October 21, 2002

Press Release

Nonimmigrant Visa Application Fee to Increase

Starting November 1, 2002, all U.S. diplomatic missions in the world, including the Embassy of the United States in Tallinn, will raise the application processing fee for a nonimmigrant visa to $100. Currently $65, this non-refundable fee is charged for all nonimmigrant visa and border crossing card applications. This adjustment will bring the fee into line with the actual costs of administering nonimmigrant visa services.

The U.S. State Department has authorization from the U.S. Congress to fund its Border Security Program with user fees. These fees are adjusted periodically to reflect the actual cost of the program. Added security screening and other new procedures have added to the cost of nonimmigrant visa processing. The Machine-Readable Visa (MRV) fee was introduced in 1994 and is the program's primary source of revenue.

The State Department is facing a critical revenue shortfall because the current $65 fee simply does not recover the full cost of service. In consultation with the White House's Office of Management and Budget, the Department determined that the shortfall should be met by an increase in the fee rather than by an appropriation of U.S. tax revenues.

For further information, please see:

http://www.travel.state.gov/visa/visa_1750.html