How to Apply for a Nonimmigrant Visa (NIV) To US


In response to public demand, the U.S. Embassy will open additional B1/B2 temporary business and tourist visa appointments on Mondays and Fridays, beginning Monday July 18, 2011. These appointments will be available until further notice, on a first come, first served basis. For instructions on how to apply and schedule an appointment, please click here.
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Please scroll down and read this entire page as it contains necessary information.  All NIVs are for temporary stays in the U.S. NIVs are NOT to enter the U.S. quickly, then seek a longer term or permanent stay.  All NIV applicants are seen by prior arrangement only, either appointment made online, or a special program for Business (BVP), Crew (CVP) or Students (SVP).
The NIV appointment is not the final step, but is just one step in the visa process, which requires approval in all cases from the U.S. for each application.  Most eligible NIV applicants normally receive their NIV within 4 working days after their appointment.  But some applications may take longer to get a final decision.  There is no same day visa processing, even for expedited appointments.  Some applications must undergo additional processing, by electronic means elsewhere, over which we have no control.
NIV appointments fill up early and we usually issue multiple year, multiple entry NIVs so apply well in advance of anticipated travel.  Do not delay making an appointment.  Make your appointment as soon as you have even an idea, not a firm plan, to travel to the U.S.  An applicant’s failure to plan is not an emergency and we usually cannot accommodate last minute appointment requests.  For information on NIV classifications please seehttp://travel.state.gov/visa/temp/types/types_1286.html.
To inquire about the status of your NIV application, please emailsupport-indonesia@ustraveldocs.com.  If you have further question regarding your application or appointment, please call our call center:  007-803-601-5235, 7 am to 7 pm, Monday through Friday, excluding US holidays and Indonesian holidays.

Use of the Online Nonimmigrant Visa Electronic Application (DS-160)is mandatory. The DS-160 is not your appointment and we have no access to its data until you make an appointment online, see below.  The applicant must print the DS-160 Confirmation that includes some biographical information and a bar code confirmation number using a high resolution printer so that we can scan the bar code at your appointment.  Applicants must bring the printed DS-160 Confirmation to their NIV appointment.  While you are working on your DS-160, often “save” a copy on your hard drive.  Fill out all required information completely and correctly, including selecting the appropriate visa type. Your online DS-160 will be checked by our staff when you check-in for your appointment.  If your DS-160 is incomplete, or if it contains more than two errors, your appointment will be cancelled. There is no way to correct or add data to an incomplete DS-160 here.

Frequently asked questions for the Online Nonimmigrant Visa Electronic Application (DS-160).
  1. Please go online to fill out the Online Nonimmigrant Visa Electronic Application (DS-160) and print out the Confirmation page to carry to your appointment.
    • Please complete the DS-160 with care. Please remember that an applicant whose DS-160 contains more than two errors will not be admitted to an appointment. Follow these suggestions to avoid common errors:
    • Do NOT enter a space between the letter and digits of your Indonesian passport number. Passport numbers must be entered as R000000, NOT R 000000 (note the incorrect space in the latter). 
    • Use the dropdown menu for the full/correct name of the city where your passport was issued as it is listed exactly in your passport, e.g. Jakarta Pusat or Soekarno Hatta, NOT Jakarta. 
    • Choose the correct visa class, i.e. if you are a student you are likely an F1 visa applicant. See our Visa Types page. 
    • Please note if you have been refused a U.S. visa previously.
    • If requested, please fill out your complete education history. Submit all of your education information, starting from junior and senior high school and including any college or university studies.
  2. Pay the NONREFUNDABLE NIV application fee:  The fee is currently set at USD$140 per applicant, payable at in Indonesian Rupiah at STANDARD CHARTERED or PERMATA BANK, UP TO SIX MONTHS BEFORE YOUR APPOINTMENT. You must use the current Embassy exchange rate, which is 9,000 rupiah to the dollar and subject to change.  Always check here for most up to date fee information:http://travel.state.gov/visa/fees/fees_1341.html.

    • Click here for Step By Step Procedures of US Embassy Visa Fee Payment in English (PDF, size 307KB) or in Bahasa Indonesia (PDF, size 308KB).  Pay each fee individually and do not combine payments for a family onto one receipt.  Pay no other U.S. consular or visa-related fee at Standard Chartered or Permata Bank.  Pay at no other bank.  Bearers of diplomatic passports applying for any visa, and applicants for A, G, C-3, NATO and J visas (only participating in official U.S. Government sponsored exchanges) do not pay an application fee.
    • The basic visa application fee increased on June 4, 2010 to USD$140 for most visas, including B, F, and J visas. Fees for H, L, O, P, Q, and R visas increased to USD$150, fees for K visas increased to USD$350, and fees for E visas increased to USD$390. The difference between basic fees and H, L, O, P, Q, R, K, and E visa fees must be paid at the Embassy.

    3.  Log on to our online appointment contractor athttp://www.ustraveldocs.com/id/ to pick your appointment date by clicking Go to Schedule Appointment and following instructions.

    • Each applicant can only schedule one appointment.  Appointment times are staggered; applicants should arrive no earlier than 30 minutes before their appointment.  You will waste your time if you come early.
    • NIV applicants younger than age 14 year or older than age 80 do not need to come here for an appointment.  An immediate relative (parent, spouse or child) may drop off the complete NIV application and passport on their behalf.  Other persons who are not applying themselves and will not be representing immediate family members will be denied entry for space and security reasons, unless specifically invited.
    • Appointments are popular at certain times of the year and we are limited by our capacity to see applicants.  If no appointments are available that means we have no more resources and have reached our capacity.  Most NIVs are valid for multiple entries for 5 years so there is no need to wait until you have a firm travel date.  Apply early if you may have a need to visit the U.S.
    • Print your appointment Confirmation and bring it with all your applications to your appointment.

