DROP-BOX APPLICATION PROCEDURES

To facilitate visa issuance for qualified applicants, the Consular Section allows certain individuals to apply for a visa without prior appointment. These individuals may visit the Consular Section on Wednesdays from 2:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. (1400 to 1600) except for official Ukrainian and American holidays. Please see below for specific information on who may use the drop box; all other applicants should see the Regular Visa Application Procedure section.

WHO MAY USE THE DROP BOX

To use the drop-box procedures, an applicant must fulfill all of the following qualifications:

• Be a permanent resident of Ukraine
• Have been issued a visa from the Consular Section in Kyiv, which is still valid or expired NO MORE than 12 months prior to the drop box application date. The applicant must bring the entire passport containing the old visa to the interview
• Have used that visa at least once
• Have not violated the laws of the United States and have not extended their stay in the United States beyond the initial period authorized at the Port of Entry to the United States
• Be applying for the same type of visa as the one that expired, in one of the following visa categories:
  • Tourist and Business visas (B1 and B2)
  • Member of the Media (I)
  • Student visas (F) - only if continuing to attend the same school
  • Exchange visitor visas (J) - only if continuing to participate in the same program (participants in short-term Summer Work and Travel, Au Pair and Camp Counsellors are NOT eligible to use the drop-box)
  • Certain petition-based work visas (H, L) - only if continuing to work for the same employer
• Be able to show a continued, valid purpose of travel to the United States

Family members: same process applies for dependent visa categories (H-4, L-2, J-2, F-2).

U.S. VISA APPLICATION FORMS

To use the drop-box procedures, applicants MUST use the Electronic Visa Application Form (EVAF). This form can be found on the Internet at http://evisaforms.state.gov. The web site details the technical specifications required to be able to complete and print out this form. The application will be printed out on three pages, including the final page, which contains a bar code. Only those applicants who have completed the EVAF form and bring in the proper printed application will be considered for use of the drop-box procedures.

Form DS-156 - This form must be filled out by every applicant that applies for a nonimmigrant visa to the U.S.

Form DS-157 (additional) - This form must be filled out by any male applicant age 16 to 45 (except applicants for the A, G, K and NATO visa categories).

Form DS-158 (additional) - This form must be filled out by any applicant requesting an F, J, or M visa.

Please ensure that the printed version of the application form contains a good quality bar code, as pictured below:

	Example of a bad quality bar code
	Example of a good quality bar code

Currently the EVAF form is available in English, Spanish, Polish, and Korean. Applicants must complete the form on-line, print it out, and then sign it. All applicants must sign the application form attesting to the correctness and completeness of all answers included on it. If an applicant does not understand the question in English, he may refer to refer to Ukrainian language version of the form and obtain an appropriate translation so that the questions can be answered correctly.

In addition to providing the EVAF form, applicants must provide a picture that conforms to current requirements. Photographs must:

• Be unmounted
• Be full-faced - A "full face" photo is one in which the applicant is facing the camera directly. The applicant should not be looking down or to either side, and the face should cover approximately 50 percent of the area of the photograph. It is preferable that the ears be exposed.
• Have been taken within the past six months.
• Measure 5 cm square (5 cm on each side) and the head should be centered in the frame. The head (measured from the top of the hair to the bottom of the chin) should measure between 2.5 cm and 3.5 cm with the eye level between 2.8 cm and 3.5 cm from the bottom of the photograph.
• Be in color and taken against a white or off-white background.

U.S. VISA APPLICATION FEE

Starting January 1, 2006, all nonimmigrant visa applicants must pay the U.S. nonimmigrant visa application fee - the "machine-readable visa" or MRV fee - at select branches of ProCredit Bank in Kyiv. This new service is free of charge to visa applicants. Please note that the Consular Section cashier will no longer accept payment for the MRV fee after January 1, 2006.

The new MRV payment system has many advantages. Applicants do not need to pay in person. Friends, colleagues or family can make the payment at ProCredit Bank on the applicant’s behalf by presenting either the applicant’s passport or its photocopy. The bank tellers only need the applicant’s name, as written in his or her international passport, and passport number. The transaction takes just minutes and can be done at the applicant’s convenience any day prior to the visa interview date. There are no banking fees assessed for this service. In addition, applicants no longer have to pay the visa application fee in U.S. dollars, as was required at the U.S. Embassy. In compliance with Ukrainian law, payments can only be accepted in hryvnias. The U.S. Embassy sets the exchange rate.

