Medical Care Visa

Consular Section of the Embassy of the United States of America

Visitor visa applications are accepted only by appointment made online on the U.S. Embassy’s website: http://kinshasa.usembassy.gov/ and must be scheduled two to four weeks minimum before the projected date of the travel.  Applicants must go to Citigroup (CITIBANK) at the intersection of Avenues Ngongo-Lutete and Colonel Lukusa in Gombe to pay the MRV fees on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays between 8:30 a.m. and 12:00 p.m.  They should bring their receipt showing payment of $160 when they are received on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday mornings at 8:00 a.m. to the Consular Section for the visa interview (you must have an online appointment scheduled).   Note that the $160 fee is not refundable if the visa is denied. If the visa is issued, Congolese citizens will have to pay $150 for one month visa and $250 for a 3-month visa. The reciprocity visa fee schedule will be applied for all nationalities.  You may find the visa reciprocity schedule at Visa Issuance Fee - Reciprocity Tables. The passport will be returned on the day following the visa interview.  Pick up times are from 3:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. on Wednesdays and Thursdays and from 10:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m. on Fridays.  In some cases the clearance may take longer.  Please plan accordingly.

A visitor visa for the United States is neither an entry permit nor an authorization for a temporary stay.  It allows the visa recipient to appear at a port of entry in front of the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) in order to apply for admission into United States territory. The USCIS officials have the authority to authorize admission and determine the length of stay (normally up to 6 months).

The United States Immigration and Naturalization Law states that a consular officer must assume that each visitor visa applicant is an intending immigrant.  It is up to the applicant to overcome this presumption by demonstrating sufficient strong ties to his or her country of residence that will compel him or her to return after a short visit to the United States.

Requirements

1. Residence in Congo: generally speaking, applicants should apply in their country of residence.  Non-residents’ applications will rarely be approved.  Approval is only at the discretion of the consular officer.
2. Applicants from outside this office’s consular district may apply for visas.  However, you should be aware that language difficulties and interviewing officer’s unfamiliarity with local conditions in other countries may make it more difficult to demonstrate your qualifications for a visa here than in your home district or at a post designated for your application.
3. Passport: each traveler should submit his/her own passport.  Children must also submit their own passports, regardless of age.
4. Passport validity: your passport must be valid for at least 6 months longer than the date on which you plan to enter the United States.
5. You must complete the non-immigrant visa application form (DS-160) print out the form and bring the confirmation page on the day of your visa interview.  Applications filled out incompletely will not be accepted.  You must respond to all the questions.  If a question does not apply to you, respond with “does not apply.”
6. Photograph: upload one un-mounted full-face photograph (roughly 2 inches square or 50mm x 50mm) with the head centered in the frame and taken within the past six months.  It may be either in color or black and white and must be taken against a white or off-white background showing the applicant facing the camera directly.  For detailed instructions, please see Photograph Requirements.
7. Local doctor’s letter: a local doctor’s letter describing the applicant’s diagnosis and prognosis which includes a detailed medical report as well as a detailed description of the reasons why the applicant cannot be treated in DRC and indicating any other treatment received outside of the DRC.
8. U.S. doctor’s letter: a U.S. doctor must provide the same information as the local doctor, using the local doctor’s report as the basis for their conclusions.  In addition, the U.S. doctor must include the estimated cost for the proposed medical treatments (including surgical operations and other special treatments).
9.  Justification of sufficient financial resources: the patient should demonstrate that he/she has sufficient means to pay for medical treatments in USA and any follow-up care or medicine (medical insurance in the USA, prepayment of estimated costs of the proposed medical treatments, etc.).
10. The visa interview: you will have a visa interview with a consular officer of the United States of America, during which your application will be examined.
11. Supplementary documents: you should submit documents of your choice justifying affirmations stated in your visa application.  To obtain a visitor visa for medical care, each applicant must demonstrate his/her strong ties to his/her country of residence, which prove his/her intention to leave the United States at the end of his/her visit.  The law places the burden of proof on the applicant.  The submission of documents relating to your visa application does not necessarily guarantee that the visa will be issued to you.  

Request for Expedited Appointments

If spots are not available on the NIV appointment system online, and you have urgent medical reasons for travel, you may send an email at AEKinshasaConsular@state.gov to request an expedited appointment.  You should explain the nature of your emergency. 

If you need additional information to submit your non-immigrant visa application, you may reach the Non-Immigrant Visa Unit of the Consular Section at 081-880-3724 from Monday through Thursday between 2:00 p.m. and 4:00 p.m.