United States of America Embassy Guide

US Embassy in Manila, Philippines

Contact -
Consular Section
U.S. Embassy
1201 Roxas Boulevard
Manila, Philippines 1000
Tel. No. : (632) 528-6300 extension 2555, 2246

Embassy Holiday List -

Visa Info-

The Immigrant Visa
An Immigrant Visa category is determined by the type of petition on behalf of the beneficiary that is approved by the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Depending on the visa category, an immigrant visa is either immediately available or is numerically limited by law. For immediate relatives of U.S. citizens (IR category) visa numbers are immediately available once the petitions filed on their behalf are approved by the USCIS. Immediate relatives are parents, spouses and minor children (unmarried and under 21 years of age) of U.S. citizens. Each relative must have a separate petition filed on his/her behalf.

Non-Immigrant Visa
Beginning September 14, 2004, all Non-Immigrant visa applicants between the ages of 14 and 79, except for diplomatic or government representatives traveling on official business, are required to be fingerprint-scanned. If you currently hold a valid U.S. visa, you do not have to come to the Embassy to have your fingerprints scanned until the visa expires and if you wish to apply for a new one.

Document Required -

PASSPORT valid for at least six (6) months.

DS-230 Parts I and II: Application for Immigrant Visa and Alien Registration Forms. These forms are sent to applicants along with their appointment letters. Each family member applying for an immigrant visa is required to complete these forms.

BIRTH CERTIFICATE. Copies must be issued by the National Statistics Office (NSO) and printed on NSO security paper. Copies are needed for beneficiaries, derivative family members and Philippine-born petitioners. You may call the NSO Information Center at 02-737-1111 or visit their e-census webpage to inquire about how to secure a birth certificate.

NBI CLEARANCE. Applicants aged 16 years and older must have a valid Record Clearance for Travel Abroad Purposes from the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI). An official letter of explanation from the NBI is required for any notation of “No criminal record”, No pending criminal case” or “With derogatory record.” NBI is located along Taft Avenue in Manila. For immigration purposes, an NBI clearance is considered valid only for a year from the date it is issued.

POLICE CERTIFICATES. A police certificate is required from a country in which the applicant lived for more than one year (six months if you are applying for a K visa) after turning 16 years old. Information on how to secure police certificates from countries where these are available may be obtained by contacting U.S. Embassy Manila’s Immigrant Visa Branch, or an Embassy/Consulate of the country from which the Police certificate is required.

Fee -
Each intending immigrant, regardless of age, requires a separate visa and must pay US$380 to cover the application and processing fees. Applicants for non-immigrant visas (K and V visas), on the other hand, pay a US$100 visa processing fee. These fees are not refundable. The fees for immigrant visas may be paid either in cash, travelers check or U.S. Postal Order at the Embassy’s Consular Cashier if these have not been paid to the National Visa Center. The visa processing fee for a non-immigrant visa is paid in advance at designated branches of the Bank of the Philippine Islands and Citibank. All fees may be in Philippine pesos equivalent to the prevailing exchange rate determined by the Embassy.