Non-Immigrant Visas

How To Apply

VISA APPOINTMENT SYSTEM

All applicants for a U.S. nonimmigrant visa from Jerusalem, the West Bank and Gaza are required to schedule their visa appointments at the U.S. Consulate General in Jerusalem on the Internet or by telephone. 

The website address is: http://VisaInfo.US-Visaservices.com.  The fee for the website service is $22 US dollars.

The telephone number (currently available in Israel, Jerusalem and a few areas in the West Bank) is 180-931-5642.  The fee for one telephone appointment service is $27.50 US dollars.   

These services also apply to applicants with expired visas, group appointments and applicants who were previously refused under section 214(b) of the law. 

While setting the appointment online, applicants also complete a visa application form (DS-156) that they must print out and bring with them to the interview.  ALL male applicants 16 years of age and older, regardless of nationality, must submit a completed DS-157 form, Supplemental Non-Immigrant Visa application, along with DS-156, the application for a Non-Immigrant Visa.  The application form DS-157 is available at http://travel.state.gov/visa/frvi_forms.html.

These services provide timely and accurate information to the public regarding how to apply for a visa to enter the United States of America and how to schedule an appointment for a nonimmigrant visa interview. Applicants are no longer required to schedule nonimmigrant visa appointments through travel agencies but now have the option to schedule appointments themselves using these services.

The website service is available from within Jerusalem, the West Bank and Gaza, as well as from the United States or anyplace in the world an applicant has a computer with Internet service. The website provides information in four languages: Hebrew, Arabic, Russian, and English. The service is available to the public 24 hours a day.

The online visa information and appointment service requires a payment of $ 22 US. Applicants may pay through the website using an international Visa or MasterCard. Alternatively, applicants may purchase a Personal Identification Number (PIN) at Israeli Post Offices or at the Cairo-Amman Bank ,  so they can access the site. The PIN will allow access to the site for information and for scheduling up to 5 appointments for immediate family members who reside in the same household.

LIVE SERVICE TELEPHONE ACCESS: 180-931-5642
If applicants prefer to speak to an agent, they can call the live telephone service from within Israel, Jerusalem, and a few areas in the West Bank, between 8:00 a.m. and 6:00 p.m., Monday – Friday.  (Efforts are underway to expand the service all of the West Bank and Gaza.)   The live telephone service is available in Hebrew, Arabic and English. 
Applicants will be able to access information on both nonimmigrant and immigrant visas. In addition, the service will help applicants determine whether they must apply in person, and if so will assist in scheduling a nonimmigrant visa interview appointment.  All types of nonimmigrant visa interviews may be scheduled through this service. 

Applicants will have the option to reschedule or cancel an interview if they cannot attend the originally scheduled appointment.  Up to 5 immediate family members residing in the same household may be scheduled using one PIN.  Immediate family members include: husband, wife, son, daughter, brother, sister, mother and father.

To speak to an agent to receive visa information and to schedule a nonimmigrant interview appointment, applicants will need to obtain a PIN from any Israeli Post Office Bank branch in Israel or Jerusalem, by Visa or MasterCard, for 27.50 USD.  Applicants must wait one business day after obtaining the bank PIN before calling the service at 180-931-5642 from a touch-tone phone.  PINs purchased with a credit card will be available immediately after purchase. 

If the number does not work when called from a cell phone, please try calling it from a land-line phone.  Please keep in mind that for the time being, only a few areas in the West Bank are able to use this service.  The service does not yet exist in Gaza. 
The PIN will allow applicants to schedule or reschedule appointments three times.  Applicants must keep their bank receipt, as they will need the bank PIN printed on it to access the service.  The bank PIN is nonrefundable and in the event it is lost or stolen the applicant will have to obtain a new one.

Please note, if the applicant uses the three scheduling opportunities allowed by the PIN, the applicant must obtain a new PIN and call the service again.  The live service bank PIN cannot be used to access the visa information service through the internet.  A LIVE SERVICE PIN AND A WEB PIN ARE NOT INTERCHANGEABLE.

Immigrant visa appointments continue to be scheduled through the Consulate General separately from this appointment service.

To facilitate access to the Consular Section, applicants for any service, including American citizens, are requested to carry only those items that are absolutely necessary.  No weapons are permitted at any time.  Electronic items must be left at the reception desk, and this is a time-consuming process that will delay your entry.  Metallic items will cause delays during screening, and all bags must be x-rayed.

A Valid Passport or Travel Document

Your passport or travel document must be valid at least six months beyond the date you intend to return from the United States. If more than one person is included in a passport, each applicant must submit an individual visa application (Form DS-156 and Form DS-157) and pay the application fee.


A Color Photo

You must submit a recent photo of yourself. Photos should be approximately 2 by 2 inches (5 centimeters by 5 centimeters) on a white background and taken with a front view of the face. You should not wear dark glasses or a hairstyle or head covering that obscures your face. Photos cut from old passports or IDs are not acceptable. See photo requirement for more details.


Application Fee

Effective January 1, 2008, the Non-Immigrant visa application fee will be 131 U.S. Dollars.  Your application will not be processed if you have not paid the application fee.  You must pay the application fee at a branch of the Israeli Postal Authority (six locations) or at any branch of the Cairo Amman Bank in the West Bank (13 locations). Click here for locations. You can no longer pay the fee at the Consulate General. You must submit your receipt with your visa application.  

Persons with visa appointments after January 31 must have paid the 131 USD.  Persons holding unused receipts, that are less than one year old, for the old amount of 100 USD will be required to pay the additional 31 USD.  Applicants will be able to pay the additional amount at the same place they paid the original fee, and will receive and separate receipt for the additional payment.  (more)

The current exchange rate is $1.00 U.S.D = 3.8 NIS.

Evidence of Strong Ties to Your Place of Residence

As part of your visa application, you should submit evidence that you have established strong ties that bind you to your place of residence: your social and family relationships, employment, possessions.

Documents you may wish to submit include:

a letter from your employer indicating your position, your salary, the period of authorized vacation, and the date when you began working;

a letter from your accountant, if you are self-employed, indicating the nature of your business, how many years you have been in business, and last year's business income;

bank statements which indicate the balance in your accounts and demonstrate account activity;

real estate lease or deed;

tour registration and itinerary, if traveling on an organized tour;

business or conference itinerary if traveling for work; and/or,

a letter from your school or university indicating that you are registered and have paid tuition, the length of your program, and your expected date of graduation (if applicable).


Previous Passports and Visas

If you previously received a visa to the United States in an expired or cancelled passport, you should include your old passport(s) as part of your application. If a passport bearing an entry visa to the United States was lost or stolen, you should obtain a summary of travel exits and entries from the Israeli Ministry of Interior.


Parents' Passports

When applying for a visa for a child under the age of sixteen, both parents must submit their passports with the application.