VISA SERVICES
No. 19 Fifth Link Rd. Cantonments, Accra
For details on all types of visas that can be accessed via U.S. Department of State website, click here
Other resources concerning
travel information can be found at the Department
of State website.
The best way to contact the Consular Section is via e-mail at consulateaccra@state.gov. Please do not send unsolicited documents via fax or post. The Consular Section assumes no responsibility for such documents.
Consulate Accra Hours of Operation:
Non-Immigrant Visas:
Interviews are conducted by appointment, Monday - Thursday 7:30 a.m.-4:30
p.m. and Friday 7:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m.
Click here for information on current appointment wait times.
Due to the large volume of applicants and
the processing time for applicants’ paperwork,
applicants should expect to spend
approximately four hours at the consulate.
Additionally, in cases where visas are issued,
applicants should expect to wait two days for processing of their
visas.
Please plan accordingly when making travel arrangement.
Immigrant
Visas:
Interviews are conducted by appointment, Monday-Thursday 7:30 a.m.-4:30
p.m. and Friday 7:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m.
Non-Immigrant
Visa (NIV) Procedures
STUDENT SEASON VISA APPOINTMENT PROCESS
The
U.S. Embassy in Ghana is committed to accommodating student visa applications.
In anticipation of increased demand for student visas over the coming months,
the Embassy will accept student visa applicants on a walk-in basis on Wednesday mornings between
April 30 and September 3, 2008.
Student visa applicants must meet the following criteria to qualify for a
walk-in appointment:
- They must present a valid I-20 (for student visa applicants) or DS-2019 (for exchange visitor applicants). Students wishing to apply for tourist or other visitor visas must schedule an appointment.
- The school or exchange program start date as listed on the I-20 or DS-2019 must fall within 60 days of the interview date.
- They must NOT have been denied on a previous student or exchange program visa application within the past 12 months.
Applicants who do not meet all of the above requirements
must schedule an appointment through the regular online process.
Applicants fulfilling these requirements are advised to report to the
Consular Section at 7:30AM on Wednesdays between April 30 th and September 3rd.
In the event that the number of walk-ins exceeds
our ability to interview, we will work with applicants to
schedule an alternate appointment time.
We will attempt to ensure that all qualified student
applicants are granted interviews before their school/program start-date.
Note Change in Visa Policy
The Consular Section is altering its nonimmigrant visa interview appointment schedule to increase the efficiency of post’s visa operations. Effective November 1, all categories of U.S. visa applicants must schedule visa interview appointments on-line.
Petition-based applicants (H, L, O and P visas), and crew members (C1/D visa) should make appointments.
Between April 30th and September 3rd, qualified students will be able to walk-in on Wednesday mornings without an appointment.
Please see our student visa page for further information. Applicants with employment-based petitions who cannot get an appointment in time for your petition start date please email us at ConsulateAccra@state.gov.
Please make sure to
clearly state what type of petition you
have
and what is your petition start date.
You must use the Electronic Visa Application Form from the website to get your barcode number. Without a barcode number you cannot make an appointment.
CONSULAR SERVICES FEES TO CHANGE WORLDWIDE
Effective January 1, 2008, the worldwide application fee for a U.S. Nonimmigrant Visa will
increase from USD $100 to USD $131 (or Ghanaian Cedi equivalent). The worldwide
application fee for a U.S. Immigrant Visa will also increase, from $335 to $355. These fee
increases, which are being applied throughout the world, reflect the rising costs of processing
visa applications, including the cost of enhanced biometric security features, information technology systems, and inflation.
Nonimmigrant Visa Applicants
Nonimmigrant Visa applicants who paid the prior $100 application fee before January 1, 2008,
will not be required to pay additional fees if they appear for a visa interview before January 31, 2008. Applicants who paid the prior $100 fee and appear for visa interviews after January 31,
2008, must pay the difference of $31 before their interview. Applicants should pay at Standard Chartered Bank and obtain a new receipt before appearing for their interview. All applicants
paying after January 1, 2008, regardless of their interview date, must pay the full $131 fee.
Immigrant Visa Applicants
All immigrant visa applicants who paid the prior $335 application fee before January 1, 2008, will be processed without further payment, regardless of their interview date. All applicants
paying their fee on or after January 1, 2008, must pay the new $355 fee, regardless of their interview date. Most applicants pay their fees through the Department of State’s National Visa
Center (NVC) in the United States. Fee bills sent by NVC will reflect the change effective January 1, 2008. Applicants who make their payment after this date will be required to pay $355
even if their original bill displays the previous fee. This fee increase will also effect Diversity Visa applicants, who pay the immigrant visa application process fee at the time of their
interview.
All
Applicants
NIV Appointments – Now Just 3 Easy Steps
