Non-Immigrant Visas

Non-immigrant Visa Application

If you are under 14 or over 80 years of age, you may qualify to mail in your application. For more information, please see here.

Note: Please make sure to follow the four step non-immigrant visa application process. You must complete steps one through three before you come to your interview. Before filling out the forms online, please read the system requirements carefully. If you do not have the listed system requirements, you may not be able to complete the form online.

Step 1
Complete the Electronic Visa Application Form DS-156 (EVAF) Online

Complete the Electronic Visa Application Form DS-156 (EVAF) online, print it out, and bring all three pages to your interview. Do not staple the forms together or print on both sides of the paper.

* DS-156 English

All forms must be completed in English. Incomplete forms will not be accepted. If the question does not apply, write "none", "non-applicable", or "n/a".

IMPORTANT: Each electronic form will have a barcode used for scanning the application when you appear at the Consular Section for your interview appointment.

Click here for image of unreadable barcode
Click here for image of readable barcode

Application forms with unacceptable barcodes (those that cannot be read by our scanner due to poor printer quality and other factors) will not be accepted. Applicants will be asked to exit the Consular Section and return with a readable barcode.

Step 2
Make your Appointment

Starting March 16, 2009, the Consular Section requires ALL non-immigrant visa applicants, regardless of visa type, to schedule ON-LINE an appointment for a visa interview. No walk-in visa applicants will be accepted. For additional information, see related press release.

To schedule an appointment, click here ,
(1) Select Barbados then Bridgetown from the drop-down lists, and
(2) Select the calendar that applies to your visa type.

Only those non-immigrant visa applicants who are required to appear in person for an interview need to make appointments.

Note that E Treaty Trader applicants are not required to schedule their visa interview on-line, but should follow instructions for requesting an appointment as stated on our web site.

To book your appointment, you will need the barcode number from your DS-156 (EVAF) and a printer. If you do not have a printer, you will not be able to print out the confirmation page that permits you to enter the Consular Section. If you experience any kind of problem printing out the confirmation page, please record the Confirmation ID so that you can reenter the system from this page and cancel or change your appointment. You cannot reprint the confirmation page once you have exited the system. Your confirmation ID is not sent to you by email, so please write it down if you experience any kind of problem with your printer.

Each visa applicant must have his/her own appointment. If you are applying as a family, each applying member must have an appointment.

Applications for under-aged children not requiring in-person interviews may be submitted along with their parent's application without an appointment.

IMPORTANT:

To prevent multiple bookings by the same person, the Embassy reserves the right to cancel any appointments which do not appear to be valid reservations. Please spell your name correctly. Multiple name spellings with the same or similar passport numbers may be subject to cancellation.
Your appointment time printed on the confirmation letter is when you will be allowed to queue up outside of the Embassy gate to gain admission to the Consular Section. It is not the time when you will be interviewed. Your interview will take place after the initial paperwork and processing are complete. You can expect to wait about an hour and a half to two hours at the Embassy. Reading material is permitted, but electronic devices (including mobile phones), food, beverages and large bags are not allowed into the Embassy. Electronic devices can be checked at the Embassy entrance.
Applicants who do not arrive at their scheduled appointment time will be refused admission to the premises. Please do not arrive early for your appointment as you will not be allowed to queue up prior to your scheduled appointment time.
Due to space limitations in our waiting room, the primary applicant will be the only person allowed into the building unless the applicant is a minor child (age 17 and under) accompanied by a parent or legal guardian or is disabled and requiring assistance. Other parties (including relatives, friends, co-workers, employers, lawyers, etc.) will not be allowed into the building unless requested to do so by a Consular official.

Step 3
Gather Documents for Interview with Consular Officer

Do not send documents to the Embassy or Consular Section. Bring your documents to the interview.

English translations must be attached to all documents which are in a foreign language.

On the interview day, your documents will be checked at the entrance to the Consular Section. Please do not use staples or put any stickers on the DS156 form, DS157 form and DS158 form as those forms will be scanned into the computer.

All applicants must present the following documents at the interview.

Passport: Current and previous passports issued in the past ten years. Travelers are required to be in possession of passports that are valid for six-months beyond the period of their intended stay in the U.S. Citizens of the countries listed here are exempt the six-month rule and need only to have a passport valid for their intended period of stay.
DS-156: Printout of DS-156 filled out online. Question#8, #9, #34, #41 must be completed. Please do Not leave blank. If the question does not apply, write "None", "Non-applicable", or "n/a".
Photograph: A 5cm x 5cm/2in x 2in color photo with a white background, taken within the last six months. The head (measured from the top of the hair to the bottom of the chin) should measure between 25 to 35mm with the head centered in the frame facing straight. Glue it to the DS-156. Do not staple the photo to the DS-156.
Completed DS-157 Application Form: Required for male applicants of all nationalities aged 16 to 45. The form requires Adobe Acrobat version 5.0 or above.
Download in English.
Court and/or Police Records: Applicants with arrest/criminal records must provide a copy of their court and/or arrest record and copy of relevant Laws/Statutes (including cases that ended with an acquittal or pardon) and an English translation of those documents. In the event that there was no trial, bring a letter in English that explains the circumstances of the arrest.
Note: Those who do not have arrest or criminal records do not need to provide any such documents.
Proof of Employment or Enrollment in School (if applicable)
Applicants going to the U.S. to participate in a science or technology-related conference must bring a complete CV or resume, a complete list of publications (if applicable), a completed conference questionnaire, and a letter of acceptance/invitation from the conference organizer.

