Overview
The U.S. Immigration and Nationality Act (INA) provides several categories of nonimmigrant visas for those who want to visit or work temporarily in the United States.
You can find out more about each type of non-immigrant visa or by clicking on Directory of Visa Categories.
Tourism & Visit Visa Type
Generally, a citizen of a foreign country who wishes to enter the United States must first obtain a visa, either a nonimmigrant visa for temporary stay, or an immigrant visa for permanent residence. Visitor visas are nonimmigrant visas for persons who want to enter the United States temporarily for business (visa category B-1), tourism, pleasure or visiting (visa category B-2), or a combination of both purposes (B-1/B-2).
Here are some examples of activities permitted with a visitor visa:
- tourism
- visit with friends or relatives
- business meetings that do not involve directly earning income in the United States
- medical treatment
- participation in social events hosted by fraternal, social, or service organizations
- participation by amateurs in musical, sports, or similar events or contests, if not being paid for participating
- enrollment in a short recreational course of study, not for credit toward a degree (for example, a two-day cooking class while on vacation)
Visa Waiver Program
You may use VWP if you meet the following criteria:
- Plan to travel to the U.S. for 90 days or less;
- Starting January 12, 2009, have an approved Electronic Travel Authorization (ESTA). ESTA is an automated system that determines the eligibility of visitors to travel to the United States under the Visa Waiver Program (VWP); note that multiple ESTA applications can be submitted at the same time for persons traveling in groups.
- Are traveling for tourism or business;
- Carry a machine-readable passport;
- Have a return ticket or onward ticket to most a non U.S. destinations;
See Frequently Asked questions about Visa-Waiver travel.
You will need a visa, and may not use VWP, if you any of these criteria apply to you:
- Want to remain in the United States for longer than 90 days;
- Intend to travel by private/charter aircraft or sea carriers;
- Want to work or study in the United States, including working as a foreign journalist. This includes attending secondary or tertiary school, and paid or unpaid employment (including au-pairs, interns, working journalists, and government representatives on official business.) For more on the appropriate visa classifications for these activities, please see travel.state.gov;
- Have been deported or refused admission to the U.S. before, or failed to comply with a previous VWP admission or visa. This includes overstaying a previous admission by even one day.
- Have a criminal record
Travelers With Criminal Records
- Convictions for certain crimes may make you ineligible to travel to the U.S. The only way to know for sure if your criminal record makes you ineligible is to apply for a visa. Only a consular officer can determine your visa eligibility.
- You need to bring a copy of your Criminal History Report with you to the visa interview.
- Even if your conviction makes you ineligible to travel to the U.S., you may be able to obtain a temporary waiver of this ineligibility. You should discuss this with the consular officer at the time of the interview. Waiver processing can take 6 – 8 months, so if you think you may require a waiver, please apply early. We always recommend you do not make any financial commitments for travel until you have received a visa.
- A special note about applicants with drunk driving convictions: Applicants with a single DIC/DUI conviction is NOT grounds to deny entry into the U.S; however, multiple DIC/DUI convictions or a DIC/DUI conviction in combination with other misdemeanor offenses can make a person inadmissible and require a waiver prior to entering the United States.
- If you have had any minor traffic offenses which did not result in an arrest or conviction, you may use the VWP, provided you are otherwise qualified. If the traffic offense occurred while you were in the United States, and you have an outstanding fine against you or you did not attend your court hearing, it is possible there may be a warrant out for your arrest. You should resolve these issues before traveling by contacting the court where you were to appear. If you do not know the address of the court, information is available on the U.S. Courts website.
How to Apply
Step 1. Check the Validity of Your Passport
Your passport must be valid for at least six months beyond your period of stay in the United States, unless exempt by country-specific agreements. If more than one person is included in your passport, each person who needs a visa must submit a separate application.
Step 2. Complete the Online Nonimmigrant Visa Application, Form DS-160
- Completed Online Nonimmigrant Visa Application, Form DS-160
Please note that you must answer EVERY question on the application forms. If the answer to a question is “none,” please write “none”(Do not leave it blank). Incomplete/incorrect forms will be returned and will require you to schedule a new interview appointment.
Important! Many of our visa applicants are completing the DS-160 incorrectly, causing us to postpone their planned visa interview dates.
Step 3. Prepare Documents for your Interview
Required:
- Proof of Slovenian citizenship or residency in Slovenia, if applicable
- Passport
- Form DS-160 confirmation page
- passport photo – 2”×2” (5×5 cm) against a white background and without glasses, not older than 6 months. There are several photo studios close to the Embassythat are familiar with our passport photo requirements.
