Embassy of the United States Moscow, Russia

Dear Parents:

If a child (regardless of age) is travelling on a parent’s passport, the child’s photo must be inserted into the parent’s passport. If your child is under the age of 14 and applying for a United States visa through the drop-box procedure, please include the following documentation to ensure that your child’s case is processed quickly and that the interview is waived:

1. A photocopy of your current visa (if you have one)
2. Itinerary and purpose of travel
3. Parents' permission if your child is traveling with someone other than his/her legal designated guardian. For example grandparents, friends of the family, etc.

Please note that if you are unable to provide the above listed information to the Consular Section with your child’s application we may require that the parents appear in person to be interviewed. However, your child under the age of 14 is NOT required to come to a requested interview unless you are specifically instructed through Pony Express.

Applicants between the ages of 14 and 16, may be accompanied by a parent or guardian.  Often a parent or guardian provides useful information during the interview which speeds the process.  

If you have any specific questions concerning your child’s visa case and/or status please contact the Consular Section’s Public Liaison Unit at consulmo@state.gov.

Application Forms and Photo Standards

Beginning December 1, 2009, applicants applying for all nonimmigrant visas in Moscow must use the new online application form (DS-160). Once completed, the information in the DS-160 will be electronically transmitted. The applicant must then print the confirmation page that includes some biographical information and a bar code confirmation number.  Applicants must bring the DS-160 Confirmation Page to Pony Express and to their interview.

If the online application has not been completed fully and accurately, the applicant will be asked to return for a second interview with a newly completed application.

To complete your online visa application, you need a digital photo.  Please read carefully the requirements to upload your photo and the photo specifications. If the photo you upload is not accepted as suitable or is not a photo of yourself, you will be given the option to continue without a photo. In this case, if you have successfully submitted the application, you may bring a photo meeting the above requirements to your interview. The photograph should measure 2 inches by 2 inches (approximately 50 mm by 50 mm) with the head centered in the frame. The head (measured from the top of the hair to the bottom of the chin) should measure between 1 to 1 3/8 inches (25mm to 35mm), with the eye level between 1 1/8 to 1 3/8 inches (28mm and 35 mm) from the bottom of the photo. The photo must be in color and taken against a white or off-white background. All applicants, even infants included in their parents' passports, are required to have photographs.  Applicants submitting their documents via Pony Express should not staple or glue photo to the application form.

For more information on the DS-160, please click here.

Applicants should submit their visa documents and schedule their appointments through Pony Express, a courier service with offices throughout Russia.

Form DS-160  New Electronic Form

Form DS-156  Electronic Form

Anyone applying for a visa to attend a scientific or technical conference, conduct research, participate in meetings, undertake post-graduate studies, or engage in employment in a scientific or technical field should submit the following documents at his/her visa interview:

• A letter of invitation from the United States.
• The DS-157 supplemental visa application form (required for all such applicants regardless of age and gender).
• A current resume or CV indicating your educational background, work history, your current job responsibilities, field of expertise and research interest.
• A list of your publications.

Each of these required documents must be provided in English.  

Valid Passport

A valid passport must be submitted along with the visa application and must contain at least one blank page on which to affix a visa.

Nonimmigrant Visa Fees

Beginning June 4, 2010, worldwide fees for non-immigrant visa applications will increase. The majority of visa categories, including B-1/B-2, F, and J visas, will increase from $131 to $140. Petition-based non-immigrant visas, including H, L, O, P, Q, and R visas, will increase from $131 to $150.
 
All applicants with interviews on or after June 4, 2010 must pay in accordance with the new schedule of fees. If you have an appointment scheduled after June 4 but have already paid a fee, please contact your local Pony Express office for further information regarding the differential payment. You can locate your local Pony Express branch through their website www.ponyexpress.ru

The application fee for a U.S. nonimmigrant visa is payable in cash in Russian rubles. This application fee is non-refundable and should be submitted to Pony Express at the time the application is turned in for further delivery to the Embassy.

