How to Apply for Tourism & Visitor Visas

U.S. Embassy Libreville is currently experiencing an unusually high volume of requests for nonimmigrant visas for tourist travel to the United States.

Consular Affairs continues to identify innovations to reduce wait times for visa interviews. For example, the Department of State temporarily authorized consular officers to waive the in-person interview for certain work, student and exchange visitor applicants.

Nevertheless, nonimmigrant visa appointment availability will continue to be subject to local conditions and resources. We recommend you review the nonimmigrant visa wait time tool on travel.state.gov. The visa appointment wait time feature of this website will be updated regularly as posts open more appointments for nonimmigrant visa interviews.

Finally, we recommend that you do not buy tickets or make any financial commitments for travel before you have a visa.

Nonimmigrant visas are generally for individuals seeking to travel to the United States for a temporary period. Nonimmigrant visas are used for tourism and travel, temporary employment, business meetings, study and exchange, among other travel purposes.

In order to acquire an interview for a tourist visa, applicants must complete the DS-160 (Nonimmigrant Visa Application) and schedule their appointment online. Applicants who may be eligible for an expedite appointment must have already completed their nonimmigrant visa application and scheduled an appointment online.

U.S. Embassy Libreville does not accept diplomatic notes, mission orders, nor a letter of invitation to acquire tourist visa appointments. All requests outside of the appointment system must be submitted to USVisaLibreville@state.gov.

Expedite Appointments

The Department of State is committed to facilitating legitimate travel to the United States by both immigrant and nonimmigrant travelers. We are aware that as routine visa processing is re-introduced, applicants may face extended visa interview wait times. We are committed to lowering those wait times as quickly and safely as possible, recognizing that visas for work and tourism play a critical role in the U.S. economy.

Should applicants be unable to acquire a timely appointment, applicants may request an expedited visa appointment for emergency travel purposes, but it is necessary to make the request online after having scheduled an appointment. Circumstances that may be considered for expedited appointments include:

• An immediate relative’s death, grave illness or life-threatening accident taking place in the United States.
• Urgent medical treatment for the applicant or their minor child.
• An applicant for a student or exchange visitor (F/M/J) visa whose I-20 or DS-2019 has a start date within the next 30 days and is earlier than the first available visa appointment.
• An unexpected visit that is of significant cultural, political, journalistic, sporting or economic importance that is occurring within 10 days after the first available visa appointment.

If you think your reason for travel falls into one of these categories, please contact us at USVisaLibreville@state.gov with “EXPEDITE REQUEST” as the subject of your email.

Expedited appointments will only be granted at the Consular Section’s discretion. Applicants may only request an expedite once.

Step 1. Check the Validity of Your Passport

You must present a passport that is valid for at least six months beyond your period of stay in the United States.

Step 2. Complete the Online Nonimmigrant Visa Application Form (Form DS-160)

Each applicant must complete an online nonimmigrant visa application form known as the DS-160. Click here for the form or type the following address into your web browser: https://ceac.state.gov/genniv/. On your DS-160 confirmation form, you will see a barcode number. You will need the barcode number to schedule your interview.

Step 3. Schedule an Interview Appointment

To schedule an appointment for an interview, please consult the Embassy’s online NIV Appointment System. Please have your DS-160 Online Nonimmigrant Visa Application Form barcode number handy. It is located on your DS-160 confirmation page, in bold print.

Families may book one appointment for their household. Each member of household must have completed the Form DS-160 and provide evidence of relationship for each family member.

If you want to renew your visa, and your most recent visa has expired within the last four years, please contact USVisaLibreville@state.gov with “IWP Request” in the subject line and attach a copy of your DS-160. Please follow the link for more information on the Interview Waiver Program.

Step 4. Collect any Supporting Documentation

For your interview, you will need the following items:
• A passport that is valid for at least six months beyond your period of travel.
• A 2 x 2 inch (5 x 5 cm.) color photo with a white or grey colored background. The photo must have been taken within the past six months. The applicant should not wear eyeglasses in the photo. For additional information on photo requirements, click here.
• Your DS-160 confirmation page

The consular officer may request additional documents concerning your employment, family ties, the purpose of your trip, prior travel, your intent to depart from the United States after your trip, or your ability to pay for the trip. You are welcome to bring such documents with you to the interview though there is no requirement that the consular officer review the documents that you bring.

Please note that applicants must qualify on the basis of the applicant’s residence and ties abroad, rather than assurances from U.S. family and friends. A letter of invitation or Affidavit of Support is not needed to apply for a visitor visa. If you choose to bring a letter of invitation or an Affidavit of Support to your interview, please remember it is not one of the factors used in determining whether to issue or deny the visa.

Step 5. Pay the Machine Readable Visa Fee

On the day of your interview, you will be required to pay a Machine Readable Visa (MRV) fee with local currency (CFA) or U.S. dollars. The Embassy does not accept credit cards for MRV fees.

The current MRV fee for a B1, B2, or B1/B2 visa is $160 or the CFA equivalent.

Step 6. Complete an Interview with a Consular Officer

After you pay the MRV fee, you will be asked to submit your fingerprints by placing your fingers and thumbs on an ink-free digital scanner. Applicants under 14 years of age or older than 80 years of age are not required to submit fingerprints.

A consular officer will then interview you to determine whether you are qualified to receive a visitor visa. You must establish that you meet the requirements under U.S. law to receive a visa.

After your visa interview, the consular officer may determine that your application requires further administrative processing. The consular officer will inform you if administrative processing is required.

Step 7. Pay Issuance Fees (if required)

Nonimmigrant visa applicants from certain countries may be required to pay a visa issuance fee if their application is approved. These fees are based on the principle of reciprocity. When a foreign government imposes fees on U.S. citizens for certain types of visas, the United States will impose a reciprocal fee on citizens of that country. Click here to find out whether an issuance fee is required for your country of nationality.

Step 8. Return to Collect Your Passport and Visa

If your visa is approved, you will be given a letter stating when your visa will be ready for pickup. It usually takes at least 24 hours to process a visa.