Apply for USA Visa – Planning on a trip to the USA anytime soon? The United States of America is a popular tourist destination with many interesting cities to visit. From West to East, you can experience different things, see wonderful places, and eat good foods.
Although lots of people want to visit this country, the USA has strict rules applied to everyone who wants to enter the country and, for Indonesians, we must apply for a visa.
To make sure you don’t waste your money and time, we’ll tell you how to apply for a USA visa step by step. It’s easier than you think!
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Knowing Different Types of Visa
First of all, you must know what type of visa you’re applying for, is it a tourist visa, a business visa, or a student visa? Briefly, a tourist visa is a type of visa needed if you want to travel to the USA for a certain period of time. You may need this type of visa for vacation or visiting relatives, for instance.
Moreover, there are also student visas that people make to continue their studies in the United States of America. For a business visa, usually, employers will help their employees to arrange the visa that they need to travel and do business trips in the USA. In this article, we’ll mainly talk about how to get a tourist visa.
Documents Required to Apply for a USA Visa
Similar to applying for a visa to other countries, you’ll be required to prepare some documents. These documents are grouped into mandatory files and supporting files.
1. Mandatory Files
Some mandatory documents you must have to apply for a USA visa are as follow:
- Forms
You must bring the DS 160 form or the non-immigrant electronic visa application form. The form can be obtained online from the official website of the United States embassy. Fill the form at https://id.usembassy.gov/id/
- A passport that’s valid for more than 6 months
In order to travel to the USA, you are required to have a passport with more than 6 months validity period, or else your application would be denied.
- Color photograph
The United States embassy will also ask for your 2 recent color photo sizes 5 x 5 cm with a white background. Your photo must be of good print quality with a clear appearance (ear must be visible).
2. Supporting Files
The four files above are mandatory requirements that must be submitted by visa applicants. Now, there are also other supporting files needed. Here are all of them:
- Financial Proof
You need to submit financial proof of the last 3 months using a photocopy of the bank statement or saving books.
- Photocopy of Family Card
- Travel itinerary
Steps to Get the USA Visa
After all the mandatory and supporting documents have been prepared, the visa applicant is required to go through several stages of processing. For more details, see the following steps.
1. Pay the Visa Fee
The first step in applying for a United States visa is to pay the visa fee. The nonimmigrant visa type costs $160*
2. Fill Out the Form
After paying the visa fee, the applicant can fill out the visa application form, DS 160 on the official website of the United States Embassy. Make sure to fill in all the requested information correctly because the filling process cannot be repeated.
3. Create an Account
After that, the applicant is required to create a profile or account on the visa application site. By having a visa application account, applicants can make an interview schedule. Make sure to be able to set aside time for the interview.
4. Go On with the Interview
The interview will usually be in the Embassy of the United States of America or the Consulate General. During the interview, the interviewer may ask in detail about where you are going to stay, the purpose of your trip, and whether you have any relatives in the country.
The interview is the last step in applying for a USA visa. Then, if your visa request is approved, your visa will be delivered to the address of your interview.
Additional Requirements to Enter the USA
Due to the COVID-19 restrictions, aside from a visa, you may have to prepare additional documents in order to enter the USA.
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Travelers must be fully vaccinated at least 15 days before departure. The vaccines approved by the USA are AstraZeneca, Covaxin, Covishield, Covovax, Janssen, Moderna [Spikevax], Nuvaxovid [Novavax], Pfizer-BioNTech [Comirnaty], Sinopharm [BIBP], Sinovac.
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If a passenger is not fully vaccinated but is permitted to travel to the United States, the passenger may be required to undergo:
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Test for COVID-19 on the 3rd and 5th day after arrival, unless having documentation of having recovered from COVID-19 in the last 90 days.
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Self-quarantine for 7 days at home or in a hotel room, unless you have documentation of having recovered from COVID-19 in the last 90 days.
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Isolate if you test positive or have symptoms of COVID-19.
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If you intend to stay in the United States for 60 days or more, passengers must receive a complete COVID-19 vaccination within 60 days of arriving in the United States, unless they have a medical contraindication or are too young to be vaccinated.
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- Travelers who entering or transiting through the US must have a negative COVID-19 test taken at least 1×24 hours before departure from the first point of embarkation. Accepted tests are: antigen, NAAT, RT-LAMP, RT-PCR or TMA.
To read more detailed information, you can check it on tiketsafe!
Now, You’re All Set!
The duration of the visa process varies. Usually, it takes more than 3-4 weeks. So, be sure to prepare ahead of time before you go to the United States. You don’t want to waste your time and money, right?
If you plan to visit the United States, you can easily book your flight tickets at tiket.com. You can also search for accommodations in any city through our website. Take care and have a safe trip!
Mask on, tiket on!