- stamped, self-addressed A5 padded envelope, with €2.66 in Slovene postage stamps (two “c” class stamps) that we will use to return your passport via registered mail. If you do not have a residence in Slovenia we can mail it to your nearest Slovenian post office, but we cannot mail it outside of Slovenia.
- Cash (euro or dollar) for the Application Fee. If you are not a Slovenian national, you may need to pay a separate issuance (reciprocity) fee, using either cash or a credit card. For these issuance fees, see Reciprocity Schedule by Country.)
Additional documents may be requested to establish if you are qualified. For example, additional requested documents may include evidence of:
- The purpose of your trip;
- Your intent to depart the United States after your trip; and/or
- Your ability to pay all costs of the trip.
Note: Visa applicants must qualify on the basis of the applicant’s residence and ties abroad, rather than assurances from U.S. family and friends. A letter of invitation or Affidavit of Support is not needed to apply for a nonimmigrant tourist visa.
Step 4. Schedule an Interview Appointment
You can make an appointment online with us. Bring the confirmation page to your appointment. If you have urgent travel (e.g. study or business, but not tourism) and you need to travel to the U.S. before the next available appointment slot, contact us via email at LjubljanaVisa@state.gov.
If a member of your family is under the age of 14 or over age 80, that family member does not need to appear in person at the Embassy. You can simply drop off that person’s application at the time of your own visa appointment.
Step 5. Interview at the Embassy
Bring the documents and cash stated in Step 3.
On the day of your appointment, come to the Embassy chancery at:
Prešernova 31, Ljubljana
The U.S. Embassy does not provide parking but there is paid street parking in the neighborhood. Public bus stops are also close by. Arrive a few minutes prior to your scheduled appointment to allow time for security screening. Cell phones may be stored at the gatehouse during your interview but other electronics, along with large bags, are prohibited. Only the applicant is permitted entry; contact the Embassy if you require special assistance or an interpreter if you do not speak English, Slovene or Serbo-Croatian.
When you are inside the Consular waiting room you will pay the required fees, and provide digital (ink-free) fingerprints. During your visa interview, a consular officer will determine whether you are qualified to receive a visa, and if so, which visa category is appropriate based on your purpose of travel. You will need to establish that you meet the requirements under U.S. law to receive the category of visa for which you are applying. The consular officer will let you know at the end of your interview if your visa is approved. For approved visas, the passport will be returned via mail in the envelope you provided.
Case Status
You can check the status of your visa application on ceac.state.gov.
Some visa applications require further administrative processing, which takes additional time after the visa applicant’s interview by a consular officer. Applicants are advised of this requirement when they apply. Most administrative processing is resolved within 60 days of the visa interview. When administrative processing is required, the timing will vary based on the individual circumstances of each case.
If your visa has been denied, you may find useful information on Ineligibilities and Waivers on https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/us-visas.html.
After the Interview
Entering the United States
A visa allows a foreign citizen to travel to a U.S. port-of-entry (generally an airport) and request permission to enter the United States. A visa does not guarantee entry into the United States. The Department of Homeland Security (DHS), U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officials at the port-of-entry have authority to permit or deny admission to the United States. If you are allowed to enter the United States, the CBP official will provide an admission stamp or a paper Form I-94, Arrival/Departure Record. Learn more about admissions and entry requirements, restrictions about bringing food, agricultural products, and other restricted/prohibited goods, and more by reviewing the CBP website.
Extending Your Stay
See Extend Your Stay on the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) website to learn about requesting to extend your stay beyond the date indicated on your admission stamp or paper Form I-94.
You must depart the United States on or before the date indicated on your admission stamp or paper Form I-94, unless your request to extend your stay is approved by USCIS. Failure to depart the United States on time may also result in you being ineligible for visas you may apply for in the future. Review Visa Denials and Ineligibilities and Waivers: Laws to learn more.
Change of Status
While in the United States, you may be able to request that U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) change your nonimmigrant status to another nonimmigrant category. See Change My Nonimmigrant Status on the USCIS website to learn more.
Requesting a change of status from USCIS while you are in the United States and before your authorized stay expires does not require that you apply for a new visa. However, if you cannot remain in the United States while USCIS processes your change of status request, you must apply for a visa at a U.S. Embassy or Consulate.
Additional Information
Visitors are not permitted to accept employment or work in the United States.
We cannot guarantee that you will be issued a visa. Do not make final travel plans or buy tickets until you have a visa.
Unless canceled or revoked, a visa is valid until its expiration date. Therefore, a valid U.S. visa in an expired passport is still valid. If you have a valid visa in your expired passport, do not remove it from your expired passport. You may use your valid visa in your expired passport along with a new valid passport for travel and admission to the United States.