A citizen of a foreign country who seeks to enter the United States generally must first obtain a U.S. visa, which is placed in the traveler’s passport, a travel document issued by the traveler’s country of citizenship.

Certain international travelers may be eligible to travel to the United States without a visa if they meet the requirements for visa-free travel. The Visa section of this website is all about U.S. visas for foreign citizens to travel to the United States.

(Note: U.S. citizens don’t need a U.S. visa for travel, but when planning travel abroad may need a visa issued by the embassy of the country they wish to visit.)

For assistance using the U.S. Visa Service Desk web-site, or to answer questions regarding visa application processes and services, please contact our Call Center at 19006444 (Vietnamese and English available) in Vietnam or +1-703-665-7350 internationally. Agents are available Monday-Friday from 8 a.m. until 4 p.m. You may also contact U.S. Visa Service Desk via e-mail, Skype or chat services.

If you have a question related to a specific case, please use our Nonimmigrant Visa Inquiry Form or our Immigrant Visa Inquiry Form.

Please note that we will not respond to inquiries sent by postal mail or fax.

The Department of State manages the visa process strictly but fairly in order to best protect the United States.  We are committed to the essential openness for which the United States has always been known.  Travel to the United States is welcomed and encouraged.

We promise to you, the visa applicant, that:

• We will treat you with dignity and respect, even if we are unable to grant you a visa.
• We will treat you as an individual and your case as unique.
• We will remember that, to you, a visa interview may be a new or intimidating experience and that you may be nervous.
• We will use the limited time available for the interview to get as full a picture as possible of your travel plans and intentions.
• We will use our available resources to fairly assist all applicants to get appointments to allow travel in time for business, study, and other important obligations.
• We will post detailed and accurate information on visa requirements and application procedures on every Embassy and Consulate website.
• We will provide information on non-immigrant appointment waiting times at every Embassy and Consulate posted on on the Department of State’s website.
• We will explain the reason for any visa denial to you.

Furthermore, if you are a:

• Student, we will make every effort to ensure that you get an appointment and, if qualified, a visa in time to start classes.
• Medical and humanitarian emergency traveler, we will expedite processing for those dealing with life threatening emergencies.
• Business traveler, we will establish appropriate mechanisms to facilitate business travel and expedite cases of particular concern to American business.

At the same time, we expect you, the visa applicant, to:

• Plan your travel and visa application as far in advance as possible.
• Complete your application fully and accurately.
• Be forthcoming about your purpose and plans.
• Prepare for your interview by being able to clearly and concisely describe your intentions.