy, ​​and also tell you how everything will happen, what questions you need to pay special attention to, how to behave and react. With our help, you will save time, have all the information, and pay for the services upon issuance of the visa.

US visa centers in other cities of the Russian Federation

US Consulate in Vladivostok

Address

St. Pushkinskaya, 32 Vladivostok, Russian Federation, 690001

How to get there

From the railway station take buses 31 or 49 to the Circus stop. Cross the road, turn right, move to the nearest intersection. Then turn onto the street. Pushkinskaya. At the next intersection turn right. From here you will already be able to see the red brick building with the American flag.

Operating mode

Issuing visas and conducting interviews daily on weekdays from 9.00 to 18.00. Lunch break from 12.00 to 13.00 hours

Contacts

Tel. Fax, E-mail Website: https://ru.usembassy.gov/embassy-consulates/vladivostok/

US Consulate in Yekaterinburg

Address

St. Gogolya, 15 Ekaterinburg, Russian Federation, 620151

How to get there

To the stop "Central Hotel" on the street. Rosa Luxemburg by buses 2, 19, 64, trolleybuses 1, 9, 15, trams 2, 6, 27. After leaving public transport, without crossing the roadway, move in the direction of the bus to the nearest intersection, turn onto the street. Engels, move again to the intersection, turn onto the street. Gogol. On the right side there will be the consulate building.

Operating mode

Mon 09.00 – 18.00

Tue 09.00 – 18.00

Wed 09.00 – 18.00

Thu 09.00 – 18.00

Fri 09.00 – 18.00

Lunch break – from 12.00 to 13.00

Contacts

Tel.: +7 (343) 379-3001, +7 (343) 379-4619, +7 (343) 379-4691, +7 (343) 379-4551 Fax: +7 (343) 379-4515 Email Website: https://ru.usembassy.gov/embassy-consulates/yekaterinburg/

Contacting the Embassy with a question by phone or Skype

The most popular, but often not as effective way to contact the US Embassy is by telephone. In 2021, the official US Visa Clearinghouse in Russia offers applicants several phone numbers to call (see table below). In most cases, applicants seek help by calling the toll-free number 8 800 100 2554. When calling this contact, you must first listen to the introductory information, and then, by switching the phone to touch-tone mode, select the country of application for a visa and the preferred language of communication. Next, the system will ask you to determine the subject of your call, and then connect you to an operator.

IMPORTANT Please note that the telephone numbers provided are intended to obtain information and resolve issues related to obtaining a US visa. In addition to these telephone numbers, the US Embassy in Moscow and each Consulate have their own numbers, which you will find in the “US Embassy and Consulates in Russia” section.

When calling the US Embassy Information Service, be prepared to provide your full name, date of birth, passport information and type of visa requested. Without this information, they will not be able to provide you with any assistance. If this is your first time calling, you will also be asked to dictate your email. An Information Service employee will register a personal account for you on the website cgifederal.secure.force.com to the specified address and send you a login and temporary password to enter the site. Subsequently, you will be able to use your personal account to submit documents for a US visa with an interview or using a simplified procedure via DropBox.

Keep in mind that in 2021, getting through to the US Embassy is not always easy. The waiting time on the line can range from a couple of minutes to an hour. First of all, it depends on the number of applications for American visas at the moment. For example, in April-May (before the summer holiday season) and a few weeks before the New Year, it is very difficult to reach the US Embassy by phone. The waiting time for a connection with an operator is also affected by what time of day you call. The easiest way to reach the call center employees is early in the morning - between 08:00 and 09:00. It is at this time that the system will connect you with the Information Service operator most quickly.

Procedure for submitting documents

Documents for receipt must be submitted through a special form on the official website of the institution.

The first step is to pay the consular fee.

Then you should go to the page on the Internet: https://ceac.state.gov/genniv/, select the language (Russian) in the drop-down list and fill out the form (DS-160) in accordance with the resource prompts.

Documents required to fill out the application:

1. Passport.
2. Travel route.
3. If you have been to the US before, you will need to indicate the dates of your last 5 trips. The visa department may ask for a history of all your international travel over the past 5 years.
4. Autobiography indicating existing education and information about the last 2 and current place of work.

The application must be completed in English only. The application form in Russian will be automatically rejected.

All required fields must be filled in, otherwise the application will not be processed by the automated service.

After filling out all the fields of the form, you will see a “sign application” button at the bottom of the page. By clicking, you confirm that all the information you entered is correct and you agree to the terms and conditions of the US visa.

After signing the application, the system will redirect you to a confirmation page with a barcode. It must be saved and printed for presentation at a personal interview.

If you do not plan to complete the application right away, you can download it to your computer and complete it later.

How to sign up

Registration for an interview is possible only on the page: https://cgifederal.secure.force.com/?language=English&country=Russia. If this is your first time applying to enter the United States, you will need to create an account. If you already have a profile, simply log into it by entering your email address and password.

To schedule an interview, you will need to enter your passport numbers, receipts for payment of the consular fee, and the barcode number from the visa application confirmation page.

At the interview you will need:

1. International passport.
2. Printed confirmation of completion of Form DS-160.
3. Fresh color photograph measuring 5x5 cm.
4. All previous passports.
5. Receipt of payment of the consular fee.

In order to increase your chances of obtaining a visa, you can additionally provide the interviewing officer with:

1. A certificate confirming income or bank account information.
2. Information about close relatives remaining in the Russian Federation.
3. Work history from the moment you first started working.

The most important thing during an interview is not to deceive the officer about the purpose of the trip and your connections with the Russian Federation.

