Personal Appearance Waiver

If you reside in the city of Jerusalem, the West Bank, or Gaza, you should apply at the U.S. Consulate General in Jerusalem.

Although most applicants are required to appear personally at the Consular Section to apply for a U.S. visa, there are certain applicants that 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 the city of Jerusalem, the West Bank, or Gaza
    • Applying for business/tourism (B1/B2) visa
    • If the applicant has been refused a visa, s/he must have been subsequently issued a U.S. visa
  • Persons over the age of 80
    • Must be a resident in the city of Jerusalem, the West Bank, or Gaza
    • Applying for business/tourism (B1/B2) visa
    • If the applicant has been refused a visa, s/he must have been subsequently issued a U.S. visa
Application Procedures for an applicant meeting the age requirements

There are two ways to submit applications if the age requirements are met:

  1. Courier in visa application documents
  • Complete visa application form DS-160 online at https://ceac.state.gov/genniv
  • Log in to this Web site and select the purpose of travel as "Visitor Visa – Courier In"
  • Select preferred delivery method, and other relevant information requested for each applicant. (For more information on how to use this Web site, please visit How to Use this Web site.
  • Select visa application (MRV) fee payment method.
  • Pay the MRV fee. Print MRV fee payment confirmation.
  • The Web site will complete the registration process on a confirmation page. This page will contain instructions on how to submit the application and documents through courier.
  • Print the confirmation page. Take the confirmation page, the visa application and relevant documents to the courier drop off location.
    • The application package must include:
      1. Applicant's valid passport with at least 6 months validity
      2. The DS-160 visa application confirmation page with barcode
      3. MRV fee payment confirmation
      4. 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.
      5. Applicants under the age of 14 must include:
        • A copy of the valid U.S. visa(s) belonging to any parent(s) listed on the birth certificate
      6. Supporting documents

Note: Visa application packages will only be accepted by a UPS or Wassel courier at the U.S. Consulate in Jerusalem.

If the applicant cannot physically drop the visa application package at a UPS or Wassel point-of-sale location, the applicant may choose to hire a courier to take the package to a UPS or Wassel location.

  1. Submit documents along with relative’s visa applications during scheduled interview at the Consular Section

Applications can also be submitted by a family member. In the case of a child under 14, the family member must be a parent applying for a visa.

  • Log in to this Web site and select the appropriate purpose of travel.
  • Select preferred delivery method, and enter other relevant information requested for each applicant. (For more information on how to use this Web site, please visit How to Use this Web site.
  • Select visa application (MRV) fee payment method.
  • Pay the MRV fee. Print MRV fee payment confirmation for each applicant.
  • Select the appointment date and time.
  • The Web site will end with an appointment confirmation that will be emailed to the email addressed provided during the scheduling process.
  • All applicants must attend with all collected documentation except for the individuals that meet the age requirements. Family members may bring the relatives’ application and documents to the Consular Section
    • The application package must include:
      1. Applicant's valid passport with at least 6 months validity
      2. The DS-160 visa application confirmation page with barcode
      3. MRV fee payment confirmation
      4. 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.
      5. Applicants under the age of 14 must include:
        • A copy of the valid U.S. visa(s) belonging to any parent(s) listed on the birth certificate
      6. Supporting documents
  • If the visa is approved, the passport with visa will be available for pick-up at the applicant’s selected courier location in approximately 3 weeks.
  • If there is an urgent need to travel, the Consular Section recommends scheduling an appointment.
  • In some cases, the Consular Section will contact the applicant to request a personal interview.
  • The consular officer reserves the right to ask any applicant to appear for a personal interview upon review of the visa application.
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