Step 5: Interview Day Details
The Consulate General is located at 27 Nablus Road in Jerusalem. You should arrive promptly at the Consulate General at your appointed interview time. We will do everything we can to complete your interview as quickly as possible. However, please plan adequate time for your appointment; in some cases you may need to wait several hours for your interview.
To facilitate access to the Consular Section, applicants are requested to carry only those items that are absolutely necessary. You will be expected to abide by all of the security requirements, which includes leaving all electronics and large bags at home. No one other than the visa applicant can be admitted; please do not appear with non-applying children or other family members, including US citizens.
Review our Security Requirements
Required forms to bring with you:
1. Your appointment letter (printed after scheduling your appointment on the VisaPoint website).
2. A Valid Passport or Travel Document that is valid at least six months beyond the date you intend to depart the United States.
3. Your fully-complted Visa Application (DS-156), all three pages including the third, "barcode page." If more than one person is included in a passport, each applicant must submit an individual visa application, DS-156 form and payment.
4. Your fully-completed Supplemental Non-Immigrant Visa Application (DS-157).
5. All of your expired passports, including any with current visas in them. If a passport bearing an entry visa to the United States was lost or stolen, you should report this to the Consular Officer during the interview and you may wish to obtain a summary of travel exits and entries from the Israeli Ministry of Interior.
6. A receipt for the required visa application (MRV) fee. You must bring to your interview both the "Consulate" and the "Customer" copy of the receipt. The "Customer" section will be cancelled and returned to you during your visa interview.
You may also wish to bring evidence that you have established strong ties that bind you to your place of residence such as employment, school, family relationships, and possessions. This may include:
• funds sufficient to cover all expenses while in the United States;
• a letter from your employer indicating your position, your salary, the period of authorized vacation, and the date when you began working;
• if you are self-employed, a letter from your accountant 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 leases or deeds;
• a residence abroad you intend to return to after your stay in the United States;
• if traveling on an organized tour, your tour registration and itinerary;
• 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).
After dropping off your Visa Application forms (DS-156 and DS-157) and passport at the front desk during the security screening process, applicants will proceed to the Nonimmigrant Visa Waiting Room.
After passing through security, all applicants should obtain a return envelop from one of the courier services located just outside the Visa Waiting Room. Prior to the interview, computerized inkless fingerprint scans will be taken from all applicants between the age of 14 and 79.
The Interview:
A Consular Officer will interview each applicant. Each applicant should be able to clearly explain to the Consular Officer the purpose for their travel to the United States along with any applicable evidence of the travel. At the conclusion of the interview, applicants will be told whether or not they qualify for a nonimmigrant visa. There is no direct appeal to the Consular Officer’s decision. Applicants who do not qualify for a nonimmigrant visa are welcome to reapply; however, we strongly recommend that applicants wait until their situation has changed (such as employment, family ties, school, etc.) before reapplying and paying the non-refundable application fees. You may also wish to visit our Nonimmigrant Frequently Asked Questions page to learn more about why nonimmigrant visa applications are sometimes denied under Section 214(b) of the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA).
The average visa processing time for successful applicants is five business days, during which time the applicant's passport must remain with the Consulate.
In some cases, the Consular Officer may require the applicant to provide additional documents (such as a new passport, photo, or proof of income) before the visa application can be approved. It is the applicant’s sole responsibility to provide these documents; no further action will be taken until the requested documents are received. Requested documents can be faxed to our office (02-6285455), sent via email (jersualemvisa@state.gov) or a courier service, or dropped off with the receptionist at the Consulate General.
Occasionally an application will require additional administrative processing before a visa can be issued. These cases take additional time to complete, often three months or longer. Once the processing is completed, the applicant will be contacted for his or her passport for issuing the nonimmigrant visa. Please refer to our Nonimmigrant Frequently Asked Questions page for more information on these cases.
After Receiving Your Visa:
If you are granted a visa, it is your responsibility to make sure all the information printed on the visa is correct. After receiving your passport back, please use the diagram below as a guide. For instance, please check that your “Nationality” is listed correctly. If you received your visa in your Israeli passport, it should say “ISR,” but if you received your visa in another passport it should show that nationality. If any of the information on your visa is incorrect, please contact the Nonimmigrant Visa section – we will be happy to make the correction at no-charge to you.