For an additional $100, you may obtain a second year of visa validity. This fee may be paid in dollars or rubles immediately following the interview. Applicants who qualify for an interview waiver may pay the fee for two-year validity visas at Pony Express at the time of submitting visa documents.

All applicants are required to present their original cashier's receipt during their visa interviews. If a receipt is not presented, the case will be place on hold until the receipt is received.

For those applicants who qualify for an Interview Waiver, the original receipt (Sberbank receipt) must be submitted with their documents to the Embassy. After the case has been reviewed, the receipt will be returned to the applicant with the passport. Applicants who apply in Moscow may pay the processing fee and the fee for a second year at Pony Express.

Applicants who apply in regional Pony Express offices should pay the processing fee and the fee for a second year through Sberbank.  Receipt forms may be obtained from Pony Express offices.

Please note, the Embassy will not consider interview waiver cases without these receipts confirming payment of processing and visa fees. 

Pony Express to Collect Visa Fees For Two-Year Validity Visas from Applicants who Qualify for an Interview Waiver

Beginning Monday, March 23, 2009, Pony Express will collect visa fees for two-year validity visas from applicants who qualify for an interview waiver.

Visa applicants who meet all of the following criteria may be considered for an interview waiver:

• Applicants who reapply within 12 months after their previous visa expiration and who previously submitted ten fingerprints.
• Applicants who apply for a visa in the same visa classification as their previous visa;
• Applicants who apply in their country of usual residence;
• Applicants who did not previously require any special clearance.
• Applicants who comply with US immigration laws and regulations.

We encourage all Russian visa applicants to consider a second year of visa validity. If you are planning multiple trips to the United States over the next two years, please consider this option. If you meet the above requirements, you may now pay the fee at Pony Express and avoid an extra trip to the Embassy.

Supporting Documents

Anyone applying for a visa to attend a scientific conference, conduct research, participate in meetings, undertake post-graduate studies, or engage in employment in a scientific field should provide a copy of a resume and a list of any publications in English, and a DS-157 application form (in English, regardless of age and gender).

Documents that provide evidence of the applicant’s social, economic, and/or family ties to Russia, as well as correspondence from relatives or business associates you plan to visit, may facilitate the consular officer’s decision. Some examples of documents that may be helpful include:

• Evidence of employment. A letter from your employer can be useful.
• Evidence of income (and in some cases evidence of your spouse's income), such as earnings statements.
• Evidence of immediate family (spouse, children) in Russia.
• Evidence of ownership of property.
• Evidence of ongoing studies if applicant is still a student.
• Evidence of ongoing projects for those in entertainment fields.
• Your old passport bearing earlier visas and entry stamps.

Applicants who wish to study in the United States, must include the form I-20 or the form DS-2019 which they will receive from the educational institution in the United States.

Persons applying for student visas must pay the SEVIS fee before their interview date. Please review the SEVIS website for more information.

Those who are applying for H or L visas must provide the following documentation:

• Photocopy of Form I-797, Notice of Action indicating DHS/USCIS approval of the petition;
• Photocopy of Diploma or other professional credentials;
• Photocopy of workbook ("trudovaya knizhka");
• Proof of experience in proposed field of work. Examples of such proof may include a: resume, current employment letter, letters from previous employers, publications, work-related correspondence, etc.

Originals of I-797 approval notices or approved I-129 forms are no longer required. The only requirement for making an appointment is provision of the receipt number of the approved I-129.

Consular posts are now able to access details of approved nonimmigrant visa petitions through a new report called PIMS (Petition Information Management Service). Each approved I-129 petition will be linked to an electronic petitioner record, allowing superior tracking of non-immigrant petitioner and petition information. The electronic PIMS record will now be the primary source of evidence to be used in determining petition approval.

L visa applicants should also bring financial information on the Russian company. This documentation should include data on income, revenues and number of employees.

Family members of H1 or L1 visa recipients who do not apply for their visa at the same time should provide proof of relationship to primary applicant (marriage certificate, civil passport, birth certificate, etc.), and a photocopy of primary applicant's visa.