Business Visa Program

Overview

The Business Visa Program (BVP) vets and registers established, reputable firms to make it easier for certain employees, spouses and unmarried children under age 21 to seek nonimmigrant visitor (B), education (F, M, J), journalist (I) or work (H, L, O, P, Q) visas at reserved appointment times.

Qualifications

Firms lawfully operating within Indonesia are eligible to join the BVP regardless of the firm's ultimate nationality. Eligible firms may include for-profit corporations, universities, NGOs, news media and international organizations. BVP registration is valid for two years. Firms must re-register if any authorized signatories change within that two-year registration period.

BVP applicants may seek B visas for their firms' business and/or for personal tourism. B visas are generally issued for multiple entries during a 5 year period of time. No specific U.S. event or invitation is needed for BVP travel. BVP firms are encouraged to plan ahead and seek visas in advance for employees who may have a future or indeterminate need to travel.

BVP applicants include professional, permanent, full-time employees of registered firms. Casual, temporary, part-time or contract staff are ineligible. There is no minimum length of employment. Spouses and unmarried children under 21 are also included if they apply at the same time as the employee, or if the employee already has a visa or the employee is a citizen of a visa waiver country. BVP-registered firms may not submit visa applications for clients, business associates, customers, domestic servants, friends, or other relatives, who must apply in the normal manner by making an appointment online.

How to Apply

To receive a visa, BVP applicants must be otherwise qualified under all applicable U.S. laws. BVP applicants are still subject to processing that may delay visa approval, as well as inspection by the Department of Homeland Security at U.S. Ports of Entry.

You can schedule your BVP interview online or with the help of our call center. To schedule an interview appointment online using the Business Visa Program, follow these steps:

    Step 1

    Pay the visa application fee.

    Step 2

    Complete the Nonimmigrant Visa Electronic Application (DS-160) form.

    Note: If you pay your visa application fee in cash at a Standard Chartered Bank or Permata Bank, then you can schedule your interview within four hours of payment. If you pay online at Permata Bank then you can schedule as soon as 3:00pm on the first banking day following the date of payment.

    Step 3

    Schedule your appointment. BVP appointments are scheduled a little differently online than other appointments. To schedule your BVP appointment, follow these steps:

    • From the home page, click APPLY NOW.
    • After verifying your passport, you will be prompted to reply yes or no if you are a BVP applicant. Click yes.
    • Type in your BVP code when prompted.

    You will need three pieces of information in order to complete scheduling of your BVP interview appointment:

    • Your passport number
    • Your fee payment receipt purchase date (due to banking regulations, this date may be later than the date you actually paid your fee - the tables on this page can help you determine your receipt purchase date)
    • The ten (10) digit barcode number from your DS-160 confirmation page
    Step 4

    Visit the U.S. Embassy in Jakarta on the date and time of your visa interview. The Embassy interviews BVP registrants on Mondays from 7:00am to 9:00am, excluding U.S. and Indonesia holidays. You will need to bring a printed copy of your appointment letter, your DS-160 confirmation page, one recent photograph, your current and all old passports, and the original visa fee payment receipt. Applications without all of these items will not be accepted.

    For more information about the Business Visa Program, visit the U.S. Embassy's website.