All applicants for visas must submit the following when applying for a visa:

• A current, valid passport, preferably machine readable.  If you have held previous passports please bring them on the day of the interview.
• NIV/Machine-Readable Visa (MRV) fee: Every applicant for a nonimmigrant visa must pay the NIV/Machine-Readable Visa (MRV) fee. This fee is non-refundable and must be paid whether or not a visa is granted. The fee is payableby CASH ONLY at the Embassy on the day of the visa appointment. No personal or company cheques will be accepted.
• Passport Photograph: One recent, color photograph 2 inch x 2 inch (5 x 5 cm)on a plain background, front view, full face. Digital photos or laser copies are NOT accepted.
• Confirmation page of online visa application form (DS-160). Upon completion of the online application, the applicant must then print the confirmation page that includes some biographical information and a bar code confirmation number, and bring to the interview.

Additional and supporting documents:

You may be required to prove your social/economic, family and financial ties to Samoa or your country of residence. It may be necessary to provide some of the following documents:

• Travel itinerary and purpose of trip;
• Name, address & relationship of people you are visiting in US;
• Letters of employment, business letter / conference details;
• Proof of funds, ie. bank statements, ownership of property etc.
• Applications traveling for medical treatment in the U.S. must provide a letter from the treating doctor/hospital in the U.S. and proof of Medicare or sufficient funds.

Please note that supporting documents can vary from person to person depending on your personal situation.

We suggest that you supply this information with your first application, instead of waiting until after you have been refused a visa.

If you are not traveling on a passport from New Zealand, Samoa, Great Britain, or Korea, you may have to pay an additional fee. These fees must be paid at the Embassy by cash only.

SEVIS Fee: Student and Exchange Visitor Information System for F1 and J1 Visas.

The U.S. Embassy accepts no liability for any documents lodged as part of a visa application. It is your responsibility to use a secure means of sending your application to us and for ensuring its safe return to you.

You should never pay for travel arrangements (e.g., airfare, hotels) without having the necessary visa in your possession. The U.S. Embassy accepts no responsibility if you do so, nor will we expedite processing because you have fixed travel dates. You risk significant financial losses if you ignore this advice.

All applicants for a non-immigrant visa must pay the Machine Readable Visa (MRV) fee.  The MRV fee is non-refundable. Please DO NOT sent cash through the mail.

Fees.

Photos that do not conform to the specifications below will not be accepted and applicants will be required to provide new ones. This may lead to significant delays in visa processing.

The photograph of each visa applicant must be an unmounted full-face photo, taken within the past six months.

A “full face” photo is one in which the applicant is facing the camera directly. The applicant should not be looking down or to either side, and the face should cover about 50 percent of the area of the photo. Although variations in hair styles and in head coverings make it difficult to rigorously define the term “face”, in general, the head of the applicant, including both face and hair, should be shown from crown of the head to tip of chin on top and bottom and from hair line side-to-side. It is preferable that ears be exposed. Babies must have their eyes open. The key requirement is that the photograph clearly identifies the applicant.

The photograph should measure 2 inches square (50 mm square) in color against a white or off-white background), and should be uploaded to Form DS-160 (Non-immigrant Visa Application). If unable to upload the photographs you must bring one photo with you when you come for the interview, but must complete and submit the online application form DS-160. Photographs taken in front of busy, patterned, or dark backgrounds will not be accepted.

Head coverings and hats are only acceptable due to religious beliefs, and even then, may not obscure any portion of the face of the applicant. Sunglasses or other paraphernalia, which detracts from the face, as defined above are not acceptable unless required for medical reasons (e.g. an eye patch.) A photograph depicting a person wearing a traditional facemask or veil that does not permit adequate identification is not acceptable. Photos of military, airline, or other personnel wearing hats are not acceptable. Photographs of applicants wearing tribal, national costume or other headgear not specifically religious in nature are not acceptable.

More on Photo Requirements at Travel.State.Gov.

Embassy Apia is a limited service, non-immigrant visa issuing Post.  Outside our regularly scheduled visa weeks, we will ONLY accept requests for emergency appointments if it is related to a U.S. national security matter or it direct impacts the national interests of the U.S. Government.  All other emergency visa appointment requests, such as requests to visit a dying relative or attend the funeral of a relative, should be referred to our Consulate in Auckland, New Zealand or our Embassy in Suva, Fiji.

Please review the following list of circumstances that may merit favorable consideration.  If you believe your circumstances merit consideration, you may respond to this email with your written justification requesting an emergency visa interview in Apia.

Valid National Security or National Interest Reasons for Emergency Visa Interview:

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.

4. A lost or stolen visa with an urgent need for travel that cannot be delayed and will result in irreparable harm to a U.S. citizen or U.S. business.

In all cases, the applicant will be expected to bring to the interview documentation which substantiates the emergency in addition to those forms and supporting documents normally required. For more information on how to apply for a non-immigrant visa at our Consulate in Auckland refer to http://nz.usembassy.gov.

Non-Immigrant FAQs

5. I have scheduled an appointment online, but would like to get an expedited appointment because the dates available online are after my travel dates?