Lateness for the interview will result in denial of entry permission. Therefore, you need to be careful when choosing a route. It’s better to arrive early and not deprive yourself of the chance to get a US visa.

Prospects for issuing US visas to Russians outlined

Russian President Vladimir Putin announced this on Wednesday, June 16, at a press conference following the summit in Geneva. Does this mean that the work of consulates and the process of issuing American visas to Russians will soon resume in full? We talked to experts about this.

“As for the return of ambassadors to their places of work... we agreed that this issue has been resolved, they are returning to the place of their permanent service,” President Putin said. The Russian leader added that the question of specific dates for the return of ambassadors - tomorrow or the day after tomorrow - is of a technical nature.

“We also agreed that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation and the US State Department will begin consultations on the entire range of interaction on the diplomatic track,” the head of state said. “There’s a lot to talk about, there’s a lot of rubble that has accumulated.” According to Vladimir Putin, both sides, including the American one, are committed to looking for a solution.

At the same time, Deputy Foreign Minister of the Russian Federation Sergei Ryabkov said following the meeting in Geneva that Moscow and Washington have already begun to discuss the issue of non-issuance of visas.

The statements made by the presidents regarding the return of ambassadors to Moscow and Washington, noted the scientific director of the Institute of the USA and Canada of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Academician of the Russian Academy of Sciences Sergei Rogov, make it possible to count on the beginning of the normalization of diplomatic relations, which in recent years have become completely distorted.

“At the same time, it is still difficult to say whether this decision will be followed by further steps to normalize ordinary diplomatic and consular relations or not,” the expert continues. – But if the parties nevertheless agree to restore the number of diplomatic personnel, then, of course, this may also affect consular work on issuing American visas to Russians.

At the same time, the fact that the activities of the consulates of the Russian Federation and the United States, which have been closed in recent years, will soon be restored, raises doubts. But this cannot be ruled out either.”

According to the expert, another important problem is related to the “seizure” by the American authorities of Russian diplomatic property located on US territory. And, in particular, this applies to the dacha complex of the Russian Embassy near Washington.

“Thirty-five years ago, when I was a representative of the Institute of the USA and Canada at the USSR Embassy in Washington, I was entitled to a room in a country house at this embassy complex,” says Sergei Rogov. “Therefore, I consider the “seizure” of this complex by the American authorities as a personal attack against me. Because my memories of my youth, growing up of children, etc. are connected with this dacha.”

“The return of the ambassadors does not mean at all that Russians will begin to be issued American visas, because the consul and the consular team are doing this,” Sergei Kislitsyn, a senior researcher at the Institute of World Economy and International Relations of the Russian Academy of Sciences, comments to MK. - These are different things. By the way, at yesterday’s press conference no one asked this question to either president. Therefore, as I understand it, it was either not raised at all or was discussed in passing.

While there are restrictions on both sides, they need to be lifted. If you remember, a few months earlier, bilateral sanctions were imposed on the number of embassy employees, and the American side, in principle, acted logically by cutting back on what was not a priority for it, namely the issuance of visas to Russian citizens. The United States retained the strength of the embassy staff, but cut the consular staff.

At the moment, countries are busy with a more important problem - the fight against the coronavirus pandemic. But the issue of issuing visas is obviously not the most pressing. Apparently, nothing radically positive will happen in this direction in the coming year. On the other hand, three months ago we did not even count on a meeting of the presidents, but it happened. Time will show. Meanwhile, there are no real and significant reasons for optimism regarding the issuance of visas. I’m already silent about making it easier to receive them. Of course, there is no need to talk about this yet.”

Let us recall that in the spring, the ambassadors of Russia and the United States Anatoly Antonov and John Sullivan returned to their capitals. Washington announced another package of anti-Russian sanctions, including the expulsion of 10 Russian diplomats from the embassy in Washington, as well as a ban on American financial institutions to participate in the initial placement of Russian government debt denominated in rubles.

In turn, the Russian authorities added the United States to the list of “unfriendly states” and limited the embassy’s right to hire foreign citizens. This led to a reduction in the number of diplomatic mission staff and a halt in the issuance of American visas to Russians.

The US Embassy said it was "reserving only emergency services for American citizens and a limited number of immigrant visas in the event of expiration, as well as immigrant visas in life-threatening or death-threatening situations." All non-immigrant visas, except for diplomatic travel, have ceased.

Moreover, the US Embassy recommended that citizens with an expired Russian visa leave Russia before June 15 “in accordance with the deadlines designated by the Russian government” or contact the “local office of the Ministry of Internal Affairs” to renew it.

Cost of services

The amount of the consular fee depends on the type of visa. As of January 1, 2019, there have been major changes to the fee for entry into the United States. Now the cost consists of two factors: the duration of the visa and the number of visits to the United States during a given period.

For most visa types (tourist, business, visitor), the consular fee is $160. You must pay in rubles at the exchange rate on the day of payment by non-cash transfer via online banking or when visiting a computerized branch of the Russian Post in person.

Visa processing times at the US Embassy in Moscow

Additional services

A standard visa is issued for a period of 1 year for a single visit to the United States. However, during the interview, the officer may offer you to pay an additional $143 for a visa extension for up to 3 years and the opportunity to visit the country without restrictions during this period. This is called “mutual collection” because The Russian Federation has introduced similar preferences for US citizens. The additional fee can only be paid in cash at the cash desk of the embassy or consulate in rubles or dollars.

So, if you follow these simple rules, then the task of obtaining permission to enter the United States will not seem so difficult. The main thing is to comply with all the requirements of the department of migration policy, provide reliable information, not be late for the interview, and be sincere and friendly in your communication with the officer.