Renew My Visa

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Overview

The U.S. visa application is often much simpler if you are renewing your visa. It is important to know that your visa may still be used, even if it is in an expired passport. You can travel to the United States with your old passport containing a valid visa and your new, valid passport.

However, you may qualify for a waiver of the interview requirement, eliminating the need to come to the Embassy. Use of the Interview Waiver service does not guarantee visa issuance. Further, we may, in some cases, after reviewing an application submitted by mail, require an in-person interview.

Qualifications

In order to apply for a visa through interview waiver you MUST be physically present in Romania. This includes children under the age of 14.

Applicants may qualify for a waiver of the interview requirement in the following situations:

  • Children under 14 are eligible for the Interview Waiver service, even if they have not been issued a US visa before.
  • Applicants of 80 years of age or older are eligible for the Interview Waiver service, even if they have not been issued a US visa before.
  • You are applying for the same visa category.
  • Your U.S. visa is still valid or expired less than 48 months ago. 
  • Your last visa was issued after January 1, 2008.
  • Your passport with the previous visa is still in your possession.
  • In the annotation field, your previous visa does NOT show ANY of the following: “Waiver” or “Clearance”.
  • Your nationality, date of birth and gender are the same in your old and new passports.
  • You are currently in Romania.
  • Since your last visa was issued, you have NOT applied to extend or adjust your immigration status while in the United States.
  • Since your last visa was issued, you have NOT been arrested or deported or violated U.S. immigration laws or regulations.
  • Since your last visa was issued, you have NOT applied for a visa and been refused or your visa has been cancelled or revoked.
  • You hold a Romanian Passport or Romanian Residency (permis de ședere).
  • You are a first-time H-2 applicant OR a first-time individual petition-based H, L, O, P, or Q applicant who was previously issued any type of visa or has traveled on ESTA (Electronic System for Travel Authorization).
  • You are a first-time F, M, or academic J applicant who was previously issued any type of visa or has traveled on ESTA (Electronic System for Travel Authorization).

The Consular Section reserves the right to request that an applicant appear in person for an interview after reviewing his or her application.

Please note that if you are applying for a visa with a temporary passport, the validity of your visa will be limited to one year. If you have applied for a visa with a temporary passport in the past, you will be asked to obtain a full validity passport prior to visa issuance. To avoid delays in visa processing, please apply with a full validity passport. Full validity Romanian passports are valid for ten years effective July 2018. Romanian biometric passports issued before July 2018 are valid for five years. If your passport is valid for one year or less, it is a temporary passport.

How to apply

Step 1

Complete the non-immigrant Visa Electronic Application (DS-160) form and print out the DS-160 Confirmation Page with bar-code.

Step 2

Log-in to our online applicant system and create/update your profile to pay the visa application (MRV) fee. Once logged in, choose “New Application/Schedule Appointment”, select “Nonimmigrant Visa” and then “Continue”. You will select the visa category; you will provide passport information, the DS-160 Application ID, contact information and the address for passport delivery.

Step 3

As you go through the process you will answer the questions which will evaluate your eligibility for the Interview Waiver. After you answer the questions, you will be prompted to enter an address where you want your passport and visa to be delivered and prompted to pay the visa fee. If qualified for the Interview Waiver, you will receive detailed instructions of how to deliver your documents. You will need three pieces of information in order to register online:

  • Your passport number
  • The receipt number from your payment receipt. (Click here if you need help finding this number.)
  • The ten (10) digit barcode number from your DS-160 confirmation page

Make sure you select how you choose to have your passport with visa delivered:

  • FedEx Head Office: this delivery option is free of charge. FedEx Head Office is located at No. 172-176 Bucuresti-Ploiesti Road, Platinum Business and Convention Center, Building B, Floor 2, District 1, Zip Code 015016, Bucharest. Pickup times are Monday to Friday, 10:00 - 17:00 (closed on holidays).
  • Premium Home/FedEx Office: There is an additional per applicant fee of 15.73 USD (rendered in Romanian lei at the exchange rate applied by the payer’s bank) for this option, which will have to be paid before the actual delivery. Information on how to pay the fee is available on this page.

IMPORTANT! You must print out the Interview Waiver Confirmation Page and send it to the Consular Section along with the other documents. If we do not receive the Interview Waiver Confirmation Page, we will not be able to process your visa application. This is how the Interview Waiver Confirmation Page looks like:

 

Step 4

Gather your DS-160 confirmation page, current and previous passports, a recent photo and your Interview Waiver Confirmation Page and the bank receipt/proof of payment, work contract/letter of employment for crew members (C1/D). Depending on the visa category, you may require additional documentation i.e. photocopy of parent’s U.S. visa and photocopy of birth certificate for all minors under the age of 14 years, work contract/letter of employment for crew members or technicians on board vessels (C1/D and B1), valid I-20 form for students (F1 or M1), DS-2019 for exchange visitors (J1) etc. IMPORTANT! If you obtained in the past a U.S. visa on different name than the current one, you must submit also a copy after the marriage/divorce decree or any other document to prove the change of name.

Step 5

Visa applicants wishing to take advantage of this service should send their application and supporting documents to the Embassy by FedEx.

There are two options to submit document:

  • Free of charge: Drop off your Interview Waiver Confirmation Letter and all other required documents at FedEx’s Head Office location in Bucharest.
  • Premium Home/FedEx Office Option: Select this option if you’d like to either have a FedEx courier pick up your documents from your home/office or drop off your documents to any other FedEx location. This option incurs an additional. Information on how to submit the documents is available on this page.

Step 6

At the end of the visa adjudication process, FedEx will return your documents and your passport to you at the chosen document delivery address in your profile. You can change the delivery address by accessing your profile. If issued, your passport will contain your visa.

Once we receive your application package, a consular officer will make the final determination whether you qualify for visa issuance without a personal interview. In such a case, your visa will be issued and your passport containing the visa will be returned to you. Processing time takes a minimum of 5 days.

Should an officer determine a personal interview is required, you will receive a visa interview appointment letter via FedEx.