You may provide a letter of invitation or support, though it is not required. However, this cannot guarantee visa issuance to a foreign national friend, relative or student. Visa applicants must qualify for visa on their own merits, not on the basis of an American sponsor’s assurance.

Helpful letters of invitation should include an explanation of the inviting party’s relationship with the applicant, what the applicant plans to do during the visit, the applicant’s intended length of stay, and what the inviting party understands the applicant’s family, economic, and overall situation in Ukraine to be. Evidence of the inviting party’s legal status in the U.S. (a copy of a U.S. passport, USCIS certificate of naturalization, legal permanent resident card, or U.S. visa) is also very helpful.  The supporting documents should neither be notarized nor translated.  All documents should be faxed, mailed, or emailed to the applicant directly.  We encourage U.S. citizens to provide any visa applicant they are inviting to the U.S. with letters of invitation or any other relevant information in advance of the applicant’s interview so that the applicant may present them at the time of the interview.

If you need help with your visa application/rescheduling appointment, please contact our call-center.

Email: To reach a customer service representative via email, please write to support-ukraine@ustraveldocs.com.

Telephone: Please contact a customer service representative using one of these telephone numbers:

Callers in Ukraine – Call +380 44 358 8066

Callers in the United States – Call 703 988 7107

Skype: To use Skype to speak to a customer service representative from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m., please add a new contact to your Skype account with the Skype name ustraveldocs-ukraine.

Please note applicants are limited to the number of times they can reschedule their appointments. Plan accordingly so that you are not required to pay another visa application fee.

You should refer this issue to the closest Ukrainian Embassy or consulate in the U.S., which is the passport issuing authority for any Ukrainian citizen, residing in that area. Also, if you wish you can apply for a new visa upon returning to Ukraine.

Nonimmigrant visa applicants are encouraged to apply at least three months in advance of the intended date of travel. The earlier you book your appointment, the more likely you are to be able to get the interview date and time you want.

Yes, you have to pay for your child the same application fee. No, only children aged 14 and older are required to appear in person for their visa interview (to go through fingerprint scanning). Also, children of any age applying for F1 or M1 visas are required to appear for their interviews in person.

Applicants are generally advised to apply in their country of nationality or residence. Any person who is legally present in Ukraine may apply for a visa in Kyiv. However, applicants should decide where to apply based on more than just convenience or delay in getting an appointment in their home district. One thing to consider, for example, is in which consular district applicants can demonstrate the strongest ties with the country of residence (where they actually submit their visa application).

Previously, foreign travelers granted entry by CBP (U.S. Customs and Border Protection) officials received a paper Form I-94 (Arrival/Departure Record). This process is now automated, with some exceptions.  If you received a paper Form I-94 or I-94W and failed to turn in your paper Form I-94 Arrival/Departure Record to the commercial airline or CBP when you departed the U.S., see the CBP Website for instructions. Do not send your paper Form I-94 or I-94W to the U.S. Embassy or Consulate General.

If, instead of a paper Form I-94, when granted entry you received an admissions stamp in your passport, the I-94 record was created electronically, and a paper copy was not provided to you. CBP will record your departure from the U.S. electronically. Learn more on:http://www.cbp.gov/travel/international-visitors/i-94-instructions

A U.S. nonimmigrant visa grants you permission to travel to a Port of Entry (airport/seaport) in the United States. When you arrive at your destination Port of Entry, the U.S. Customs and Border Protection officer who processes your entry will determine the length of time that you may remain in the country. You may travel to the Port of Entry during the validity of your nonimmigrant visa up to and including the last day that the visa is valid. The visa duration does not determine the length of time that you may legally remain in the United States; only the Customs and Border Protection officer can decide this upon your arrival in the United States.

Yes, all travelers in transit through the United States need to have a valid C1 visa (transit visa).

Applicants should submit all supporting documents at the time of visa interview. Applicants do not need to translate the documents into English or notarize the translations.

The U.S. visa is valid until the expiration date printed on the visa (unless it has been cancelled by a U.S. officer).  You may use the visa and a new passport together if the passport containing the visa has expired or will expire soon.  Any difference in the name transliteration in two passports will not affect the visa validity.  However, the nationality indicated on the visa must match the nationality of the new passport. Also, the passport containing the visa must be complete and whole.  Removing a visa from a passport invalidates the visa, as does destruction of the biographic page or significant damage to other pages of the passport.

Visas cannot be transferred from one passport to another.  If an applicant wishes to have a visa placed in a new passport, she or he must apply again for a visa.  This new application is subject to the same fees and requirements as any new visa

If your name has legally changed through marriage, divorce, or a court ordered name change, you will need to obtain a new passport. Once you have a new passport, the Department of State recommends that you apply for a new U.S. visa to make it easier for you to travel to and from the United States.

Every person (including children of any age) requires a visa to travel to the U.S.  You will need to fill out the application form DS-160 online for your child and pay the $160 visa application fee. If your child’s visa is approved, that visa will be placed in your passport.  Please note, for all cases involving children under 16, both parents should be present at the interview.

No, we do not require our visa applicants to present the proof of purchasing medical insurance at the visa interview.  Every visa applicant needs to decide for him/herself if he/she would like to have medical insurance during the trip.

