U.S. Embassy Minsk Announcement on Expanded Visa Services

The Embassy of the United States in Minsk is pleased to announce an expansion of visa services.  Starting June 1, the Embassy will accept applications to renew current visas and those that have expired up to 4 years ago.  In some cases, applicants will not even have to appear at the embassy for an interview.  This will apply to those who visa expiration date is less than four years ago, whose fingerprints we have in our system, and who are applying for the same type of visa.

To make things easier for those who are eligible to have their interview waived, and who live far away, we will allow others to bring your documents to the embassy for you.

To help explain the new processes, we have added new pages to our website, in both English and Russian.  These new pages explain who is eligible and how to apply.  We have also scheduled a live Facebook chat with Consul Fred Stern on Thursday, May 28, at 5:00 p.m.  You will be able to ask questions in English, Russian and Belarusian about the new system.

All applicants for visas in Minsk should follow the standard application procedures found here.

Since August of last year, the Embassy also expanded visa services to include applications for F, M, J and P visas and renewals for most petition based visas.

All applicants for other visa categories not listed above must continue to apply at U.S. embassies in neighboring countries. The Embassy will explore other categories in which to expand visa services in the future.