JEDDAH, 23 December 2004 — In the aftermath of the bloody Dec. 6 terrorist attack on the United States Consulate here, in which nine people were killed, students and others in the Western Region wishing to travel to the US have to now apply for visas and appear for an interview at the US Embassy in Riyadh.

“The consulate remains closed to the public for the time being. No date has yet been set for its reopening,” said embassy spokeswoman Carol Kalin yesterday in a phone interview from Riyadh.

In addition, all US citizens in the Western Region seeking consular services, such as passport renewals, power of attorney documents and attestations, will also have to go to Riyadh.

She said the United States mission in the Kingdom is doing its best to schedule student visa interviews and educational advising consultations in Riyadh within a week of any student’s request. The waiting time for all other visa appointments at the embassy is currently two to three weeks.

Kalin explained that this is the time of the year when many students are returning to Saudi Arabia to visit their families during the semester break, while others are getting ready to apply to US colleges and universities.

All visa applications submitted in Riyadh must be completed in the Saudi capital, even after the consulate in Jeddah reopens to the public. In addition to appearing personally for an interview, Western Region residents who choose to apply for a visa at the embassy under these temporary arrangements, will need to return to Riyadh to pick up their passports when processing is complete.

More information about student and other visas are available on the embassy and consulate websites, via e-mail or by telephone.

The visa interview appointment desk of the embassy accepts telephone calls from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. and 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. The embassy website is http://riyadh.usembassy.gov/.

Kalin said Americans resident in the Western Region who urgently need passport services may apply for these in Riyadh, but only the limited-validity, emergency passport can be issued.

This passport is available on a same-day basis, and is a 24-page, machine-readable document, valid for one year. The fee for this emergency passport is the same as for a regular passport.

The regular, 10-year validity passport will only be available to Western Region residents once the consulate reopens, clarified Kalin.