Embassy of the United States Georgia

Statue of Liberty

• U.S. Embassy Tbilisi Announces Extended Visa Validity for Georgian Citizens (PDF 26 KB)
• Notice to Iranian Non-Immigrant Visa Applicants and Other Third-Country Nationals Not Resident in Georgia 

APPLICATION PROCESS 

The new on-line nonimmigrant visa application (Link to DS-160) is obligatory for all visa applicants, regardless of nationality.

This new form simplifies the visa application process by reducing the number of forms required for most applications from three to one.  Once complete, the form is then submitted on-line directly to the U.S. Embassy's Consular Section in Tbilisi. Once the application is complete and submitted on-line, a single confirmation page is printed, and applicants may schedule their personal interview for the next available date. Applicants must bring the printed confirmation page and other required documents with them to their interview. Although the online visa application DS-160 is the only visa application form required, other items may still be required depending on your purpose of travel.  

Visa Fee Increase Effective April 13, 2012

Beginning April 13, 2012, worldwide fees for non-immigrant visa applications will change.

All non-immigrant visa applicants are required to pay the non-refundable application fee $160 at any branch of TBC Bank. 

Please bring the following to any branch of TBC-Bank in Georgia during regular business hours:

• passport (must be valid at least another 6 months)
• non-refundable application fee $160 (equivalent to be paid in Georgian Lari (GeL))

Note: If you need a copy of your MRV receipt, please make a photocopy of it prior to coming to the Consular Section. We are not able to make copies of the receipts for visa applicants.

Additional payment for petition based visas and E visas that require a payment higher than the GEL equivalent of 160 USD should be paid at the Consular cashier on the day of the interview.

The new fee schedule is as follows:

• Non-petition-based nonimmigrant visa:
  (B, C, D, F, I, J, M) - $160
• Petition Based visas (H, L, O, P, Q, R) - $190
• Treaty Trader/Investor visas (E) - $270
• Fiance(e) visas (K) - $240

NOTE: Applicants will be charged the new fees as of April 13.  Fees paid under the old fee schedule will be honored through July 12, 2012.

No refunds will be issued for visa fees paid under the old schedule; however, these receipts are valid for the usual one year from the date of issuance.

All non-immigrant visa applicants are required to schedule appointments for a visa interview online. Applicants may do so by visiting the following link:

Schedule Visa Interview

All applicants are requested to arrive on time for their appointments.  Applicants will not be permitted to enter the consular section until the time on their appointment form.  The form may be printed at the time the appointment is scheduled online. Applicants who arrive more than 30 minutes late will not be granted entry and will need to reschedule their appointments online.  Non-immigrant visa interviews are conducted on Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday from 8:30 AM to 10:30 AM by appointment only.

Once an appointment is scheduled, please come to the Consular Section of the American Embassy (11 George Balanchine Street, Tbilisi) at the appointed date and time. 

Please bring the following to your interview:

• If you are married you must present a translated and notarized copy of your marriage certificate 
• All minor applicants must present a notarized and translated copy of the birth certificate
• Passport (must be valid at least another 6 months) Important Notice
• Any previous passports 
• Application fee receipt paid in Georgian Lari at TBC-Bank
• Additional payment for petition based visas and E visas to be paid at  the Consular cashier
• DS-160 Confirmation Page
• One 5 x 5cm, white background, full face photograph* (if you were unable to upload a photo online)

The visa applicant is responsible for bringing any supporting documents to the interview. 

If approved, the passport and visa will be sent to the address of your choice via DHL courier service, normally in two or three business days of your interview.  Please be advised that we are unable to have visas ready sooner than this due to additional processing requirements that take place after the interview.  Please do not make travel arrangements until you have physically received your visa.

Computer Access

If you do not have a personal computer, you may use public computers at any location—including at an internet café, at the main branch of TBC Bank in Tbilisi (free of charge), or at any American Corner library in the country (free of charge).  Please be advised that all applicants are legally responsible for the accuracy of the information provided on the application, regardless of who completes the form on the applicant’s behalf.

*The photograph should meet the following requirements:

1. “Full face” defines a photo in which the applicant is facing the camera directly with the ears exposed and the face covering about 50 percent of the photo area.
2. The photograph should clearly identify the applicant. Head coverings and hats are only acceptable due to religious beliefs. Glasses or other paraphernalia are not acceptable, unless required for medical reasons (an eye patch, for example).

American citizens and green card holder who want to provide information regarding an applicant are advised to give the applicant a letter to be presented to the consular officer during the visa interviews. It is important to understand, however, that it is the applicant alone who must establish eligibility for a visa. Consular officers may not issue visas based solely on the assurances of interested third parties abroad or in the United States.

Visa Eligibility

Under Section 214(b) of the Immigration and Nationality Act, applicants for non-immigrant visas are presumed to be intending immigrants. Visa applicants usually overcome this presumption by demonstrating they have a permanent residence abroad which they have no intention of abandoning. This is generally established by the documentation of family, social, employment, economic or other ties in their country that will compel them to return after a short and temporary stay in the U.S. Since visitors to the U.S. do not have the right to employment while there, an applicant's economic position in his/her country and his/her personal financial resources are additional factors in determining whether the applicant has the need or desire to work while in the U.S.