Visas & Passports Unlimited Checklist Page 1
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Please Office Document Description tick Use The Issuing Authority requires applicants to present themselves for an interview. VPU will do a quality check of documents you provide, load the application online, book the visa interview and pre-pay the visa for lodgement. Regretfully, due to security protocols at the Appointment to consulate, no third party is permitted to accompany the applicant on the day of the appear in person appointment. Please ensure you print out the necessary attachments sent to you with your appointment confirmation to present on entry. During peak seasons the waiting period for appointments be as long as 4-6 weeks. Valid passport with a minimum of 6 months validity (after the return date of planned trip). Passport Passport must have a minimum of 3 blank pages, and a certified copy of the BIOMETRIC PAGE of passport. Please bring all previous passports with you to the interview. Please ensure that traveller has a valid South African Work/Study/Resident permit that is valid for a minimum of 6 months validity (After the return date back to SA) Processing times on foreign passport often vary – please contact our offices for details. Foreign Passport Valid Original passport with a minimum of 6 months validity (after the return date of Holder planned trip). Passport must have a minimum of 3 blank pages Photocopy of BIOMETRIC PAGE of passport – preferably in colour Photocopy of any previous SCHENGEN VISAS All Male applicants All males must please fill in the additional form available from our website. You will need to take the following requirements with you to the interview at the American Embassy. Interview 1) DS160 Form(to be sent to you by VPU) requirements 2) A biometric photo (5cm X 5cm). 3) Passport. 4 ) Proof of payment and interview instructions (to be sent to you by VPU) FULLY completed application form (completed in black ink in block letters and signed by the applicant) ALL questions MUST be answered in full. PLEASE NOTE: All Security and Application form Background Information Questions on pages 4, 5 and 6 on the application form MUST be filled in as we need to answer these on the online application. 2 x COLOUR passport photographs taken against a white background. 1 X photo must be submitted with your application, the other photo you MUST take with you to the interview. Photographs (Must not be older than 180 days) Size: 50MM X 50MM, please bring the other identical photo with you to the interview that you submitted with your application. (please do not wear a white or light coloured shirt/top when having the photos done, no smiling, no headgear etc) A letter from your employer stating, Position held, period of employment, salary, exact Employment letter dates of your leave and expected date of return, IF your are self employed a letter from your accountant/bookkeeper & ownership documents are required. If travelling on business, a Letter from the company in the U S stating purpose of visit and Invitation letter nature of business, If an individual invites you, proof of the individual’s residence status. DO NOT CONFIRM OR PAY FOR AIR TICKETS until visa is processed. Copy of Flight Itinerary Flight Itinerary showing planned routing for trip – including exit from SA and return to SA. The Consulate may request documents show proof of intention to depart the USA, proof of Supporting sufficient funds to cover your stay in the USA and proof of family, professional or financial Documents ties to your country of residence. 4-6 Working Days from the date of your appointment. There are often long waiting periods Processing Times of roughly one month to get an appointment at the Consulate. New South African passports for minors under the age of 18 are being issued containing the details of the parents as a standard feature. Children travelling on these new passports do Travelling with not require any additional documentation when travelling abroad if accompanied by both Minors (U/18) parents, if the children are still travelling on the old passports then The following additional documents will be required for any minor travelling with a Parent: copy of unabridged Birth Certificate, copies of parents ID’s + consent letter from each parent not accompanying Visas & Passports Unlimited Checklist Page 1 minor. Both parents are required to appear at the interview for children below the age of 18 years or alternatively supply an affidavit as to why the parent cannot be in attendance. Andorra, Australia, Austria, Belgium (provisional), Brunei, Czech republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Monaco, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Portugal, San Marino, Singapore, Slovakia, Slovenia, South Korea, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, and the United Kingdom. If you have a passport from one of the above countries and an EU passport we can assist with the visa application, the total cost of the visa is R450 inc Vat. The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has announced that implementation of the Electronic System for Travel Authorization (ESTA), which will begin to accept voluntary ESTA applications starting on August 1, 2008. ESTA is a new fully automated, electronic system for screening passengers before they begin travel to the United States under the Visa Waiver Program. ESTA applications may be submitted at any time prior to travel to the United States, and VWP travelers are encouraged to apply for authorization as soon as they begin to plan a trip to the United States. It is anticipated that ESTA will become mandatory for VWP travelers on January 12, 2009. Learn more about ESTA (http://www.cbp.gov/xp/cgov/travel/id_visa/esta/) on the DHS Customs and Border Protection (CBP) website. Review the Interim Final Rule on the DHS main website (http://www.dhs.gov/xprevprot/laws/gc_1212505190650.shtm). Countries that participate in the International travelers seeking to travel to the United States without a visa, who are nationals of Visa Waiver Program (VWP) countries, should review this important information on traveler passport visa waiver requirements under the Visa Waiver Program (VWP). agreement All VWP travelers, regardless of age or type of passport used, must present a machine-readable passport. In addition, depending on when VWP travelers passports were issued, other passport requirements apply: - Machine-readable passports issued or renewed/extended on or after 10/26/06 requires integrated chip with information from the data page (e-Passport). - Machine-readable passports issued or renewed/extended between 10/26/05 and 10/25/06 requires digital photograph printed on the data page or integrated chip with information from the data page. - Machine-readable passports issued or renewed/extended before 10/26/05 no further requirements. Temporary, emergency, official and diplomatic passports are exempted from biometric digital photo and chip requirements, but must be machine-readable. Note that German temporary or emergency passports are not included in this biometric e-passport exemption. Therefore, holders of German temporary or emergency passports must either obtain a valid, machine-readable regular German passport for VWP travel or apply for a U.S. visa to travel to or through the United States. If a traveler cannot meet all of the requirements, he/she must obtain a visa for entry to the United States, and cannot travel without a visa on VWP. See Visa Waiver Program on the DHS, Customs and Border Protection (CBP) website for additional information - http://www.cbp.gov/xp/cgov/travel/id visa/business pleasure/vwp/ Please note: The above checklist is based on a South African passport holder; ALL foreign passport holders must have a valid RSA permit (valid for a minimum of 6 months after return date of planned trip) in their current passports in order to apply for this visa in South Africa. Foreign passports may take longer to be processed by the Issuing Authority. I hereby acknowledge that: I have provided all required mandatory documents for a decision to be made on my visa application by the Issuing Authority. I am aware that the issuing authority may request additional documents at their discretion. I hereby accept Visas & Passports Unlimited standard terms and conditions as my visa facilitation service company. Name: ________________________________ Signature____________________________ Visas & Passports Unlimited Checklist Page 2 .