Visa Fees

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Overview

Every visa applicant must pay a non-refundable, non-transferable visa application processing fee (sometimes referred to as the MRV fee) before applying for a nonimmigrant visa, unless the application fee is not required as listed below. The visa application fee must be paid whether a visa is issued or not. The type of visa for which you apply determines the fee amount. Depending on your citizenship and the type of visa you are applying for, you may also have to pay a visa issuance or “reciprocity” fee. This webpage lists visa application fees associated with each nonimmigrant visa type.

Please note that only the application fees for nonimmigrant visas are listed here.

Payment Information

Although fees are listed in U.S. dollars, payment must be made using local currency. You can pay your fee at any Chungwha Post location. More information about payment options is here. To find a Chungwha Post branch, click here.

Restrictions

Your visa application fee is non-refundable and you cannot transfer it to another person. You will receive a receipt after paying the application fee. All nonimmigrant visa application fee (also known as the MRV fee) payments made on or after October 1, 2022, are valid for 365 days from the date a receipt is issued for payment of the MRV fee. Applicants must schedule an interview appointment or submit an interview waiver application during this 365-day period. Please note applicants must only schedule their interview or submit their waiver application within the 365-day period. There is no requirement the interview must occur during the 365-day period. All receipts for payment of MRV fees issued before October 1, 2022, were extended until September 30, 2023, and remain valid until this date.

Visa Types and Application Fee Amounts

The application fees are listed below and apply to each visa application. The application fee for the most common nonimmigrant visa types is US$185. This includes tourist, business, student, and exchange visitor visas. Most petition-based visas, such as work and religious visas, are US$205. K visas cost US$265 and the fee amount for E visas is US$315 The tables below have a more comprehensive list of visa types and fee amounts.

You may find a full list of U.S. visa fees by clicking here.



Visa Types and Application Fee Amounts - Sorted by Fee Class
Fee Amount (USD) Fee Amount (TWD) Visa Type Description
$185 N/A B Business/Tourist
$185 N/A C-1 Transit
$185 N/A D Ship/Airline Crew
$185 N/A F Student (academic)
$185 N/A I Journalist and Media
$185 N/A J Exchange Visitors
$185 N/A M Student (vocational)
$185 N/A T Victim of Human Trafficking
$185 N/A TN/TD NAFTA Professionals
$185 N/A U Victim of Criminal Activity
$205 N/A CW Transitional Workers CNMI
$205 N/A H Temporary/Seasonal Workers and Employment, Trainees
$205 N/A L Intracompany Transferees
$205 N/A O Persons with Extraordinary Ability
$205 N/A P Athletes. Artists & Entertainers
$205 N/A Q International Cultural Exchange
$205 N/A R Religious Worker
$265 N/A K Fiancé(e) or Spouse of U.S. Citizen
$315 N/A E Treaty Trader/Investor, Australian Professional Specialty



Visa Types and Application Fee Amounts - Sorted by Visa Type
Visa Type Description Fee Amount (USD$) Fee Amount (TWD)
B Business/Tourist $185 N/A
C-1 Transit $185 N/A
CW Transitional Workers CNMI $205 N/A
D Ship/Airline Crew $185 N/A
E Treaty Trader/Investor, Australian Professional Specialty $315 N/A
F Student (academic) $185 N/A
H Temporary/Seasonal Workers and Employment, Trainees $205 N/A
I Journalist and Media $185 N/A
J Exchange Visitor $185 N/A
K Fiancé(e) or Spouse of U.S. Citizen $265 N/A
L Intracompany Transferees $205 N/A
M Student (vocational) $185 N/A
O Persons with Extraordinary Ability $205 N/A
P Athletes. Artists & Entertainers $205 N/A
Q International Cultural Exchange $205 N/A
R Religious Worker $205 N/A
T Victim of Human Trafficking $185 N/A
U Victim of Criminal Activity $185 N/A
TN/TD NAFTA Professionals $185 N/A

Visa Types and Conditions with No Fee Required

  • Applicants for A, G, C-2, C-3, NATO, and diplomatic visas (as defined in 22 CFR 41.26);
  • Applicants holding J visas and who are participating in certain official U.S. Government-sponsored educational and cultural exchanges;
  • Replacement of a machine-readable visa within one year of visa issuance, when the original visa was not properly affixed or the visa needs to be reissued through no fault of the applicant;
  • Applicants exempted by international agreement, including members and staff of an observer mission to United Nations Headquarters recognized by the UN General Assembly, and their immediate families;
  • Applicants traveling to provide certain charitable services;
  • U.S. Government employees traveling on official business; and,
  • A parent, sibling, spouse or child of a U.S. Government employee killed in the line of duty who is traveling to attend the employee's funeral and/or burial; or a parent, sibling, spouse, son or daughter of a U.S. Government employee critically injured in the line of duty for visitation during urgent treatment and convalescence.

Other Fees

In some cases, additional visa fees are paid directly to the National Visa Center, to the American Institute in Taiwan or to the Department of Homeland Security.

