Applying for a visa by mail

Who is eligible?

• Children under the age of 14;
• Adults aged 80 and over who are
• a U.K. or E.U. passport holder, or have been granted indefinite leave to remain in the United Kingdom from the U.K. government;
• and are not ineligible to receive a visa;
• have not been refused a visa under Section 214(b), or if refused, the refusal has been overcome;
• have not been denied entry into or removed from the United States.

Note:Applicants aged 14 and over who were born in or hold a passport from North Korea, Cuba, Syria, Sudan, Iran or Libya are required to schedule an appointment for an interview.

Applicants must be physically present in the United Kingdom to apply for a visa by mail. A consular officers reserves the right to request that a visa applicant appear in person for an interview after reviewing his or her visa application.

How to apply

Applicants eligible to apply for a visa by mail or those who have been notified that they are required to submit additional documents in order for the application to be processed are required to use the services of the Embassy's appointed courier service, Secure Mail Services (SMS), for the delivery of their documents to and from the Embassy. You may call SMS on 08709 501760 or visit their website at www.securemail.co.uk to arrange a delivery.

Before calling SMS, you should ensure that you are in possession of all of the documents and forms required to apply for the visa. Please refer to the individual visa category for further information. Note: For mail applicants only, payment of the MRV application fee is by credit card - Visa, MasterCard, American Express, Diners or Discover. Please download the credit card payment form and enclose with your application [PDF, 1 page].

Can I apply for a visa through a scheduled interview, even though I am eligible to apply by mail?

Yes, if you wish to appear to schedule an appointment for an interview you may do so. An appointment for an interview may only be scheduled by calling the Operator Assisted Visa Information Service.

How long will my application take to process?

Routine visa applications take at least 15 to 20 workdays to process. On completion of processing, the passport will be handed to the courier service for delivery. The courier service offers next workday delivery for most of the United Kingdom. Further information is available from the courier service on 08709 501760. You must be sure to add to the processing time, the time it will take for the passport to be returned to you. Once the application has been submitted it will not be possible to expedite processing.

Applicants who tick yes to question 38 on the visa application form DS-156 should be aware that it is difficult to predict how long the application will take to process, but can expect to wait a minimum of eight weeks before being advised of the outcome of their application. Applicants who are advised at the time of the visa interview that their application will require additional administrative processing should allow at least 60 days for this stage of the application to be completed.

Please note that the processing times quoted are approximate and cannot be guaranteed. It is important that you keep this in mind when applying for the visa. I regret that it will not be possible to expedite a case simply because an applicant has not allowed sufficient time for the application to be processed.

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