WHO MAY USE THE CREW MEMBER EXPEDITED RENEWAL PROCESS?

To use the new Expedited Renewal (ER) procedures, an applicant must fulfill all of the following qualifications:

• Be a permanent resident of Ukraine,
• Have been issued a C1/D or D previously from the Consular Section in Kyiv,
• Have a current seaman’s book issued by Ukraine (for sailors only),
• Have a current signed contract or letter of employment from a Ukraine based crewing agency OR
• Have a valid Crew Member Certificate issued by the Ukraine Civil Avaiation Authority and a letter from the employing airline to verify employment.

The applicant must have either a current crew member visa (C1/D or D) or must have a crew member visa that expired AT MOST 12 months previous. Due to the nature of crew visas, the applicant need not have the actual visa or the passport in which it was issued.

Sailors will be required to leave their seaman’s book with the Consular Section. This book will be returned with the passport. Airline crew will be required to leave their Crew Member Certification. This certification will also be returned to the applicant with the passport.

Sailors should also provide a current crew list indicating their current membership in a ship’s crew as well as information on the specific ship they will be sailing on. These documents will not be returned to the applicant. More information concerning visas for sailors can be found on the embassy’s web site.

Airline crew should provide a letter from their employing company indicating their current position and how long they have worked for the current employer. The letter must also include a contact within the company should questions arise.

VISA APPLICATION FORMS

To use the expedited renewal procedures, applicants MUST use the Electronic Visa Application Form (EVAF). The web site indicates 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. [Please note that the web site does indicate technical specifications required to print out a readable bar code. If the bar code does not follow the specifications, then the applicant will not be able to use these procedures.]

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 should refer to kyiv.usembassy.gov web page to obtain appropriate translation so that he can answer the questions properly.

In addition to providing the EVAF form, applicants must provide a picture that conforms to current requirements (Photographs must be unmounted, full faced and taken within the past six months. 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. The photograph should measure 50 mm square 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 25 mm and 35 mm with the eye level between 28 mm and 35 mm from the bottom of the photograph. Photographs must be in color and must be taken against a white or off-white background).

HOW TO APPLY USING THE EXPEDITED RENEWAL (ER) PROCEDURES

Qualified applicants must show up personally at the consular section on Wednesday between 2:00 pm and 4:00 pm. After submitting their documents and ProCredit Bank Smart Card and receipt for their $100 application fee, applicants will wait a short time to have scans of their fingerprints taken. Finally, applicants will make arrangements for delivery of their passport with the courier service used by the Consular Section.

Below is a helpful checklist for applicants wishing to use the expedited visa renewal procedures.

Please note that use of these new expedited reweal procedures is NOT mandatory

DROP-BOX PROCEDURES CHECKLIST

For Sailors:

• Valid international passport
• Valid seaman’s book
• Copy of old seaman’s book only if current seaman’s book is less than one year old (will not be returned).
• Copy of most recent US visa (if such visa is not available in the seaman’s book or the passport)
• Copy of the seaman’s evaluation from the most recent contract
• ProCredit Bank Smart Card and receipt for non-refundable visa application fee (USD 100.00)
• One photograph 50mm x 50mm
• EVAF form (DS-156)
• Completed form DS-157 (for male and female applicants age 16 to 45)
• USD 8.00 for return delivery of the passport by courier
• Original copy of a current crewlist (will not be returned)
• Copy of a valid contract or employment letter (will not be returned)
• Copy of ship’s certification

Note: for seamen sailing extensively and working in the territorial waters of the United States, the U.S. Coast Guard places certain requirements on the issuance of visas. Please contact the Consular Section to discuss these specific requirements.

For Flight Crew:

• Valid international passport
• ProCredit Bank Smart Card and receipt for non-refundable visa application fee (USD 100.00)
• One photograph 50mm x 50mm
• EVAF form (DS-156)
• Completed form DS-157 (for male and femal applicants age 16 to 45)
• USD 8.00 for return delivery of the passport by courier
• Current Crew Member Certificate (will be returned when fingerprints are taken) and a photocopy of the front and back of this certificate
• Original letter from the applicant’s employer indicating dates of employment, crewmember position, and need for travel to the U.S.

NOTE: PLEASE REMEMBER THAT ALL THE REQUIRED DOCUMENTATION SHOULD BE SUBMITTED TO THE CONSULAR SECTION IN A CLOSABLE TRANSPARENT PLASTIC FOLDER (35 x 23 cm).