To travel to the United States, Russian citizens must obtain a tourist visa. It costs $ 160 and hasn't changed for many years. Nevertheless, the exchange rate of the dollar against the ruble is constantly changing, so it turns out that a visa for Russian citizens is either becoming more expensive or cheaper.
Consular fee
The consular fee must be paid before you arrive for your interview at the American consulate. This is done after filling out a questionnaire on the website of the US Department of State. Proof of payment of the visa fee must be brought with you to the consulate for your interview. Without this document, you won't even be able to talk to the consul.
The amount of the fee is fixed: it is 160 US dollars. You can pay for it in two ways: at the Russian Post offices or with a VISA and MasterCard bank card. Payment is made in Russian rubles at the exchange rate in effect on the day of the transaction.
To pay the fee using a bank card, you need to go to the website of the Russian Standard Bank. As soon as the payment is completed, a receipt will be sent to your email, which will contain an identification code. Recording for an interview with the consul is made using this code.
You can pay the fee at the Russian Post office as follows. The information resource of the US diplomatic mission in Russia has a section with documents. There you need to find a receipt for paying the visa fee, print it out and pay like a regular payment at any branch of the Russian Post.
In the recent past, the fee could be paid at VTB24 Bank, but currently the US Consulate no longer uses the services of this bank, so now it is impossible to pay it at a branch of this bank.
Scheduling an interview after payment of the fee
You cannot schedule an interview immediately after payment of the fee, you need to wait two days for the payment to be credited to the financial service of the US Consulate. After that, you need to go to the site where you filled out the form, and there indicate the identification number of the payment. It consists of the payment date and the receipt number: its first six digits are the day, month and year of payment, the rest of the digits are taken from the payment number. All components of the identification code are entered without spaces and other separating symbols.
Consular fee validity
The consular fee payment is valid for one year. During this period, be sure to show up for an interview or at least make an appointment, otherwise the payment will be canceled. If this happens, the fee must be paid again.
Everyone who applies for a visa to the United States must pay the visa fee in full, including children, even those on the parent's passport.
The paid consular fee cannot be refunded, even if you change your mind. Also, it cannot be transferred to another person to submit his visa application.
