General Inquiries
The Embassy does not provide walk-in information for Non-Immigrant and Immigrant Visa services. If you cannot find the required information in our website please refer any inquiries to the ApiaConsular@state.gov email.
The U.S. citizens unit is open Monday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday from 9-11am for walk-in information. Tuesday’s from 9:00 -11:00am are reserved for confirmed passport and notarial appointments only. All U.S. citizen services requiring the Consular Officer’s signature MUST be booked for an appointment either by email or phone as listed below.
The U.S. citizens unit can be reached during normal business hours from 8:30am – 1:00pm and 2:00pm – 4:00pm at (685) 21631 ext 2222 or email at ApiaConsular@state.gov.
If you are an American citizen, with a genuine emergency that requires Embassy assistance, please call the Embassy on (685) 26131 ext 2222 during working hours or (685) 777-1776 after hours for the duty officer.
The Embassy is located on the 5th Floor of the ACC Building at Matafele. Mailing address:
U.S. Embassy
P.O. Box 3430
Apia, Samoa
For those with confirmed passport or notarial appointments please be advised that the appointment time given is a guide as to when you should plan to be at the Embassy. It is not necessarily the time you will be seen by the Consular Officer. Applicants should plan to spend at least an hour at the Embassy. As the U.S. Embassy Apia is a one officer post, appointment times may need to be changed at short notice. Applicants will be contacted by email or phone should your appointment need to be rescheduled due to unforeseen circumstances.
For the safety of all of our customers and staff, all visitors to the Embassy must pass through security screening at our reception area before entering. Please allow time for screening before your appointment. Please do not bring luggage, including backpacks, to your appointment. You will not be able to bring these items into the Embassy, and there is no storage available in our office.
Mobile telephones and other telecommunication devices, electronic recording devices, and cameras may not be taken into the Embassy. Please turn them off, and leave them with the guards at the reception area. They can be collected after your appointment. Any type of headwear, including baseball caps, must be removed while in the Embassy.
Applications by Mail
- Renewal of an adult’s passport issued less than 15 years ago
- Replace a limited validity (emergency) passport
- Change of name/correcting information on a passport issued:
Passports for Emergency Travel, and Second U.S. Passports
Emergency Passports
Traveling within the next 10 business days? Refer to the information regarding applications for emergency passports.
Second U.S. Passport
In limited circumstances, the Department of State may issue a second U.S. passport to certain individuals. If you think you may have need of a second U.S. passport, please contact our ACS section by emailing ApiaConsular@state.gov to determine eligibility.
U.S. Dual Nationals and Passports
If you are a U.S. citizen you must, by law, enter and depart the United States on a valid U.S. passport, regardless of age or possession of foreign passports. The details of this law can be found in U.S. Code Title 8, Chapter 12, Subchapter II, Part II, § 1185 paying particular attention to section (b) which details:
…it shall be unlawful for any citizen of the United States to depart from or enter, or attempt to depart from or enter, the United States unless he bears a valid United States passport.
Please ensure that you adhere to these regulations to ensure that there are no unnecessary delays when entering the United States. Be aware that port of entry officials in the United States do have the authority to issue fines should you choose to disregard this law.
Third Party Attendance at Passport and CRBA Appointment Interviews
Generally, immediate family members may accompany passport or Consular Report Birth Abroad (CRBA) applicants to their appointment interviews at a U.S. embassy or consulate, and all minor children must be accompanied by a parent or guardian. Passport or CRBA applicants also have the option of being accompanied by an attorney at their appointment interview. Attendance by any third party, including an attorney, accompanying an applicant is subject to the following parameters designed to ensure an orderly appointment interview process and to maintain the integrity of the adjudication of the application(s):
- Given space limitations in the consular section, not more than one attendee at a time will be allowed to accompany an applicant (or the applicant’s parent or guardian if the applicant is a minor).
- Attendance by an attorney does not excuse the applicant and/or the minor applicant’s parent or guardian from attending the appointment interview in person.
- The manner in which a passport or CRBA appointment interview is conducted, and the scope and nature of the inquiry, shall at all times be at the discretion of the consular officer, following applicable Departmental guidance.
- It is expected that attorneys will provide their clients with relevant legal advice prior to, rather than at, the appointment interview, and will advise their clients prior to the appointment interview that the client will participate in the appointment interview with minimal assistance.
- Attorneys may not engage in any form of legal argumentation during the appointment interview and before the consular officer.
- Attendees other than a parent or guardian accompanying a minor child may not answer a consular officer’s question on behalf or in lieu of an applicant, nor may they summarize, correct, or attempt to clarify an applicant’s response, or interrupt or interfere with an applicant’s responses to a consular officer’s questions.
- To the extent that an applicant does not understand a question, s/he should seek clarification from the consular officer directly.
- The consular officer has sole discretion to determine the appropriate language(s) for communication with the applicant, based on the facility of both officer and applicant and the manner and form that best facilitate communication between the consular officer and the applicant. Attendees may not demand that communications take place in a particular language solely for the benefit of the attendee. Nor may attendees object to or insist on the participation of an interpreter in the appointment interview, to the qualifications of any interpreter, or to the manner or substance of any translation.
- No attendee may coach or instruct applicants as to how to answer a consular officer’s question.
- Attendees may not object to a consular officer’s question on any ground (including that the attendee regards the question to be inappropriate, irrelevant, or adversarial), or instruct the applicant not to answer a consular officer’s question. Attendees may not interfere in any manner with the consular officer’s ability to conduct all inquiries and fact-finding necessary to exercise his or her responsibilities to adjudicate the application.
- During a passport or CRBA appointment interview, attendees may not discuss or inquire about other applications.
- Attendees may take written notes, but may not otherwise record the appointment interviews.
- Attendees may not engage in any other conduct that materially disrupts the appointment interview. For example, they may not yell at or otherwise attempt to intimidate or abuse a consular officer or staff, and they may not engage in any conduct that threatens U.S. national security or the security of the embassy or its personnel. Attendees must follow all security policies of the Department of State and the U.S. embassy or consulate where the appointment interview takes place.
Attendees may not engage in any conduct that violates this policy and/or otherwise materially disrupts the appointment interview. Failure to observe these parameters will result in a warning to the attendee and, if ignored, the attendee may be asked to leave the appointment interview and/or the premises, as appropriate. It would then be the applicant’s choice whether to continue the appointment interview without the attendee present, subject to the consular officer’s discretion to terminate the appointment interview. The safety and privacy of all applicants awaiting consular services, as well as of consular and embassy personnel, is of paramount consideration.