Visa Services are Limited
The U.S. Consulate General in Amsterdam is providing immigrant visa services (IR-1, IR-2, CR-1, CR-2, IR5, K, family preference, employment, and DV visas) and very limited non-immigrant visa (NIV) services for majority of NIV applicants, including: students, petition-based workers, tourist and business travelers, and crew. We hope to resume all other categories soon, and will update this page when we do.
Wait times for non-immigrant visa appointments will remain significantly longer than usual as we work through our backlogs and prioritize services for U.S. citizens and immigrant visa applicants. We sincerely regret the hardship and inconvenience these wait times may cause. While we deeply regret the frustrations created by this situation, demand for appointments is far outstripping our resources and the Consulate expects to be dealing with backlogs and delays for the foreseeable future. If you do not get an appointment in your desired time frame, check the site frequently. Applicants sometimes cancel their appointments, and we open up additional slots whenever staffing and local conditions permit, so you may be able to change your appointment to an earlier time.
How to make a visa appointment and request an expedite appointment
Please use our online appointment system to make or reschedule a non-immigrant visa appointment. If you have an urgent life or death emergency, or work/study in a critical medical field, and need to travel immediately, please follow the guidance provided at https://ais.usvisa-info.com/en-nl/niv/information/faqs#visa-appt, and include in your expedite request detailed information on the nature of the emergency and dates of travel. Supporting documentation can also be sent to amsterdamcovid19@state.gov. Routine travel requests, for example, to resume or begin work in the United States will not be considered for expedite. We are also currently unable to consider emergency appointment requests for applicants not currently in the Netherlands.For applicants currently in the United States: please be aware the conditions under which persons may travel from Schengen countries to the United States have changed suddenly and unpredictably and may do so again. Travelers should only depart the United States with the understanding that they may not be allowed to return. If you depart the United States, we cannot guarantee we will be able to interview you according to your desired timeline. You may be able to extend or change your status while in the United States. You can find more information on how to do so here: https://www.uscis.gov/i-539.
Immigrant visas to the United States are processed for citizens and residents of the Netherlands at the U.S. Consulate General in Amsterdam.
To apply for an immigrant visa, a foreign citizen seeking to immigrate generally must be sponsored by a U.S. citizen or lawful permanent resident immediate relative(s), or prospective U.S. employer, and have an approved petition before applying for an immigrant visa. The sponsor begins the process by filing a petition on the foreign citizen’s behalf with U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS). You may wish to review our Directory of Visa Categories on usvisas.state.gov to learn about the different types of immigrant visas to the United States, including our Diversity Visa Program. Then, follow the steps on the Immigrant Visa Process, or on the Diversity Visa Process, on usvisas.state.gov to begin applying for an immigrant visa.
Once USCIS has approved your petition and you have completed pre-processing with the National Visa Center (NVC), or if you have been selected in the Diversity Visa Lottery and completed processing with the Kentucky Consular Center (KCC), review the instructions given to you by the NVC or the KCC, along with the information presented on this website, for further guidance and instructions.
