B1/B2 US Visa

TIP

This is a guide for getting US Visa if you need one. I got a B1/B2 three-year valid visa in Brussels for a conference. I share it here since many folks asked me about this in private messages.

You can fill the form DS-160 and apply in any location you like, but the location cannot be changed after you filled that form. Basically, there are three main steps:

• You fill the form that mentions the location
• You pay for the visa on the website of the chosen location and sign up for the appointment
• You attend the interview, get the result

Wait times

U.S. VISA SERVICES IN NL

Steps

1. Decide on the dates of the trip and request an invitation from the Conference/Exhibition you are going to.
2. Consult with the guide on the requirements in your location.
3. Fill in the online form DS-160 indicating B1/B2 visa type and the location you apply for.
4. Select the location, sign up and pay for the appointment
5. Prepare for the interview and collect all the required documents.
6. Attend the interview.
7. In the case of positive decision, track your passport and within 2–3 work days pick it up or have it delivered to your address.

Required docs

• Photograph as per U.S. visa specifications
• Your DS-160 confirmation page.
• Your appointment confirmation page.
• Employment confirmation with your name, position, duration of employment, monthly income, confirmation that the trip is sponsored by the employer.
• A passport valid for travel to the United States with validity dates at least six months beyond your intended period of stay in the United States. A copy of your passport information page and pages with other stamps just in case.
• Old travel passports if available
• Invitation from the Conference/Event
• Evidence of economic and social/family roots:
  • Copy of the Employment Contract
  • Tax certificate
  • Bank statements from the last three months
  • Payslips for the last three months.
• Copy of the lease agreement / Property ownership documents
• Marriage certificate and birth certificates of children if applicable
• Current CV in English

🇧🇪 How it went in Brussels in my case

I quickly got my first 3-year B1/B2 US Visa; I live in Amsterdam but applied in Brussels – there were more available earlier appointments.

About changing the location after filling out the first DS-160 form At first, I tried to fill out the form for Amsterdam but could not get a quick appointment before May – I’m supposed to be in the conference booth staff, so it’s better to know earlier: decided to change the location and filled out a new DS-160 form that saved most of my data from the old form, but with a new location, it worked OK. I paid the fee and got the appointment.

The process

1. Filled out DS-160 for Brussels, prepared all the documents as it was stated in the provided travel guide by the coordinator
2. Signed up for an interview in Brussels. There were many people and queues at each window: got there at 9:30 and exited the building at 10:45; but the interview itself went fast and easy; five minutes and “your visa is approved.”
   • was asked where I work/live
   • the interviewer asked no additional docs except the conference invitation letter and my passport.
3. The visa was ready the day after the interview.

What I didn’t like: the location to get the passport

• The location is far from the city center and has a lunch break (remember to look at the working hours); I would suggest delivery to any address in BE if you have such an address (it’s not possible to deliver outside the country)
• You can’t get there by public transport properly from the city center; I got there today from Amsterdam by changing IC trains in Mechelen without going to Brussels at all.