Interview Guidelines
Sending documents to the U.S. Embassy in Santo Domingo
If you need to send us any documents, please DO NOT mail them to us directly. If you or your petitioner has submitted documents electronically, visit Immigrant Visa - Sign In (state.gov) to upload your documents. If you or your petitioner have only submitted physical paper documents, visit www.ustraveldocs.com/do/en/ and ask for information on courier services.
Rescheduling or cancelling your interview
If you are unable to attend your appointment, please inform the Consular Section by email at support-dominicanrepublic@ustraveldocs.com as soon as possible. Note that there may be a significant wait before the next available appointment.
For some family-based and employment preference visa categories, the National Visa Center scheduled your visa appointment because a visa in your category became available. Diversity Visa applicants should be aware that visas are numerically limited and must be issued by September 30 of the program year. There is no guarantee that a visa will still be available on the date of your rescheduled interview. Please carefully review the Visa Bulletin before you decide to reschedule your interview.
Also note: You must register your original NVC/KCC appointment online before you can reschedule it. Rescheduling is only possible on a date after your assigned appointment.
Do not make travel plans to leave the Dominican Republic
Do not make plans to travel plans to leave the Dominican Republic before your immigrant visa is approved. If and/or when it is approved, the Embassy will keep your passport while your case is finalized, and your visa is printed and pasted inside your passport. Your passport will be returned to you via courier service, and you will be notified when your passport is ready for pick-up at the location you selected. If you must travel within Dominican Republic while your passport is still at the Embassy, make sure you carry a valid identification document with your picture.
Security screening procedures
All visitors to the U.S. Embassy in Santo Domingo must follow certain security procedures. Any visitor who declines to be screened by U.S. Embassy security personnel will be unable to enter the Embassy. The following items are not allowed in the embassy: cell phones, cameras, laptops, recording equipment, and weapons. There is no storage available at the Embassy. To avoid delaying your entry and that of those in line behind you, please bring only what is required for your interview.
Accompanying persons
The following persons may accompany a visa applicant to their interview:
- Interpreter: Applicants may bring ONE interpreter if they do not speak English or Spanish well enough to participate in an interview.
- Special Needs Visitors: Applicants may bring ONE person to help if they are elderly, disabled, or a child under age 18..
Attorneys are not permitted to accompany clients into the Embassy, the waiting room or to their interview. Due to COVID-19, you should limit the number of accompanying persons to the minimum necessary, and the Embassy may refuse entry to accompanying persons at its discretion.
Immigrant visa fees
If you have not paid all required fees to either the National Visa Center or via the appointment website, please be prepared to pay these fees on the day of your interview. Fees may be paid in either U.S. dollars or the equivalent in Dominican Pesos and either in cash or credit card. However, note that credit cards are only charged in U.S. dollars and the credit card holder must be present to make a credit card payment. Please note that if you are found ineligible to receive a visa, the application fee cannot be refunded. A complete list of fees can be found Travel.State.Gov.
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