    4.  Report to the front gate of U.S. Embassy Jakarta no earlier than 30 minutes prior to your visa appointment.  All NIV applicants must appear in person at their NIV appointment and be fingerprinted (except A1, A2, G1, G2, G3, G4, NATO and C3 visa applicants, those under age 14, and those 80 years of age or older).  If you do not have an appointment that is scheduled online with us, or if you do not have a written invitation from us, then please do not come to the Embassy.  We have intercepted a number of applicants with false appointments.  The applicant alone is responsible for making a proper and timely appointment and application.  If you rely on someone else’s word you may not have a true appointment and you will not receive a visa.

    Documents: Each NIV applicant, regardless of age/gender/nationality must bring separately:
    • Official appointment letter or specific written invitation from us.
    • Passport or travel document valid for 6 months beyond your initial U.S. stay.
    • Receipt of Standard Chartered or Permata Bank payment for each visa applicant’s fee.
    • Fully completed DS-160 printed Confirmation page.
    • One recent front view 2”x2” passport photo on white background. See Photo Specifications.
    • Students or exchange visitors (F, M, J):
    • Temporary workers or transfers (H, L, O, P, Q): notice of action (I-797).
    • For any scientific or high-technology related travel or study above undergraduate level: a letter explaining what you do outside of the U.S., your intentions in the U.S, your current resume and list of your publications.
    • If you were previously in the U.S., any documents attesting to your immigration or visa status.
    • Criminal/court records pertaining to any arrest or conviction anywhere, even if you completed your sentence or were later pardoned.
    • Spouse and children must provide birth or marriage certificate, and copy of spouse or parents' valid U.S. visa.
    • Your clear understanding of, and ability to quickly explain, your purpose in going to the U.S.

    The following documents are suggestions only, are not required by regulation, but may allow us to evaluate your application more quickly.  Do not procure documents solely for the purpose of qualifying for a visa.  If you choose to bring documents, please bring originals, not extracts:
    • Current proof of income, tax payments, property or business ownership, or assets ;
    • Letter from employer detailing your position, salary, how long you have been employed ; any authorized vacation; and the business purpose, if any, of your U.S. trip;
    • Travel itinerary and/or other explanation about your planned trip.
     
    5.  Your visa interview with an American consul is the last step in your appointment.  Please remember that the consul assumes legal liability for his or her visa decision, therefore we may ask for more information if anything about your situation is unclear. 

    6.  When leaving the embassy all visa applicants will have in hand one of these 5 pieces of paper from our staff:
    • White, explaining how and where you, or your representative with a permission letter from you, can pick up your visaed passport or;
    • Green, stating that you are invited to return with more information or;
    • Yellow, stating that we will do additional processing and tell you when it is complete or;
    • Pink, stating that you are currently ineligible for your desired NIV or;
    • Blue, if you come unprepared, e.g. without a prepaid visa fee or photo or confirmation page, or if your DS-160 contains more than two errors, given by our intake staff, before your interview, to let you return later when you are prepared.

    WHAT YOU DON’T NEED TO BRING:
    • Your nervousness.  Our goal is to politely and efficiently process your NIV.  Most Indonesian applicants qualify for NIVs.
    • Impatience.  Because of the many steps in NIV processing, you will be here for 2-3 hours.  Your appointment time is the time for you to appear at our gate for processing, your interview will follow.  Some applicants require additional processing that requires us to electronically send your application to the U.S. We have no control over the pace or scope of this additional processing.  It always best to apply well before your intended travel to the U.S.
    • A letter of guarantee.  Under U.S. law, no one in Indonesia, the U.S. or elsewhere, regardless of their relationship to the applicant or their rank, can guarantee you to us for a visa.  Each applicant is considered on his or her own situation.
    • False documents or statements.  Each applicant is personally responsible for the entire NIV application, documents or statements, even if another person helps prepare your application.  Making false statements to a U.S. government official is a felony and leads to blacklisting from ever getting a U.S. visa.  We turn over to the Indonesian police any NIV applicant who gives us false documents.
    • An intention to use a visa for an unlawful purpose.  A visitor (B) visa is only for a short, temporary stay in the U.S.  It does not give the applicant the right to work, study, reside or change to some other status.  There are specific visas for other purposes, and U.S. law requires that you enter the U.S. with the correct visa in your hand.
    • A fixer or facilitator.  We have found some unscrupulous persons pass themselves off as agents to unsuspecting applicants to get an appointment, which turns out to be false. If so, the applicant is ineligible for a visa.

    Security at the Consular Section: Entry to all U.S. Government facilities is strictly controlled, similar to that encountered in international air travel.  Please do not bring the following items as there is no storage at or near the U.S. Embassy:
    • All battery operated or electronic gadgets such as mobile phones, digital diaries, digital watches, pagers, cameras, audio/video cassettes, compact discs, MP3's, floppies, laptops, palmtops or portable music players.
    • All large, bulky bags, such as travel bags, over the shoulder purses, back packs, briefcases, suitcases, leather, jute or cloth bags, and zip folders. Please limit your handcarry items to a small purse and plastic folder containing your application documents.
    • Any food or consumable.  There is drinking water, as well as small snacks for purchase, available here.
    • Sealed envelopes or packages.
    • Cigarettes / cigars / match boxes / lighters / other flammables.
    • Any sharp objects such as scissors, knives of any size or nail files.
    • Weapons or explosive material of any kind.

    The list provided above is not finite. All persons and their belongings are subject to search. Other items may be prohibited based on security staff discretion. There is no facility at the Embassy to store prohibited items.  There is no information window for walk-in visitors at the Embassy, please make an appointment to apply or see our website.