Puerto Rico: Free Caribbean State Requires US Visa

Most of the population of the "unincorporated organized territory" of Puerto Rico voted in a 2012 referendum to become the 51st state of the United States. Although the US Congress continues to debate whether or not to formally accept a dependent territory, Puerto Rico has long lived under American law. The operation of the US Constitution is somewhat limited, but not in relation to immigration and customs laws. So Russians need a visa to Puerto Rico, and this.

Accordingly, it is easier to get into the country for those who already have a valid American visa of category B. For employment on the island, you will need a work visa (one of the categories suitable for the purposes - H, L, O, P, Q, R). The US insists on no exceptions, so there is no separate or own visa for Puerto Rico.

Even if you want to visit only Puerto Rico, without flying from there to the mainland of the dominant state, you will have to apply for a B-2 tourist or visitor visa. If the passport has expired or has been canceled for one reason or another, but it still has a valid visa, the old passport must be carried with you and presented at the border.

What do you need to apply for a visa yourself?

  • Step 1. Decide on the required type of visa and carefully study the procedure for passing the procedure. It is easier to do this if you read the official information about them (it is preferable to try to get a combined B-1 / B-2 visa if possible). /ru_ru).
  • Step 2 Through the Internet filled out and submitted non-immigrant visa application form on the DS-160 form (http://ceac.state.gov/genniv). All answers there must be given in English, except for the paragraph for indicating the surname and name in the state language of your own country. At the end of the filling (it takes 20 minutes, but you can fill out the questionnaire file, calmly fill it out, and then transfer the data), a confirmation with a barcode is printed out.
  • Step 3. Payment of the non-refundable consular fee (currently $160). You can also do this in rubles, using bank cards when making a payment on the site, as well as in cash at VTB-24 or Russian Post offices. The receipt is valid for one year.
  • Step 4. Schedule an interview at the US Consulate ( addresses and phone numbers of the US Consulates General in Russia are available), for this, at least two working days must pass after payment of the fee . It is important not to confuse and, when submitting a DS-160, indicate exactly the consulate convenient for the interview at your location. You can sign up only if you have your own passport number, the barcode of the submitted application form and the number of the receipt confirming the payment of the fee.
  • Step 5. Collection of documents(a printed letter of invitation to the consulate, the above confirmation of application, a recent 50 x 50 mm photograph of a valid and all previously issued foreign passports, if any) and passing an interview with them on the agreed day.

Also available if needed:

  1. Photo;
  2. Papers confirming the validity of the planned trip (letters and invitations from relatives, friends, travel agencies);
  3. Papers that confirm the existence of close ties with the Russian Federation (copies of a marriage certificate, existing property, etc.). Their goal is to confirm the desire to return to their homeland;
  4. Certificate from the place of work, which indicates the position, length of service and income, or a statement of sponsorship given by relatives or other persons. Other documents that will confirm the financial solvency in paying for the trip may also be suitable.
  • Step 6. Waiting for approval or rejection. If the answer is positive, the passport with a visa will be delivered by the method you specified. The term for issuing a visa is not regulated, employees deal with this as they are busy. The average waiting time is approximately two weeks.

Assistance in obtaining a visa

All these actions are quite realistic to carry out independently with the appropriate level of literacy, knowledge of the basics of English and the desire to view fresh and relevant information about behavior during interviews.

US Visa Contact Center Phones:

8-800-100-25-54 – line within Russia (free of charge);

17037455474 - in the United States.

Those who have already successfully obtained a US visa, and it expired within no more than 11 months, may be exempted from an interview. Although the consular staff still have the right to invite him if they deem it necessary.

Since the procedure is quite complicated and the refusals of the American side are not uncommon, many people prefer to resort to the help of agencies and travel agencies that take part of the described actions and provide advisory services. In particular, agency employees can help with filling out and sending questionnaires, checking documents, making payment for the fee, and advise on how to behave at an interview. The cost of such services - from $ 100 or more.

In any case, the interview will have to take place in person at one of the US consulates. No agency can guarantee a visa.

Features of the visa regime

Validity period of the received multiple-entry visa- from 1 to 3 years. Russians are usually issued a visa valid for a year, if necessary, extended, of course, with the payment of an additional consular fee ($100).

For traveling with children the procedure for their registration is similar if the child has reached the age of 14 years. Younger children require a birth certificate; the child's international passport or the parent's international passport with the available information about him - confirmation of the presence of a visa for the parent or an adult traveling with him; a certified export permit if the child is traveling unaccompanied by their parents or with only one of them.

The presence of an American visa in the passport is not a guarantee that a person is allowed into the country, but cases of refusal are still rare. Although the visa is valid for a long period, the permitted length of stay is determined at the points of arrival. Usually, service employees are guided by the documents provided confirming hotel reservations, the itinerary of independent travelers, the data of the host or travel agency.

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