Nonimmigrant visa unit
Personal Appearance Waiver Program
The Personal Appearance Waiver Progam allows certain nonimmigrant visa applicants to apply without being interviewed personally by a consular officer. Many such applicants do still have to come to the Consular Section for fingperprints, but the fingerprint process is generally fast. Waiving the personal appearance (interview) is something that the consular officer can only do in the circumstances below.
Who qualifies for the Personal Appearance Waiver Program?
The follow two classes of B-1/B-2 applicants do not need to appear in person for an interview with a consular officer:
- Applicants under age 14, if all of the following conditions apply:
- both parents have five-year, multiple-entry B-1/B-2 visas that have at least six months of validity remaining
- the applicant has never been refused a visa
- the parents are legally married to each other (common-law marriage is not acceptable for purposes of a Personal Appearance Waiver)
- Applicants 80 years of age and older, if all of the following conditions apply:
- the applicant has never been refused a visa or was issued a visa after the refusal.
- the applicant has never violated the terms of the visa.
How to Apply
- Pay the nonrefundable visa application fee.
- Submit the required documents in person (or have a registered travel agency do so) at windows 27 or 28 of the Nonimmigrant Visa Unit between 1:00 p.m. and 2:30 p.m. on any Tuesday.
Note that the Nonimmigrant Visa Unit retains the right to require an interview for any applicant and exercises this right if there are any questions about the visa application. If your visa is approved through the Personal Appearance Waiver Program, you will receive your visa via the DOMESA courier service in approximately three weeks. Note that applicants who qualify for the Personal Appearance Waiver Program may instead opt to appear personally for an interview, which is generally a faster process.