DOS Updates List of Countries with Limited or No U.S. Visa Services

Overview – What Does this List Provide?

U.S. embassies and consulates are sometimes forced to limit or, at times, suspend visa services because of natural disasters, civil unrest, war, and/or security concerns, among other reasons. The list below notes the U.S. embassies and consulates that currently provide limited visa services, locations where visa services are suspended, and countries that do not have U.S. embassies or consulates.

The list below does not include the following:

• Holiday closures or very short-term suspensions of service for non-security reasons.
• U.S. embassies and consulates at which we ordinarily do not provide a particular type of visa service. See our list of Visa Issuing Posts for a complete list of the visa services provided at each of our U.S. embassies and consulates.

Limited Visa Services

• Netherlands Antilles – Curaçao

Visa Services Suspended

• Belarus – Minsk
• Eritrea – Asmara
• Libya - Tripoli
• Sudan - Khartoum
• Syria – Damascus

Countries That Do Not Have a U.S. Embassy or Consulate

• Bhutan
• Iran
• North Korea
• Antigua and Barbuda; Dominica; Grenada; St. Kitts and Nevis; St. Lucia; and St. Vincent and the Grenadines
• Guinea-Bissau

Limited Visa Services

The following U.S. embassies and consulates previously provided full nonimmigrant and/or immigrant visa services to the public. However, these embassies and consulates presently provide limited visa services because of natural disasters, civil unrest, war, security concerns, and/or other reasons.

Netherlands Antilles, Curaçao:

• U.S. Consulate General Curaçao provides limited nonimmigrant visa services to applicants with Dutch passports applying for certain categories of nonimmigrant visas.  Review the U.S. Consulate General Curaçao website for more information.
• Nonimmigrant visa applications for all other categories and immigrant visa applications are processed at U.S. Embassy Caracas, Venezuela.

Visa Services Suspended

The following U.S. embassies and consulates have suspended visa services because of natural disasters, civil unrest, war, security concerns, and/or other reasons. This list does not include U.S. embassies and consulates closed for holidays or where visa services are not being provided for a limited number of days.

Belarus, Minsk:

• Although full visa services are suspended until further notice, U.S. Embassy Minsk processes nonimmigrant visa applications for the following limited categories: A visas for diplomats and government officials; G visas for employees and representatives to international organizations; B visas for relatives of Belarusian diplomats serving at Belarusian diplomatic missions in the United States; visas for family and medical emergencies requiring urgent travel; visas for U.S. Government-sponsored travel and programs; and visas for senior citizens, 70 years of age and older. Review the U.S. Embassy Minsk website for more information.
• While nonimmigrant visa applicants resident in Belarus may apply in person at any U.S. embassy or consulate where they have an appointment, the suggested locations for residents of Belarus are: U.S. Embassy Moscow, Russia; U.S. Consulate General St. Petersburg, Russia; U.S. Embassy Warsaw, Poland; U.S. Embassy Kyiv, Ukraine; and U.S. Embassy Vilnius, Lithuania. Each embassy or consulate has additional information for non-resident applicants on its website. To schedule an interview appointment, please contact directly the U.S. embassy or consulate at which you would like to apply.
• Immigrant visa services, including for K visa applications, for residents of Belarus are provided at U.S. Embassy Warsaw, Poland.

Eritrea, Asmara:

• All visa services at U.S. Embassy Asmara are suspended until further notice. Please review the U.S. Embassy Asmara website for more information.
• While nonimmigrant visa applicants resident in Eritrea may apply in person at any U.S. embassy or consulate where they have an appointment, the suggested locations for residents of Eritrea are U.S. Embassy Addis Ababa, Ethiopia and U.S. Embassy Nairobi, Kenya.
• Immigrant visa services for residents of Eritrea are provided by U.S. Embassy Addis Ababa, Ethiopia and U.S. Embassy Nairobi, Kenya.

Libya, Tripoli:

• All visa services at U.S. Embassy Tripoli are suspended until further notice. Please review the U.S. Embassy Tripoli website for more information.

Sudan, Khartoum:

• All visa services at U.S. Embassy Khartoum are suspended until further notice. Please review the U.S. Embassy Khartoum website for more information.

Syria, Damascus:

• All visa services at U.S. Embassy Damascus are suspended until further notice. Review the U.S. Embassy Damascus website for more information.
• Review questions 11 through 16 on the Syria FAQ page for additional helpful information regarding visa services in Syria.

Countries That Do Not Have a U.S. Embassy or Consulate

The United States does not have diplomatic relationships with the following countries, and U.S. embassies or consulates are not located in these countries. See the information below regarding visa services for residents of these countries who seek to apply for U.S. visas.

Bhutan:

• Nonimmigrant and immigrant visa services for all residents of Bhutan are provided at U.S. Embassy New Delhi, India. (Although the United States and Bhutan do not have diplomatic relations, informal contact is maintained through the U.S. Embassy and the Bhutanese Embassy in New Delhi.)

Iran:

• Immigrant visas for residents of Iran are processed at: U.S. Embassy Vienna, Austria; U.S. Embassy Ankara, Turkey; U.S. Embassy Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates; U.S. Consulate General Frankfurt, Germany (family-based applicants only); and U.S. Consulate General Naples, Italy.
• Nonimmigrant visa applicants who are residents of Iran may apply at any U.S. embassy or consulate that provides nonimmigrant visa services, but should be aware that their interviews may be delayed if a Farsi-speaking consular officer is unavailable.

North Korea:

• No specific U.S. embassy or consulate has been designated to accept nonimmigrant and immigrant visa applications for residents of North Korea. U.S. Embassy Beijing, China, generally processes nonimmigrant visa applications for travelers visiting the United Nations in New York, since Beijing is the most convenient location.

The United States does not have a diplomatic presence in the following countries, and U.S. embassies or consulates are not located in these countries. This means that while the United States has relationships with these countries, U.S. embassies and consulates in other countries are responsible for maintaining diplomatic relations and for conducting bilateral relations with these countries. See the information below regarding visa services for residents of these countries who seek to apply for U.S. visas.

Antigua and Barbuda; Dominica; Grenada; St. Kitts and Nevis; St. Lucia; and St. Vincent and the Grenadines:

• While nonimmigrant visa applicants resident in these countries may apply in person at any U.S. embassy or consulate where they have an appointment, U.S. Embassy Bridgetown, Barbados, processes visa applications for residents of these countries.
• Immigrant visa services from residents of these countries are also provided at U.S. Embassy Bridgetown, Barbados.

Guinea-Bissau:

• While nonimmigrant visa applicants resident in Guinea-Bissau may apply in person at any U.S. embassy or consulate where they have an appointment, U.S. Embassy Dakar, Senegal, processes visa applications for residents of Guinea-Bissau.
• Immigrant visa services for residents of Guinea-Bissau are also provided at U.S. Embassy Dakar, Senegal.