step by step, what is the procedure like and how much does it cost?

The World Travel and Tourism Council (WTTC) this week released its 2024 Economic Impact Trends Report, in which “the United States stands out as the world’s largest travel and tourism market.”

And Argentines who travel abroad know well what it is about: shopping in Miami, the parks of Orlando, the skyscrapers of New York… And those who start with the beaches of the east coast then go to those on the coast West, they travel through Las Vegas, Los Angeles and San Francisco.

Whether for tourism and leisure, for business, for medical treatments or to go to study, Argentines who do not have a European passport have to obtain a “non-immigrant visa” to visit the United States.

The process includes the following steps:

1) Determine what type of visa will be needed to travel. That information is found at: https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/us-visas/visa-information-resources/all-visa-categories.html.

Most travelers need a Visa for business or tourism (B1/B2).

2) Complete the formulario DS-160 of the United States Government’s online visa application in https://ceac.state.gov/CEAC.

In the case of completing the Electronic Nonimmigrant Visa Application, a DS-160 confirmation sheet (bar code) must be printed for each applicant.

The application can be completed directly at https://ceac.state.gov/genniv

3) On the Visa Information Service site: https://ais.usvisa-info.com/es-ar/niv Each person can register by creating a user (with an email and password), choose the visa category that needs to be processed, enter the applicant’s information, enter the DS-160 confirmation number for each of the visa applicants, select a address or a location where you wish to receive the Consular Section documents, pay the visa fee and schedule appointments.

You must have in hand the current passport (and previous ones if you have them) and the barcode of the DS-160 confirmation sheet for each applicant.

When paying the nonimmigrant visa (MRV) application fee(s), one of the payment methods available in the country of residence can be used.

The values ​​depend on the visa category you are applying for:

It costs 185 dollars process the most common visas. They are the following:

• Visitor (category B): for tourism, business or medical treatment.

• Transit in the United States (C).

• Academic (F) or technical (M) student.

In turn, It costs $205 to process work visas, like those of:

• Temporary employment or internship (H).

• Employee transferred within your company (L).

• Extraordinary talents (O).

• Athletes, artists or entertainers (P).

• International cultural exchange (Q).

• Religious worker (R).

The value can reach $315 in other less frequent cases, such as those linked to trade and investment agreements.

The applicant can choose between paying the fee with a credit card or cash. In the latter case, the disadvantage is that the operation will take up to three business days to impact the system and allow the appointment to be made.

After paying, you must make an appointment at the Consular Section to attend on the indicated day.

• For renewal, the appointment is at Applicant Service Center (CAS)which remains in Córdoba 5160 between Thames and Uriarte (previously it operated at Av. Santa Fe 4569). You must bring everything indicated when agreeing to the interview.

• If it is the first time that a visa is requested, In addition to going to the CAS, an appointment will be made at the United States Embassy (Of. Colombia 4300). Attention: You cannot enter by phone.

Important clarification: Most tourists who want to renew their visa do not have to go to the Embassy to meet with a consular officer. They simply leave the form and passport at the CAS and in a few days it is returned to them with the visa.

Children under 14 years of age or those over 80 years of age should not go to the Embassy either.

The delay for visa renewal is approximately 10 days.

On the other hand, when you get the visa for the first time the delay is longer and you can check it online.

If the visa is approved, within the next 5 to 7 business days, you will receive an email with the notification to determine when the passport with the visa will be collected from the CAS or another option that has been established.

If the visa is not approved, the fee paid by the applicant is non-refundable and non-transferable.

For more information: https://ais.usvisa-info.com/es-ar/niv/information/niv#how_to_renew_visa