Most applicants are required to appear personally at the Consular Section to apply for a U.S. visa. However, certain applicants may be exempt from that requirement based on their age.
NOTE: The Personal Appearance Waiver (PAW) process takes approximately 3 weeks. If there is an urgent need to travel to the United States, please log in to this Web site and schedule an interview appointment.
Applicants who may present the application without an interview must meet the following age criteria:
- Minor children under the age of 14 (0-13)
- Must be a resident in Colombia
- Applying for Business/Tourism (B1/B2) Visa
- If the applicant has been refused a visa, must have been subsequently issued a U.S. Visa
NOTE: Applicants will not qualify and will need to schedule an appointment if they have a parent that is a legal U.S. resident or a parent that is an U.S. citizen.
- Persons over the age of 80
- Must be a resident in Colombia
- Applying for Business/Tourism (B1/B2) Visa
- If the applicant has been refused a visa, must have been subsequently issued a U.S. Visa
PROCEDURE FOR APPLICANTS WHO DO NOT REQUIRE AN INTERVIEW:
- Complete Visa application form DS-160 online at https://ceac.state.gov/genniv
- Register an account through http://colombia.usvisa-info.com
- Pay the Visa application (MRV) fee through this service.
- Note: Applicants should NOT schedule an appointment during the online registration.
- Select the "Sending Documents to the Consular Section" option.
- Drop off the application package at a designated DHL location
The application package must include:
- Applicant's valid passport with at least 6 months validity
- The DS-160 visa application confirmation page
- MRV fee payment confirmation
- One 5 x 5 cm (or 2" x 2") color photo with white background taken within the last 6 months.
Please click here for photo guidelines. - Applicants under the age of 14 must include:
- A valid birth certificate
- A copy of the valid U.S. visa(s) belonging to any parent(s) listed on the birth certificate
NOTES:
If the visa is approved: The passport with visa will be available for pick-up at the applicant’s selected DHL location in approximately 3 weeks.
If there is an urgent need to travel the Embassy recommends scheduling an appointment. In some cases, the Consular Section will contact the applicant to request a personal interview.