If your passport with a United States visa was stolen, or you lost it, first of all you should report the incident to the police.  Next, you need to complete a Lost and Stolen Passport form, available below, print it and email the form with a copy of the police report to the Consular Section.

Click here (PDF 151 KB) for form. Mail to Kyiv Consular Section: KyivFPM@state.gov

You are welcome to use the Renewal procedure and Renewal by mail procedure, depending on your qualifications.  However, please note that in order to use these procedures, applicants must meet all the requirements. Please do not forget to include the police report into the application package.

No. If the Department of Homeland Security, Customs and Border Protection Immigration Officer at the port of entry (generally an airport) admitted you into the United States for a specific period of time, s/he will note your authorized period of stay on your I-94 card, called an Arrival Departure Record. You will be able to remain in the United States during your authorized period of stay, even if your visa expires during the time you are in the United States. Since Form I-94 documents your authorized stay and is the official record of your permission to be in the U.S., it is very important to keep it inside your passport.

A multiple-entry visa allows a person to travel to the U.S. several times within the period of the visa’s validity.  However, the number of days spent on the territory of the U.S. during the calendar year should not exceed the total of 180 days.  At the point of entry to the U.S., an immigration officer will indicate how long the visa holder is permitted to stay in the country.

If a visa type does not allow long-term stay in the U.S., extensive and frequent travel to the U.S. may raise questions about the visa holder’s intent to maintain permanent residence in Ukraine.  Such trips may negatively affect his/her ability to obtain a new visa to the U.S.

If you would like to travel outside the U.S. but your previous U.S. visa has expired, you will need to apply for a new one in the U.S. Consulate in Ukraine, or any other country outside of the U.S.  There is no procedure for extending the visa.

Although it is possible to apply for a visa in any U.S. Consulate worldwide, we recommend you to submit your application in the country of your citizenship/permanent residence because interviewing officers’ unfamiliarity with local conditions in your country may make it more difficult to demonstrate your qualifications for a visa because ultimately an applicant has to demonstrate ties to the country where s/he applies for a visa.

Since it is impossible to obtain all relevant facts without seeing your passport and completed application, we are unable to tell you whether you will or will not receive a visa.

The only documents required at your visa interview are your one-page DS-160 confirmation page with barcode and your passport. Applicants are welcome to present whatever information they feel demonstrates that they have strong economic, family or professional ties in their country of residence.  The consular officer will request to view such documents at his or her discretion.  Since each applicant’s situation is different, there is no “set” of documents that you can present that will guarantee visa issuance.

You have two very distinct choices: a) she can apply for a tourist visa (B1/B2) or b) she can apply for a fiance visa (K1).

If she applies for a tourist visa (B1/B2), she must qualify on her own merits as a short-term traveler who does not intend to abandon her residence abroad.  Depending on the applicant, the fact that a traveler is in a relationship or engaged to a U.S. citizen may in fact indicate immigrant intent.  Applying for a fiance visa (K1) takes longer and is more expensive, but has a greater chance of being issued if and when the relationship is determined to be bona fide.  We review such cases with the understanding that many applicants attempt to use the B1/B2 visa to circumvent the lengthier K1 visa process.

The consular officer examines your application and passport when you are called to the window for an interview.  That information, along with the information obtained during the interview, is usually sufficient for a decision to be made.  If an officer believes  that a document (such as a letter from your employer or inviter) will be informative, he or she will request it.  It is important to note that documents presented are only one of many factors consular officers consider when determining an applicant’s eligibility for a non-immigrant visa.  It is known that many documents in “visa packages” are either fraudulent or exist for the purpose of the visa interview alone, and thus are dubious in their authenticity.

Applicants do not need to translate supporting documents into English or notarize the translations to receive a tourist visa.  Consular officers speak Ukrainian and Russian.

As for medical insurance, proof of medical insurance is not required to receive a tourist visa.  Applicants themselves should make the decision whether to purchase medical insurance.

Yes, your passport will be valid for issuing a U.S. visa. Under the U.S. law, a machine readable passport is NOT required for visa issuing purposes. As long as an applicant presents a valid passport, a visa can be placed in it.

An MRP is a passport which has a machine readable zone (MRZ) printed in accordance with International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) standards. It can be read manually and with the use of a machine.

An ePassport (biometric passport), on the other hand, has an embedded Integrated Circuit (IC) chip where the photograph and personal information of the bearer are stored in accordance with ICAO specifications. This information can be read by chip readers at a close distance.

Applicants are strongly advised not to make any final travel arrangements and purchase tickets until they have received their passport with visa. In addition, possession of pre-paid and/or return airline tickets to the U. S. will not be a factor in the Consular Officer’s decision to issue/deny you a visa. Your visa may be refused or delayed, and this may cause inconveniences, if you have already paid for your trip. Therefore, it is recommended to wait until your visa arrives.

The visa interview is between the officer and the applicant only.  No third party should be present unless specifically asked to be present by the Consular Section.  If you are in need of a separate consular service, you must schedule an appointment here. Should a U.S. citizen encounter any problems or find him/herself in danger during their stay in Ukraine, they should call and arrange their visit to the U.S. Embassy.