Visa services

Important Notice May 06, 2008 Petition-based visas (H, L, O, P categories) Consular officers may no longer accept Form I-797 as sufficient evidence for visa adjudication.  Petition approval and visa eligibility must be confirmed in the Department of State's Petition Information Management Service (PIMS) database.  PIMS verification takes on average 24-48 hours to complete.  A visa will not be authorized in the interim. (complete text) How to apply for a Visa Please show up at the Consulate Annex fifteen minutes before the indicated hour for your appointment. All visa applicants should apply well in advance of anticipated travel to the U.S. to avoid any inconvenience as a result of the special processing requirements. Appointments by Internet: To make an appointment in Tijuana, you can now click on the following to access the new Internet Visa Appointment Service. Or, if you prefer, you can use the telephone system that has been in operation for the last several years. Appointments by Phone: Calling from Mexico: 01-900-849-4949, at a cost of 12 Mexican pesos per minute, plus IVA; or 01-477-788-7070, at a cost of 50 Mexican pesos per applicant, plus IVA, and long distance charges per call, for holders of Mastercard or Visa credit cards; or Callers can obtain a PIN number from Banamex for 115 Mexican pesos to dial the Visa Information Center at 01-800-112-8500. Calling from the United States: 011-52-477-788-7070, at a cost of 50 Mexican pesos per applicant, plus Mexico’s 15 percent value added tax (IVA), plus long distance charges per call, for holders of Mastercard or Visa credit cards; or For information about Immigrant Visas and Category “K” and “V” visas only: 1-900-476-1212, at a cost of US$1.25 per minute, to be billed to the caller’s telephone bill. As of September 1, visa information will no longer be available from the following telephone numbers: 1-900-329-5520 and 1-900-849-7474. Visa information in both English and Spanish may be obtained on Mondays through Fridays, from 5:00 A.M. to 7:00 P.M. Pacific time. Operators cannot discuss individual visa cases. You must: Bring the Banamex bank receipt indicating that you have paid the required $131.00 Dollars in Mexican pesos at the current exchange rate. Present your Valid passport with a minimum validity of six months. All applicants should complete the Electronic Visa Application Form (EVAF). You must print and bring all 3 pages of the completed EVAF including the barcode with you to your visa interview. Fill out the supplementary application DS-157 if you are male between 16 and 45 years of age, preferable via Internet using the computer; if this is not possible, you can obtain a copy when you come to the Embassy for your appointment. In case of a lost or stolen previous visa, present the police report. Complaints will be accepted at no charge by calling 01-800-719-2525 in Mexico. Third Country nationals who wish to apply for a treaty-investor or treaty-trader visa (E), will be required to apply in their home country. Please note that some visas may have an additional cost for issuance. Payment has to be made at the Consulate Annex Tijuana cashier. Only Mexican Pesos and U.S. Dollars are accepted as form of payment. No credit cards are accepted. All approved Visas may take from one to three days for delivery. How to apply for a visa at a border post if you are a third country national present in the United States or visiting Special Notice: In the wake of the September 11 terrorist attacks against New York, Washington, DC and Pennsylvania, temporary special processing requirements have been imposed on non-immigrant visa applicants. These requirements may lead to a significant delay in visa issuance. Any third country national (TCN)* present in the United States and visitors present in Canada who wish to apply for a nonimmigrant visa at any of our border posts in Canada or Mexico must make an appointment for an interview. U.S. Consular offices are located in Calgary, Halifax, Montreal, Ottawa, Quebec City, Toronto, Vancouver, Ciudad Juarez, Matamoros, Nogales, Nuevo Laredo and Tijuana. Appointments by Internet: Eligible Third Country Nationals residing the United States who wish to apply for a visa in Mexico must make their interview appointment on-line at https://www.usvisa-mexico.com Appointments by Phone: Calling from the United States: 011-52-477-788-7070, at a cost of 50 Mexican pesos per applicant, plus Mexico’s 15 percent value added tax (IVA), plus long distance charges per call, for holders of Mastercard or Visa credit cards; or For information about Immigrant Visas and Category “K” and “V” visas only: 1-900-476-1212, at a cost of US$1.25 per minute, to be billed to the caller’s telephone bill. Exceptions: Third country nationals who are working or residing in Baja California or Baja California Sur, and have a valid FM2 or FM3 will be able to obtain an appointment by calling the following phone numbers. * Please note that Border Posts can no longer accept applications from non-resident TCNs who are nationals of the six countries currently designated as state sponsors of terrorism. For more information, please see the Notice: Special Visa Processing Procedures Pursuant to Section 306 of the Enhanced Border Security and Visa Reform Act of 2002. Who can be issued a visa at a border post Individuals who have ever been out of status in the United States because they overstayed their visa or their I-94 are not eligible to apply at a border post. In other words, if you have remained in the U.S. longer than the period authorized by the immigration officer when you entered the U.S. in any visa category, you must apply in the country of your nationality. If you are not certain about your status, check with the nearest U.S. Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS) office. Individuals seeking appointments should be aware that applicants may be more likely to encounter difficulties at the time of interview when they apply for a visa outside of their home district. Consular officers at border posts will deny visas whenever they believe there are fraud indicators present, or their lack of knowledge of local conditions and familiarity with documents in the applicant's home country prevents them from properly adjudicating the case. None of the border posts will accept applications for "E" visas from from third country national applicants who are not resident in their consular districts. Would-be applicants who do not need a visa to remain in the United States may find it more convenient to apply for a visa elsewhere in conjunction with their next foreign travel. Those who plan to visit Canada, Mexico or, in the cases of students and exchange visitors, adjacent islands, may re-enter the U.S. within thirty days on expired visas as long as they possess a valid I-94 form unless they are excluded from automatic revalidation, as noted below. Exclusion from automatic revalidation of a nonimmigrant visa The U.S. Government has undertaken a variety of efforts since September 11 to enhance border security and ensure that only individuals eligible to enter the United States are allowed entry. Effective April 1, 2002, aliens who have applied for and been refused visa issuance while outside the U.S. are prohibited from returning to the United States, even if they are in possession of a valid I-94 form. The revised regulation also prohibits aliens who are citizens of countries on the State Department's list of State Sponsors of Terrorism from re-entering the U.S. using solely an I-94 form if their visa has expired. The previous regulation allowed individuals whose visas had expired but whose I-94 forms remained valid to re-enter the U.S. without obtaining a new visa. The previous regulation made limited distinctions among citizens of various nationalities, and aliens who applied for and were denied a new visa were nonetheless permitted to re-enter the United States. The changes we are now implementing enhance border security by requiring that aliens from state sponsors of terrorism obtain a new visa (and thus go through a new set of interviews, computer checks, etc.) before re-entering the United States, and by ensuring that people who were found by one of our overseas embassies or consulates to be ineligible for a visa cannot get around such a finding by re-entering the U.S. using solely their I-94 form. The exclusion from automatic revalidation will apply to aliens who attempt to re-enter the United States on or after April 1, 2002, regardless of whether their application for a visa was filed prior to that date.