Procedures for Visa Application

Versión en español

Beginning on April 1, 2004, all visa applicants, including those with visas, who wish to revalidate them, must come to the U.S. Embassy for an interview and to be fingerprinted. (There is no additional cost for fingerprints that are taken at the beginning of every interview.) With the exception of minors 13 years of age or younger, and some applicants 80 years of age or older, every applicant must appear in person at the U.S. Embassy for an interview. Appointments for interviews are scheduled through the Visa Information Call Center.

Steps for scheduling a visa interview at the U.S. Embassy

1. Obtain a PIN number from any branch of Banco Colpatria. Applicants may purchase a PIN number through the automatic teller machines (ATM) at Banco Colpatria. Colpatria clients may obtain a PIN number online. The cost for a PIN number is Col$36,500 for 15 minutes and Col$48,700 for 20 minutes. Purchase a PIN number for the amount of time you think you will need depending on the number of immediate family members for whom you are scheduling interviews (husband, wife, mother, father, children or brother or sister up to 21 years of age).

2. Contact the Visa Information Call Center to schedule your appointment.

   Telephone number for the Visa Information Call Center: 01-8000-12-32-32 In Bogota: 346-9150 In Colombia, outside of Bogota: 01-8000-12-32-32 In the U.S.: (1-877) 804-5401, Monday through Friday, 8:00AM to 8:00PM EST

   
   

3. After setting up an appointment for the visa interview, the applicant must pay the non-immigrant processing fee personally at the Banco Union Colombiano. The barcode fee receipt issued by the Banco Union Colombiano will indicate the date and time of the interview. The fee is $100.00 or the Colombian peso equivalent for each applicant. This fee is non-transferable and valid until the date of the interview. There is no reimbursement for loss, theft or expiration. In Bogotá the payment may be made at the Banco Union Colombiano located at Carrera 47 # 22A-99 (Edificio Eliana) or Sucursal Avenida Jimenez (Carrera 8 # 14-45) or Sucursal Avenida Chile (Carrera 7 # 71-48). In Cali, Medellin, Barranquilla, Cartagena, Bucaramanga, Pereira and Manizales payment may be made at the main office of the Banco Union Colombiano. The fee is required whether the visa is issued or not. Every applicant must present his/her passport and fill out the additional form for visa application. The adhesive receipt is attached to the passport. Do not remove the receipt from your passport unless you are traveling outside of Colombia. In such a situation we recommend you keep the receipt in a safe place. Do not travel with the barcode receipt on your passport; immigration agents may not know what it is and will often remove it.

Personal Appearance Waivers

The following applicants do not need to appear in person for an interview. These individuals must still pay the appropriate visa fee of $100 or the equivalent in Colombian pesos and may submit their visa requests on Tuesdays from 1:00PM to 2:30PM at Window 16. These are the only applicants who may use a travel agency's service to pay the required fee in an accepted branch of Banco Union Colombiano:

• Minors 13 years of age or younger, if all the following conditions apply:
  • Both parents have full validity visas and the applicant has not been previously refused (parents' passports with valid U.S. visas are presented)
  • The parents are legally married (marriage certificate is presented)
  • The birth certificate of the child is presented
  • Current passport is presented
  • Completed DS-156 form is completed with appropriate photo

  
  

• Applicants 80 years of age or older, if all the following conditions apply:
  • Current passport (and previous passports, if applicable) presented
  • Completed DS-156 and DS-157 forms completed with photo
  • No previous visa refusals
  • Applicant has an immediate relative living in the U.S. (sibling, child or parent) in legal status; proof of relative's legal status in the U.S. must be presented (i.e., copies of birth certificate, marriage certificate, legal permanent resident card/naturalization certificate, U.S. passport pages, etc.)

Diplomats and Officials

The following individuals also do not need to appear in person for an interview. These individuals must still pay the appropriate visa fee of $100 or the equivalent in Colombian pesos and may submit their visa requests Monday through Thursday from 8:00AM to 11:00AM at Window 16:

• Diplomats and employees of international organizations applying for A-1, A-2, G-1, G-2, G-3, G-4, NATO-1, NATO-2, NATO-3, NATO-4, NATO-5, NATO-6 or C-3 visas. However, if these individuals wish to travel in any other capacity that would require another type of visa, such as a B1/B2 tourist visa, they must schedule an appointment and appear in person to be fingerprinted.

  The personal appearance waiver does not apply to attendants, servants, or personal employees of accredited officials; these applicants must appear in person for an interview and be fingerprinted.

  
  

  How to open forms

  If you do not have the Adobe Acrobat Reader program to open forms (documents in .pdf), you may download it for free at: www.adobe.com