Announcement

On February 1, 1998 the fees charged for certain consular services by the American Embassy will change. The cost of obtaining a new U.S. Passport will decrease. The cost of applying for a visa, notarizing a document or obtaining many other services will increase. The new fees will take effect at American Embassies and Consulates worldwide.

The new Machine Readable Visa Processing Surcharge, paid by applicants for visas, will be $45.00. The fee for filing an Immigrant visa petition will increase to $80.00

The fee for renewing a U.S. Passport will decrease to $40.00. The total cost of obtaining a first time passport or a replacement for a lost or stolen passport will be $60.00.

The Department of State is required by law to recover the full cost of providing non-emergency consular services to the public through user fees to the maximum extent possible. Recently the State Department completed a detailed analysis of the cost of providing these services. The new fees have been based on information developed in that study and more accurately reflect the true costs of providing these services.

The following are the new fees for the most commonly used services:

U.S. Passport Execution fee $15.00

1st Time U.S. Passport Issuance (adults) $45.00

U.S. Passport Renewal (adults) $40.00

U.S. Passport (child) $25.00

Machine Readable Visa Surcharge $45.00

Notarizing a document $55.00

Filing an Immigrant Visa Petition $80.00

Consular Report of Birth Abroad of a U.S. Citizen $40.00

For more information please contact Consular Section of the American Embassy at 668 8100.