General Information
It is the applicant’s responsibility to provide all necessary information and documentation for the Consular officer to make an appropriate decision. During the interview, each applicant should be prepared to explain to the Consul the purpose of the intended trip and present evidence of sufficient funds. Applicants also need to convince the Consul that they have strong and permanent ties to Uzbekistan, such as a family, job, property, etc., which would demonstrate their intent to return to Uzbekistan after their stay in the United States. Applicants who have not been residing in Uzbekistan for at least six months are recommended to apply in their country of permanent residence where they would be better prepared to present evidence of their social and economic ties.
Personal Appearance of Applicants in the Non-Immigrant Visa Interview
All applicants, including children, must appear in person for the non-immigrant visa interview. Applicants under the age of 16 may bring a parent or official representative with them. All accompanying adults must also sign up for an appointment. This is true even if the accompanying adults are not applying for visas themselves. In order to schedule an appointment, the accompanying adult must send an E-mail message to the Consular Section at consulartashkent@state.gov and request scheduling an appointment for the same date and time as the minor they will be accompanying. They may also call the Consular Section at (998-71) 140-2215 or 1402216 to schedule an appointment for themselves to come in with the minor applicant.
For applicants over the age of 16, interested parties – including immediate family members, American friends, lawyers, and others are not allowed to be present at the interview.
Fingerscanning Process
Prior to the interview, all applicants between the ages of 14 and 79 must complete the fingerscanning process. This is done at the Consular Section at the beginning of the interview.
Validity period of issued visas
The maximum period of validity for most non-immigrant visas issued to citizens of Uzbekistan has been reduced from 48 to 12 months in order to more accurately reflect the validity of visas issued to American citizens by the Government of Uzbekistan. All visas that were issued previously with a validity period of more than 12 months remain valid until their expiration dates and may be used to travel to the U.S. The Consular Section does not require any confirmation process for these visas.
Processing times
In majority of cases, Consular Officers inform the applicants of their decision at the end of the interview. If the visa is issued, the applicants may normally collect the passport with the visa the next business day at 3:30 pm. They need to bring their receipts confirming the payment of the application processing fee.
However, in some instances, Consular Officers may request additional documents or information to be provided in order to make a decision. In others, the nature of the application may require additional processing which will take some time. Therefore, the Consular Section strongly encourages applying for visas as early as possible to avoid last minute delays. It is usually not a good practice to reserve or purchase plane tickets before the visa is issued and received from the Consular Section.
Please visit the website of the Bureau of Consular Affair’s website for information on visas and visa procedures: http://travel.state.gov/visa/visa_1750.html