Apply for a U.S. Visa

Th U.S. Mission in Vietnam will change its consular exchange rate from US$1=24,000VND to US$1=25,000VND effective September 5, 2023. All For any inquiries or assistance related to new exchange rate, please contact the U.S. Visa Service Desk at support-vietnam@ustraveldocs.com or contact the call center in Vietnam at 19006444 (Monday - Friday, 08:00 - 16:00, except on holidays).All applicants for nonimmigrant visas and K visas who pay the visa processing fee on or after September 5, 2023, must pay at the new exchange rate of US$1=25,000VND. Alicants who paid the visa processing fee at the exchange rate of US$1=24,000VND on or before September 4, 2023, may still use their receipt before it expires.

All receipts for payment of Machine-Readable Visa (MRV) fees issued before October 1, 2022, will expire September 30, 2023. There will be no extensions of fee validity. Applicants must schedule an appointment or submit an interview waiver application before September 30, 2023 to avoid paying a new fee. Please note that the interview itself does not need to take place before September 30, 2023, but an interview appointment needs to be made in the system, even if it is scheduled months into the future. Furthermore, applicants using MRV fees paid before October 1, 2022 to book an appointment are cautioned not to attempt to change their appointment dates on or after October 1, 2023. Doing so will result in forfeiture of both the original appointment slot and the MRV fee receipt. The applicant will be required to pay a new fee and submit a new application package.

Amid rising concerns of COVID-19 outbreak in Vietnam, Hanoi authorities announced mandatory face mask wearing in public and enclosed spaces. Other provinces may apply similar counter-outbreak measures depending on their local situations. The U.S. Embassy in Hanoi and the U.S. Consulate General in Ho Chi Minh City recommend that all consular customers, including visa and American Citizen Services customers coming in for consular services wear face mask when entering U.S. Embassy and U.S. Consulate General premises.

Nonimmigrant visa applicants who are in an urgent need to travel should continue to follow the instructions here to request an expedited appointment. Fiancé(e) and immigrant visa applicants who have questions about their specific case may contact the Immigrant Visa (IV) Unit here. We encourage you to book your appointment as soon as you think you may need to travel in the future.

For 221g applicants going to the U.S. Consulate General in Ho Chi Minh City, you may come to the consulate for an interview anytime between 8:30 AM to 10:30 AM on Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, or Friday, except holidays and other days where the Consulate may be closed for other work-related purposes. Please check the Consulate website for the latest operating hours. If you submitted your mail-in visa application more than 6 months before the interview, then you will need to provide a new visa photo.

Check your email and phone the day before your scheduled visa interview to ensure that your appointment has not been rescheduled or cancelled. Arrive no more than 20 minutes before your scheduled appointment.

Please do not enter the U.S. Embassy or the U.S. Consulate General if you are feeling ill or have reason to believe you have been exposed to COVID-19. You may reschedule your appointment.

Effective February 7, 2022, the Pick-up / Drop off of your passport / documents at the courier locations and delivery service for return of your passport / documents will be changed as follows

• Pick-up / Dropoff of passport / documents at Bưu cục Thanh Xuân - 1 Nguy Nhu Kon Tum (Hanoi) and Văn phòng 18A Cộng Hòa, Phường 12, Quận Tân Bình (HCMC)
• Drop-off of passport / documents at any other courier location will be charged a fee of VND133,000 per passport / document at the time of drop-off;
• Pick-up of passport / documents at any other courier location will be charged a fee of VND143,000 per passport / document at the time of pick-up;
• Expedited delivery service will be charged at VND240,000 for mailing address in Hanoi / Ho Chi Minh City and VND302,000 for mailing address in other provinces per passport / document;
• Regular home delivery service will be charged at VND143,000 per passport / document;
• The fees will be collected in cash when the passport / document is delivered. Exact change required.
For detailed information, please

Select here to learn more about certain individual petition-based visa applicants who are now eligible for waiver of interview.

Starting May 12, 2023, noncitizen nonimmigrant air passengers will no longer need to show proof of being fully vaccinated with an accepted COVID-19 vaccine to board a flight to the United States. For further information, please visit the U.S. Department of State’s website here

Secretary Blinken, in consultation with the Department of Homeland Security, has temporarily expanded the ability of consular officers to waive the in-person interview requirement for individuals applying for a nonimmigrant visa in the same classification. Previously, only those applicants whose nonimmigrant visa expired within 24 months were eligible for an interview waiver. The Secretary has temporarily extended the expiration period to 48 months. This policy is in effect until further notice. This change will allow consular officers to continue processing certain nonimmigrant visa applications while limiting the number of applicants who must appear at a consular section, thereby reducing the risk of COVID-19 transmission to other applicants and consular staff. Travelers are encouraged to review the website of the nearest U.S. embassy or consulate for detailed information on what services are currently available as well as eligibility information and instructions on applying for a visa without an interview.

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

• Applicants should use the Vietnamese-language video guide to complete the DS-160. All applicants must fill out a new Form DS-160 for every new application for a U.S. visa. All previously submitted DS-160 forms cannot be used for a new visa interview.
• Using a barcode number from the DS-160 that is not submitted to schedule an interview appointment will result in appointment cancellation.
• The barcode number on the DS-160 Confirmation page that visa applicants bring on their interview dates must be exactly the same one used to schedule the appointment. Failure to present the DS-160 Confirmation page with the same barcode number that you used for scheduling your appointment will result in the cancellation of your visa interview appointment.
• Correction of the DS-160 confirmation number after you have scheduled an appointment is available until two business days before your visa interview. To correct the number, please log in to your profile, and select “Update profile” or contact the call center for assistance. If your DS-160 confirmation number is not corrected before two business days prior to your appointment, your interview will be cancelled, and you will have to reschedule your interview appointment.
• Please make sure you come to your interview with an Appointment Confirmation Sheet bearing the most up-to-date DS-160 barcode number; and the new/valid DS-160 Confirmation page