A citizen of a foreign country who seeks to enter the United States generally must first obtain a U.S. visa, which is placed in the traveler’s passport, a travel document issued by the traveler’s country of citizenship.

Certain international travelers may be eligible to travel to the United States without a visa if they meet the requirements for visa-free travel. The Visa section of this website is all about U.S. visas for foreign citizens to travel to the United States.

(Note: U.S. citizens don’t need a U.S. visa for travel, but when planning travel abroad may need a visa issued by the embassy of the country they wish to visit.).

U.S. Embassy Apia

5th Floor
ACC Building
Matafele Apia, Samoa
Phone: +685 21436+685 21436 / 21631 / 21452 or 22696
Fax: +685 22030
Email: ApiaConsular@state.gov

Call Center

The Department of State manages the visa process strictly but fairly in order to best protect the United States.  We are committed to the essential openness for which the United States has always been known.  Travel to the United States is welcomed and encouraged.

We promise to you, the visa applicant, that:

• We will treat you with dignity and respect, even if we are unable to grant you a visa.
• We will treat you as an individual and your case as unique.
• We will remember that, to you, a visa interview may be a new or intimidating experience and that you may be nervous.
• We will use the limited time available for the interview to get as full a picture as possible of your travel plans and intentions.
• We will use our available resources to fairly assist all applicants to get appointments to allow travel in time for business, study, and other important obligations.
• We will post detailed and accurate information on visa requirements and application procedures on every Embassy and Consulate website.
• We will provide information on non-immigrant appointment waiting times at every Embassy and Consulate posted on https://travel.state.gov.
• We will explain the reason for any visa denial to you.

Furthermore, if you are a:

• Student, we will make every effort to ensure that you get an appointment and, if qualified, a visa in time to start classes.
• Medical and humanitarian emergency traveler, we will expedite processing for those dealing with life threatening emergencies.
• Business traveler, we will establish appropriate mechanisms to facilitate business travel and expedite cases of particular concern to American business.

At the same time, we expect you, the visa applicant, to:

• Plan your travel and visa application as far in advance as possible.
• Complete your application fully and accurately.
• Be forthcoming about your purpose and plans.
• Prepare for your interview by being able to clearly and concisely describe your intentions.

Outside our regularly scheduled visa weeks, we will only accept requests for expedited or emergency appointments related to a U.S. national security matter or impacting the national interests of the U.S. government.

Please review the following list of circumstances that may merit favorable consideration.  If you believe your circumstances merit consideration, please email apiaconsular@state.gov with your justification and supporting documentation to request an expedited visa appointment in Apia.

Valid National Security or National Interest Reasons for an Expedited Visa Appointment:

1. An agency of the U.S. federal government has requested that you travel to the United States.

2. An unexpected urgent need to travel to the U.S. to conduct business with or on behalf of the U.S. Government.

3. An unexpected visit that is of significant cultural, political, journalistic, or economic importance that is sponsored by or in the direct interest of the U.S. Government.

In all cases, the applicant will be expected to provide documentation to substantiate the urgent need to travel in addition to those forms and supporting documents normally required.

Applicants requesting expedited or emergency visa appointments for other purposes, including to obtain urgent medical care or to accompany a relative or employer for urgent medical care; to attend the funeral of or make arrangements for repatriating the body of an immediate family member; to begin or resume employment as permitted by C1/D, E, H, I, L, O, or P visa categories; or to begin or resume a valid program of study in the United States, should request an appointment at either the U.S. Consulate General in Auckland, New Zealand (https://nz.usembassy.gov/visas/) or the U.S. Embassy in Suva, Fiji (https://fj.usembassy.gov/visas/).