June 18, 08

NEWS / Visas: Important Consulate Announcements: For Residents of Belarus

The Government of Belarus requested on March 31 that the United States again reduce the size of our Embassy in Minsk. We consider these demands by the Belarusian Government to be unwarranted and unjustified. Due to these actions of the Government of Belarus, nonimmigrant visa services at the U.S. Embassy in Minsk have been suspended until further notice. Residents of Belarus who wish to travel to the U.S. may apply for a nonimmigrant visa at the U.S. Consulate in St. Petersburg. If you are interested in scheduling a nonimmigrant visa interview, please e-mail the St. Petersburg Pony Express office at visa@pony-spb.ru and provide Pony Express with your name as it appears in your passport, passport number and contact information. To confirm your appointment, please call the St. Petersburg Pony Express office at +7 (812) 449-7756 within 2 working days.

Please note that applicants applying from Belarus must submit their applications in person at the main Pony Express office in St. Petersburg 2 days prior to their scheduled interview date. Applicants should expect to stay in St. Petersburg for a minimum of 4 days during the application process. For example, an applicant with an interview scheduled on a Thursday would submit an application to Pony Express in person on Tuesday, appear for an interview on Thursday, and possibly receive the visa and passport back on Friday at Pony Express.
http://stpetersburg.usconsulate.gov/visa_section.html