For information on additional documentary requirements for the specific category of visa you are applying, please click on the visa category below.

Step 4
Interview with Consular Officer

1. Entry processing

Please take your place in line at your appointment time at the entrance of the U.S. Embassy.
All applicants must pass through security, which includes putting your personal belongings through an x-ray machine and walking through a metal detector. When planning your visit, bring only what is needed for your business with us. Reading material is permitted, but food, drinks, big luggage cannot be brought into the embassy. If you have such items with you, your entry (and the entry of those in line behind you) will be delayed.
All electronic devices such as cell phones, iPod, PDAs, laptops, portable game devices, etc. must be checked at the entrance. You will be given a numbered plastic tag when you check your electronics. Please remember to retrieve your checked item(s) by presenting your tag as you leave.

2. Document check

After passing through security, you will be given a number. Once your number has been called, please proceed to the intake window indicated so that our staff can perform an initial check on your documents.

3. Submit your documents at the Intake Window

Please go directly to the intake window in the Consular Section waiting room to submit your documents, once your number has been called.
After your documents have been submitted, we will enter your application information into the system. Application processing time varies according to visa category. Some applicants who arrive after you may be called earlier than you. We recommend that applicants bring reading material to pass the time.

4. Pay the Visa Application Fee

All applicants except those applying for diplomatic visas and certain visitors participating in U.S. Government-sponsored programs must pay a nonrefundable Machine Readable Visa (MRV) application fee of USD $131 per person to cover the cost of applying for a visa. The application fee may be paid in cash or bank cheque made out to the American Embassy in U.S. dollars or Barbados dollars (BB$265). Please bring the Exact amount to pay for your Visa service.

Why is there a fee?

The United States Congress requires American embassies and consulates to collect a Machine Readable Visa (MRV) application fee for each application processed. These fees are used to pay for security improvements to the United States visa and entry control system.
The only applicants exempt from this fee are those who are applying for A (diplomatic), C-3 (diplomatic/official transit) visas, and J-1 (exchange visitor program) applicants participating in the State Department's Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs or USAID sponsored programs listed as G-1, G-2, G-3, or G-7 on the DS-2019. Any programs that are not sponsored by the Department of State or USAID but have a G-1, G-2, G-3 or G-7 program code must pay the visa application fee.

5. Fingerprinting Procedures

When your number is called, please proceed to the window number indicated.
Place four left-hand fingers flat on the green square as shown below. Repeat this procedure with your right-hand fingers. Then place your thumbs together on the green square as shown.
Please ensure your fingers are dry before fingerprinting, as lotions, moisturizers, or other chemicals applied to your hands could result in unclear prints and the possibility that you will have to be called back to have your fingerprints retaken.

Images of Fingerprinting Instructions

6. Interview

After you are fingerprinted, please wait for your name, or number, to be called again for your interview.
When your name/number is called, please go to the window indicated for your interview. The Consular Officer will tell you the results of your application at the end of your interview.
If you are found eligible, your passport with the visa inside will be delivered to you via courier service. Unless you bring a pre-paid courier pak from a courier service of your choice to your interview, you will need to make payment for return courier service at the DHL counter, located inside the Consular waiting room, following your interview with the Consular Officer.

7. After Your Interview

Pay Fee for Return of Passport

For Barbados Residents: If your application is approved, unless you bring a pre-paid courier pak from a courier service of your choice to your interview, we will return your passport to you via DHL within 5 business days. Please make arrangements with the DHL representative in our lobby to pre-pay an airway bill for delivery of your passport. If you need your passport returned without the visa, you will have to send the passport back to us via courier. When you send the passport, you must send a pre-paid airway bill and mailer for delivery back to you. The cost for DHL delivery one-way within Barbados is US$10, or BBD$20.

For Applicants Living Outside Barbados: If your application is approved and you need your current passport to travel home, your passport will be returned to you after the interview. After you return to your country of residence, please send your passport back to:

U.S. Embassy Bridgetown
Non-immigrant Visa Unit,
Wildey Office Park, Wildey,
St. Michael, Barbados

via courier for visa issuance. You must enclose your passport and a pre-paid courier airway bill and mailer for delivery of the passport and visa back to you. Once your passport arrives at our Visa Unit, we will issue your visa and return your passport to you via your courier within 7 business days. You may make arrangements with the DHL representative in our lobby or use a courier company of your choice in your home country. If you choose DHL, the rate will be US$48 for two-way service. (For one-way international service, the rate is US$24.) To help us provide the fastest possible service, customers are asked to bring exact change.

Note: We do not guarantee that every case will be processed within five to seven business days. Some cases may require additional processing, which could result in a delay of up to six weeks or more. Do not/not make final travel plans until your passport is in your possession.

Embassy of the United States