Nonimmigrant Visa Issuance ("Reciprocity") Fees

Applicants from certain countries may be required to pay a visa issuance fee after their application is approved. These fees are based on "reciprocity" (what another country charges a U.S. citizen for a similar type of visa). The United States strives to eliminate visa issuance fees whenever possible. However, U.S. law requires visa fees to be based on the treatment afforded to U.S. citizens. When a discrepancy is noted, the law requires the imposition of “reciprocity fees.”

The consular officer will inform you if a visa issuance fee is required.  Please do not pay this fee without receiving a notification from the Consular Section.  This fee can be paid in either US or NT dollars (see current consular exchange rate here) or by credit card at the American Institute in Taiwan during your interview on the appointment day. We accept Visa, MasterCard, American Express, Diners Club and Discover. We do not accept personal checks or travelers checks. (AIT strongly advises all customers to bring cash in exact amount, as our system does not always accommodate credit card transactions. Thank you.)  

If you are required to pay this fee at a later date – for example, if your case requires additional administrative processing and cannot be approved on the day of your interview -  you have two options. First, you may choose to pay the issuance fee in USD by money order (also known as cashier’s check, bank draft, or 美金匯票) issued by a local bank in Taiwan. Most banks in Taiwan issue money orders at their Foreign Exchange Department. Your money order must have been issued within the past five (5) months and must be payable to American Institute in Taiwan in the correct U.S dollar amount. Please note you may be charged an additional processing fee by your bank for preparing a money order. If you choose to mail in your money order payment, please follow the instructions on the notification letter and submit the requested documents at a designated drop-off location nearest to you. 

You can also pay this fee in person at AIT on Wednesdays (10:00 am) except AIT closure days.  Please bring your passport and the notification letter you received. 

The Department of State's website has more information about visa issuance fees and can help you determine if an issuance fee applies to your nationality. 

Please note that effective December 11, 2019, Taiwan passport holders applying for H-1B, H-4, L-1, L-2, R-1, or R-2 visas are required to pay this fee before a visa can be issued based on current Taiwan reciprocity schedule. 

SEVIS Fees

The Student and Exchange Visitor Information System (SEVIS) is an Internet-based system that tracks F, M, and J visa participants (and their family members) from the time they receive their initial documentation (either an I-20 or a DS-2019) until they graduate/leave school or conclude/leave program. 

F, M and J visa principal applicants: Check with your U.S. school to make sure your information has been entered into SEVIS. You will need to pay a separate SEVIS fee in addition to the visa application fee. For nonimmigrant students with Form I-20, the SEVIS fee is US$350. For most exchange visitors with Form DS-2019, the SEVIS fee is US$220. Proof of payment is required before your student or exchange visitor visa will be issued. Payment cannot be made at the American Institute in Taiwan.  Instructions for paying the SEVIS fee can be found here

SEVIS Fee Exception

Applicants participating in a U.S. Government sponsored program (programs whose codes begin with G-1, G-2, G-3, G-7) are not required to pay the SEVIS fee.  Dependents of F, J or M visa applicants and certain continuing students or exchange visitors do not have to pay the SEVIS fee.  

Blanket L Fees (Fraud Prevention and Detection Fee and Consolidated Appropriations Act fee)

The principal applicant of a blanket L petition must pay a Fraud Prevention and Detection fee of US$500, as well as a Consolidated Appropriations Act fee of US$4,500 in certain circumstances. The U.S. petitioner pays the Fraud Prevention and Detection Fee and Consolidated Appropriations Act fee for individual L, H-1B, and H-2B petitions when the petition is filed with USCIS.

Fraud Prevention and Detection Fee:

Applicants applying for L-1 (intra-company transferee) visas with a blanket I-129S petition must pay a "fraud prevention and detection fee" of US$500. This fee is non-refundable and can be paid in either US or NT dollars or by credit card at the American Institute in Taiwan. We accept Visa, MasterCard, American Express, Diners Club and Discover. We do not accept personal checks or travelers checks. AIT strongly advises all customers to bring cash, as our system does not always accommodate credit card transactions. Thank you.

Taiwan passport holders applying for L-1 visas with a blanket I-129S petition are not required to pay a separate visa issuance fee at the time of issuance. However, effective December 11, 2019, Taiwan passport holders applying as their L-2 dependents are required to pay an additional visa issuance fee based on the current Taiwan reciprocity schedule. 

Consolidated Appropriations Act fee:

Applicants applying for L-1 visas must pay the Consolidated Appropriations Act fee of US$4,500 if they are applying with a blanket I-129S petition issued to an employer that has more than 50 employees in the United States and more than 50 percent of those employees are in H-1B or L status. The Consolidated Appropriations Act fee must be paid in either US or NT dollars or by credit card to the American Institute in Taiwan and is non-refundable. AIT strongly advises all customers to bring cash, as our system does not always accommodate credit card transactions. Thank you.