November 2, 2006

The United States Embassy in Dar es Salaam has announced a new visa process effective November 1, 2006, whereby all applications for United States tourist, student, or other non-immigrant visas must be submitted on the Electronic Visa Application Form (EVAF). Visas submitted in other formats will not be accepted.

According to Embassy statement, applications submitted with a handwritten or typewriter typed DS-156 visa application form can no longer be accepted. Applicants who submit a handwritten or typed DS-156 application forms will be asked to complete and print out the new EVAF application form, which is available online at http://evisaforms.state.gov. Visa application forms printed from the internet and then filled out will not be accepted. The forms must be completed online and then printed.

When applicants use the EVAF, they help our consular sections improve the visa services provided to our customers. The EVAF, which has been online for more than three years, allows for quicker and more accurate data entry. Our customers do not have to wait for us to enter the data, and therefore can have their interviews and process their applications more quickly. Moreover, there are significant anti-fraud benefits, as previously noted in our Electronic Diversity Visa (EDV) experience.

More information on the nonimmigrant visa applications process at the U.S. Embassy in Dar es Salaam can be found at the Visas to the U.S. section of the website.