Apply for a U.S. Visa

Appointment wait times posted on travel.state.gov reflect the wait times for visa applicants who are residents of Thailand only. Non-resident wait times will be shown after applicant selects the correct visa priority as non-resident on www.ustraveldocs.com/th/.

Please note that the appointment wait time for non-resident visa applicants is longer than for residents. Foreign nationals who select Regular priority instead of Non-resident, but fail to present a residence permit/long-term visa on the day of their interview will not be interviewed.

For applicants who do not speak English or Thai, it is your responsibility to bring a translator/interpreter to your visa interview. The translator/interpreter is required to bring their identification or passport on the appointment date.

Effective Sunday, June 12, 2022, at 12:01 a.m. EDT, the CDC rescinded its Order requiring all airline or other aircraft passengers to show a negative COVID-19 test result or documentation of recovery from COVID-19 to board any aircraft destined to the United States from a foreign country. Of note,CDC’s Order requiring proof of vaccination for non-U.S. citizen nonimmigrants to travel to the United States is still in effect. For more information see Requirement for Proof of COVID-19 Vaccination for Air Passengers.

On October 25, President Biden announced a Presidential Proclamation titled “A Proclamation on Advancing the Safe Resumption of Global Travel During the COVID-19 Pandemic.” This proclamation, which took effect at 12:01 am Eastern Standard Time on November 8, 2021, ended the travel restrictions under Presidential Proclamations (P.P.) 9984, 9992, 10143, and 10199 as they relate to the suspension of entry into the United States of persons physically present in Brazil, China, India, Iran, Ireland, the Schengen Area, South Africa, and the United Kingdom. In place of these restrictions, the President announced a global vaccination requirement for all adult foreign national travelers. More information about this global vaccination requirement, including details on exceptions and waivers due to humanitarian concerns, is available at the https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/News/visas-news/safely-resuming-travel-by-vaccine-requirement-and-rescission-of-travel-restrictions.html.

Effective October 1, 2021, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Technical Instructions for panel physicians require all immigrant visa applicants to receive a full COVID-19 vaccine series as part of their medical exam prior to being issued a visa.  The CDC requires the COVID-19 vaccine to be approved through either the World Health Organization (WHO) or the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Blanket waivers for the COVID vaccination will be applied in countries where the vaccine is not routinely available or when the vaccine is not age appropriate.  The Department of State encourages all immigrant visa applicants to get vaccinated against COVID-19 as soon as possible to not experience delays in their visa processing. CDC’s announcement can be found here

Applicants will receive an email with instructions when their case is eligible to be scheduled for an interview. Even if your case status is listed as “Ready”, please do not schedule an interview on this website until you have received email instructions directly from U.S. Embassy Bangkok's Immigrant Visa Unit. If your case status has been listed as “Ready” for more than 30 days without receiving an email, you may email the Immigrant Visa Unit for a status update at visasbkk@state.gov. NOTE: If there are no available appointments when you are trying to schedule, that means all appointments are filled. We frequently open additional appointments. Please continue to check the website for available appointments.

All nonimmigrant visa application fee (also known as the MRV fee) payments made on or after October 1, 2022, are valid for 365 days from the date a receipt is issued for payment of the MRV fee. Applicants must schedule an interview appointment or submit an interview waiver application during this 365-day period. Please note applicants must only schedule their interview or submit their waiver application within the 365-day period. There is no requirement the interview must occur during the 365-day period. All receipts for payment of MRV fees issued before October 1, 2022, were extended until September 30, 2023, and remain valid until this date.

Secretary Blinken, in consultation with the Department of Homeland Security, has temporarily expanded the ability of consular officers to waive the in-person interview requirement for individuals applying for a nonimmigrant visa in the same classification. Previously, only those applicants whose nonimmigrant visa expired within 24 months were eligible for an interview waiver. The Secretary has temporarily extended the expiration period to 48 months. This policy is in effect until further notice. This change will allow consular officers to continue processing certain nonimmigrant visa applications while limiting the number of applicants who must appear at a consular section, thereby reducing the risk of COVID-19 transmission to other applicants and consular staff. Travelers are encouraged to review the website of the nearest U.S. embassy or consulate for detailed information on what services are currently available as well as eligibility information and instructions on applying for a visa without an interview. Select here to learn more about certain individual petition-based visa applicants who are now eligible for waiver of interview.

Visa Renewal by Mail Program will take approximately 30 business days. If your travel is urgent, please schedule an in-person interview. For pilots and crew members, if you need to use your passport within 30 business days, please do not submit your application by mail. Expedited visa renewal by mail option is not available. Please read all the information before submitting your application by mail on https://www.ustraveldocs.com/th/th-niv-visarenew.asp.

Please note that it is recommended you wear a face mask when visiting U.S. Embassy Bangkok and U.S. Consulate General Chiang Mai. If you are feeling ill or have reason to believe you have been exposed to COVID-19, please do not enter U.S. Embassy Bangkok and U.S. Consulate General Chiang Mai buildings and reschedule your appointment.

Attention: Nonimmigrant visa applicants should submit electronically the DS-160 online form before making an appointment. Update your profile with the DS-160 barcode number by selecting “Update Profile” on this website. When scheduling your appointment, use the same barcode from your current DS-160. If you have made an appointment with an invalid or previously used barcode, you must update your profile at least three 3 business days prior to your appointment date with the new/valid barcode. Otherwise, you will not be allowed in for an interview and will need to make a new appointment using the new/valid DS-160 barcode. 

Note for applicants applying at Consulate General Chiang Mai: Please bring printouts of your DS-160 confirmation and appointment confirmation to your interview.