Non-immigrant Visas

Frequently Asked Questions

General visa questions:

A) Do I need a new visa if I my Hungarian passport is about to expire?

B) Can I apply for a visa in Hungary if I do not reside in Hungary?

C) Do I need a new visa if my name has changed?

D) How do I get a new visa if my passport was lost or stolen?

E) Am I required to provide a letter of invitation from someone in the United States?

F) How will I get my passport back from the embassy if my visa is approved?

G) How long does it take to receive my visa from the embassy after the interview?

Questions about visa refusals:

H) Why was my visa refused?

I) Why wasn’t I given more time to explain my circumstances?

J) Why didn’t the consular officer look at my documents?

K) Can I get a refund of my application fee?

L) Why wasn’t I told when I called that I would not get a visa?

M) How can I re-apply for a visa?

N) If the consular officer refuses my visa, how will this affect my future chances of getting a visa?

A) Do I need a new visa if I my Hungarian passport is about to expire?

No. As long as your visa is still valid, you can enter the United States by presenting both your current passport and your expired passport containing the valid visa.

B) Can I apply for a visa in Hungary if I do not reside in Hungary?

Yes. The Consular Section will accept your visa application even if you do not reside in Hungary. However, because consular officers must assess your ties to your country of residence, it may be more difficult for you to demonstrate these ties if you do not maintain a residence in Hungary.

C) Do I need a new visa if my name has changed?

We recommend that you get a new visa with your correct name to facilitate your travel to the United States.

D) How do I get a new visa if my passport was lost or stolen?

If you believe your passport and visa were lost or stolen you must re-apply for a new visa. If your passport was stolen, we request that you file a police report and bring a copy of the report with you to your visa interview.

E) Am I required to provide a letter of invitation from someone in the United States?

While there is no requirement to submit any specific piece of supporting documentation, you are welcome to submit a letter of invitation if you believe this will help clarify the purpose of your travel to the consular officer. Please note that it is NOT necessary to have the invitation letter notarized.

F) How will I get my passport back from the embassy if my visa is approved?

If your visa is approved, we will deliver your passport and visa via a pre-arranged courier service. At the time the passports are delivered, you must pay 1428 HUF to the courier service. You can find out more information about this service on our Courier Service page (pdf).

G) How long does it take to receive my visa from the embassy after the interview?

You should expect to receive your passport and visa within three working days after your visa interview. Please note that due to occasional unexpected delays, the processing time can take longer. We strongly encourage you to plan your visa interview well in advance of your scheduled travel to the United States.

H) Why was my visa refused?

While there are several reasons for a visa application to be refused, most refusals fall under a key provision of U.S. immigration law. The U.S. Immigration and Nationality Act, Section 214 (b), states that "every alien shall be presumed to be an immigrant until s/he establishes to the satisfaction of the consular officer, at the time of application for a visa, and the immigration officers, at the time of application for admission, that s/he is entitled to a non-immigrant status." Thus, applicants for a non-immigrant visa are required to overcome the presumption that they intend to immigrate to the United States. Overcoming this presumption can be done by establishing, to the consular officer's satisfaction, that you have sufficiently strong family, social, or economic ties to Hungary to ensure that your projected stay in the United States will be temporary and that you will not work illegally. If your visa application is refused, the consular officer will give you a letter that specifies the applicable section of the law.

I) Why wasn’t I given more time to explain my circumstances?

The consular officer who refused your visa is well trained. In a very short time, a consular officer will look at several aspects of your case: your situation in Hungary, your stated intent/reason for going to the United States, your previous travel history, work and financial situations, etc. Based upon the unique circumstance of your case, the consular officer asked you questions s/he deemed necessary. The consular officer weighed your answers to those questions with the specific facts of your case. The high volume of applications we receive demands that the consular officer examine your case only as far as it was necessary for him/her to make a determination whether you overcame the U.S. legal presumption of intending immigration to the United States. Unfortunately, visa applicants' stated intent often conflicts with other facts presented, and it is not possible for consular officers to take all applicants' statements at face value.

J) Why didn’t the consular officer look at my documents?

Applying for a non-immigrant visa is not primarily a documentary process. Consular officers will look at documents in conjunction with what is said at the visa interview. Documents alone never will establish applicants' intentions. Documents which demonstrate that applicants are well established in their own country can, in some circumstances, help individuals to establish that their intent is to return to their own country after a short visit to the United States. Depending on the specifics of your case, the consular officer may or may not have needed to examine your documents closely to make a decision about your intent. If the consular officer made a decision in your case without a detailed scrutiny of your documents, it was because other circumstances of your case were clear. If your visa was refused, it is highly unlikely that any document you could provide would have significantly altered the consular officer's decision about your intent.

K) Can I get a refund of my application fee?

The U.S.$ 131 that you paid is an application fee. Everyone who applies for a U.S. non-immigrant visa is subject to this fee. This fee is non-refundable and will not be returned if you fail to establish that you qualify for a U.S. visa. This office has no authority to refund an application fee. If you plan to reapply for a visa here or elsewhere, you will be required to pay a U.S. $ 131 application fee every time you apply.

L) Why wasn’t I told when I called that I would not get a visa?

Every application for a visa is based on its own merits. By telephone, it is only possible to give general information regarding the visa application process and suggest the types of documents that might help you to demonstrate your eligibility for a U.S. non-immigrant visa. We can't pre-adjudicate visa cases by telephone, because it is impossible to obtain by phone all relevant facts. The visa application instructions clearly state that there is no guarantee that you will receive a U.S. non-immigrant visa if you choose to apply.

M) How can I re-apply for a visa?

Please visit our Re-apply for a Visa page.

N) If the consular officer refuses my visa, how will this affect my future chances of getting a visa?

Consular officers determine an applicant’s eligibility for a visa at the time of the interview using all information available to him or her at that time. This includes any information that may have been documented from previous interviews. A previous refusal alone is not grounds for refusing an applicant during a subsequent interview. However, if an applicant’s situation has not changed since the most recent refusal, the consular officer will likely reach the same conclusion that the applicant is still not eligible for a visa.

Last updated: 03/13/2008