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Non-Immigrant Visa Applicants – Interview Waived

Notice

All applicants must begin their visa application process through the GSS appointment scheduling website.

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Interview Waiver Instructions

  • Do NOT continue with the following steps unless instructed to “Send Documents” by the appointment scheduling system on the website.
  • Applicants MUST use a courier to deliver their application package to the Embassy. The Embassy will NOT accept application packages that are dropped off at the Embassy Main Gate.
  • All passports will be delivered to the DHL facility at Solomon’s Plaza in Nassau unless specified otherwise in the scheduling website.
  • If you live in New Providence, Grand Bahama, or Turks and Caicos, you will be able to choose to have your passport delivered to your island on the scheduling website.  However, for home delivery in New Providence or delivery to either Grand Bahama or Turks and Caicos you will incur an additional fee.
  • If you live on the Family Islands (Abaco, Eleuthera, Exuma, etc.), you must include a self-addressed pre-paid or cash-on-delivery waybill in the package for the return of the documents. Only one return waybill is necessary for family/applicant groups who wish for their visas/passports to be returned to the same address.
  • All documents should be sent to:U.S. Embassy
    Consular Section
    #42 Queen Street,
    P.O. Box N-8197,
    Nassau, The Bahamas

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Required Documentation

If the application is accepted for processing without a personal appearance, the following documents are required.  Only include requested documents.

  • For all visa categories and applicant classes
    • A valid Bahamas or Turks & Caicos Islands passport
    • Receipt for payment of the application fee (provided by the visa application website at the time of payment) for each visa application
    • “Confirmation and Instructions Page” provided by the application website for each visa applicant
    • If NOT living in New Providence, Grand Bahama, or Turks and Caicos: A self-addressed prepaid or cash-on-delivery courier waybill.  If several applications from the same household (for example, a parent and a child) are submitted together, a single return waybill is acceptable.
  • For children under age 14
    • The applicant’s birth certificate, adoption certificate, OR court order appointing a guardian (original or certified copy only—photocopies not accepted) AND
    • The passport of one parent or guardian containing a valid B1/B2 U.S. visa
  • For renewal applications
    • The passport containing the valid (or recently expired as defined above) U.S. visa to be renewed OR
    • A police report recording the loss or theft of the previous visa

All applications are reviewed by a visa officer, who may approve the visa or determine that an interview is required.  If your application cannot be approved without an interview, your application will be suspended until an interview can be scheduled.  Your application will never be refused outright until you have had the opportunity to address the officer’s questions or concerns in an interview.

If an interview is required, your waybill will be used to return your documents without a visa.  You will then be required to provide a new waybill at your visa interview.  The Embassy cannot cover or reimburse any additional shipping expenses that may be required to complete the visa application.

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Qualifications for an Interview Waiver

Qualifications for Applicants over the Age of 80 or under the Age of 14

For the in-person interview to be waived for a first-time visa applicant, the applicant must:

  • Apply using a Bahamas or Turks & Caicos Islands passport
  • Be over the age of 80 or under the age of 14
    • For children under 14, we require one parent or court-appointed legal guardian to hold a valid U.S. visa, which must be submitted with the application along with the applicant’s birth certificate or court order of guardianship.
  • Never have been arrested or convicted for any offense or have violated U.S. immigration law in any way
  • Never have been refused a visa, unless the applicant has been issued a visa in the same category since the most recent refusal.

Qualifications for Applicants Renewing a Visa

The applicant must apply using a Bahamas or Turks & Caicos Islands passport and the nationality must be the same as that of the passport containing the previous visa.

  • Only B1/B2 visitor visas may be renewed without a personal appearance.
    • Visas with special limitations, such as B1 domestic employee may not be renewed through this process.
  • The prior visa must:
    • be unexpired or less than 12 months past its expiration date (NOTE: Due to the COVID pandemic, the 12-month post-expiration window has been temporarily extended to a 24-month post-expiration window and is valid until December, 31 2023.)
    • have been issued in Nassau,
    • have been issued without any special annotation reflecting a waiver or other additional processing or limitation, and
    • be in the applicant’s possession and submitted with the application. If the previous visa was lost or stolen, a police report of the loss must be provided.
  • The applicant must have submitted fingerprints with the last visa application (unless the last application was itself a renewal through this process), and
  • The applicant must never have been arrested or convicted of any offense, have violated U.S. immigration law in any way, or have been refused a U.S. visa since the visa to be renewed was issued.

Visas