Applicants will receive a smart card (a small plastic card containing a computer chip) and three paper receipts from ProCredit Bank in exchange for their payment. This smart card will be scanned at the Consular Section to confirm payment and one receipt will be retained with the visa application.

ProCredit Bank currently offers this service at the following branches:

• Kyiv, Pavlivska Street 26/41 (closest to the Consular Section)
  Monday-Friday: 7:00 am to 6:00 pm and Saturday: 10:00 am to 4:00 pm
• Kyiv, Chervonoarmiyska Street 24
  Monday-Friday: 9:00 am to 7:00 pm and Saturday: 10:00 am to 4:00 pm
• Kyiv, Bozhenka Street 86
  Monday-Friday: 9:00 am to 6:00 pm.
• Kyiv, Baseyna Street 17
  Monday-Friday: 9:00 am to 7:00 pm and Saturday: 10:00 am to 4:00 pm
• Kyiv, Mykhaylivska Street 19
  Monday-Friday: 9:00 am to 7:00 pm and Saturday: 10:00 am to 4:00 pm
• Lviv, Mitskevycha Street 5
  Monday-Friday: 9:00 am to 6:00 pm and Saturday: 9:00 am to 2:00 pm
• Ivano-Frankivsk, Sichovykh Striltsiv Street 11
  Monday-Friday: 9:00 am to 6:00 pm
• Odesa, Bunina Street 33
  Monday-Friday: 9:00 am to 4:30 pm

HOW TO APPLY USING THE DROP BOX

Qualified applicants may appear personally at the consular section on Wednesdays between 2:00 p.m. and 3:00 p.m. (1400 and 1500). After submitting their documents, applicants may have to wait up to one hour for their fingerprints to be scanned. At the time of fingerprint scanning, the applicant will be requested to pay additional fees (if necessary) and make arrangements for delivery of the passport. It is possible that the Consul will want to ask applicants further questions. In such instances, an employee of the Consular Section will ask you to remain at the Consular Section some additional minutes, or, if you have already left the premises, will contact you directly to request the additional information, or – if needed – request that you return to the Consular Section for a follow-up interview.

Please note that use of the Expedited Visa Renewal Procedure does not guarantee issuance of a visa.

Please note that use of the drop box is NOT mandatory.

DROP-BOX PROCEDURES CHECKLIST

WHAT TO BRING:

• Valid international passport, valid at least six months beyond the date of travel to the United States
• Smart Card and receipt from ProCredit Bank for the $131 application fee for each applicant, including children. Please click here for additional information on special considerations for applying with children.
• EVAF form (DS-156).
• Photograph of each applicant, conforming to the following standards:
  • Unmounted
  • o Full-faced - A "full face" photo is one in which the applicant is facing the camera directly. The applicant should not be looking down or to either side, and the face should cover approximately 50 percent of the area of the photograph. It is preferable that the ears be exposed.
  • Taken within the past six months.
  • Measuring 5 cm square (5 cm on each side) with the head centered in the frame. The head (measured from the top of the hair to the bottom of the chin) should measure between 2.5 cm and 3.5 cm with the eye level between 2.8 cm and 3.5 cm from the bottom of the photograph.
  • Taken against a white or off-white background, in color.
• Completed form DS-157 (for men age 16 to 45)
• Completed form DS-158 (for F, J or M visa applicants)
• The passport holding the previous U.S. visa
• USD 8.00 for return delivery of the passport by courier (also payable in hryvnia)
• For student or exchange visitor applicants, the original (and copy) DS-2019 (for exchange program participants) or I-20 (for students) form
• For student visa applicants, a copy of the most recent school transcript
• For petition-based work visas, the original (and copy) Notice of Action from the Department of Homeland Security
• Other documents that demonstrate the applicant’s current status in Ukraine or the United States.

The Consular Section uses an express courier delivery service to return passports and visas to those people who are issued U.S. visas. After being informed of their visa issuance by a visa officer, applicants will be instructed to proceed to the courier service representative located in the Consulate to arrange for the delivery of their passports with issued visas. At this time, applicants will need to pay the required delivery fee and insurance fee (total of USD 8.00, also payable in hryvnia). The Consular Section will release the passport within three business days. Applicants should also keep in mind the anticipated time of delivery of their passports and visas when making travel plans to the United States.