Applying for a Visa

How To Apply For A Visa at the U.S. Embassy in Tanzania

Was your last U.S. visa issued after November 1, 2007?  If it was, you may not need to make an appointment.  Please check out our "New Visa Process for Frequent Travelers" (English) - (Kiswahili)

To apply for a visa, you must follow these steps:

1. Fill out the DS-156.  Please answer all questions.  If a question does not pertain you, type “none.”  Print out your DS-156 including the third page with the "2D" bar code.  The application must be dated and signed by the applicant, and the applicant is responsible for all the information on the DS-156.  Each intending traveler, even a minor, needs an individual DS-156.
2. Schedule your appointment online.  Each intending traveler, even a minor, needs an individual appointment.  Please print out the appointment confirmation sheet and bring it to your interview.
3. Complete a DS-157 for each applicant.
4. Attach one recent photograph of each traveler to his or her printed form in the space indicated on the form.  The photograph must:
       a. show full front view of face with both ears showing
       b. measure 5 cm (2.5 inches) square
       c. have a plain, white background.
5. Pay the visa application fee, $131, at Tanzania Limited Citibank (Peugeot House, 36 Upanga Road, Dar es Salaam; 8:30 a.m. - 2:00 p.m. Monday through Thursday - excluding gazetted Tanzanian holidays).  The non-refundable application fee must be paid in Tanzanian shillings at the current exchange rate.  A fee must be paid for each intending traveler, even a minor.
6. Appear at the Embassy (686 Old Bagamoyo Road, Msasani) on the date and time of the appointment and be interviewed by a United States Foreign Service Consular Officer.

Non-immigrant visa pick-up:

If you qualify for a visa, the Consular Section makes every attempt to return passports and visas the day after your interview.  Occasionally, we are unable to do so because of holidays, technical issues, and other circumstances.  For this reason, we ask applicants to apply for their visas well in advance of any proposed U.S. travel.  The Embassy cannot issue visas on the same day as the interview. 

Travel arrangements:

Applicants are not guarenteed to receive a visa to travel to the U.S.  Therefore, applicants should not book non-refundable travel reservations prior to the receipt of their visa.

Fraud Alert:

Attempting to obtain a visa or entry to the United States by presenting false documents or misrepresenting the facts is fraud and will result in the permanent refusal of a visa. Fraud may be reported to the Tanzanian police.

Freqently Asked Questions:

To see the answers to some frequently asked visa related questions, please click here.