RIYADH, 16 July 2006 — The US Embassy here introduced a new visa interview payment procedure effective today.

According to the new rule, applicants who have embassy appointments scheduled on Aug. 1 or later, must pay the required SR380 interview fee in advance at any Samba branch in the Kingdom.

The fee can also be paid online at the Samba website. In both cases, the visa applicant will receive a receipt, which must be presented at the embassy on the day of the interview.

Due to the current high volume of visa appointment requests to the embassy, those planning travel to the US have been advised to begin the visa application process well in advance of their desired departure date preferably four months before their date of departure.

In a statement issued yesterday, the US Embassy in Riyadh said the new service is designed to shorten the waiting time inside the embassy reception and to allow the applicants to pay the fee at their convenience in advance of their interview day.

It further points out that the mission understands the time involved in the visa process. “This new service is part of our continuing effort to help make the process smoother and quicker,” the embassy statement said.

Under the new service, there will be no refunds once payment is made to the bank. The United States Congress requires US embassies and consulates to collect a $100 machine readable visa (MRV) application fee for each application processed. These fees are earmarked to pay for security improvements in the US visa and entry control system.

The only applicants exempt from this fee are those who are applying for A (diplomatic), G (international organization), C-3 (diplomatic/official transit) and J-1 (exchange visitor program) visas for those participating in certain programs funded by the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs of the State Department or the US Agency for International Development.

In June, the mission introduced a 24-hour, online visa information and appointment service for a fee of $12 (SR45), charged to an international Visa or MasterCard.

The service provides the applicants to access accurate, up-to-the-minute information about US visa matters and schedule appointments for the required in-person non-immigrant visa interviews. Up to five family members living in the same household can be scheduled at the same time.