2007 press releases

Change of U.S. Visa Application Fee

Prague, December 13, 2007

Effective January 1, 2008, the worldwide application fee for a U.S. nonimmigrant visa will increase from $100 to $131.

At the current Embassy exchange rate of 18 CZK to one U.S. dollar, the visa application fee for those paying in Czech crowns will be 2358 CZK.  

The last increase in processing fees dates back to 2002. Since that time, there have been many security enhancements and service improvement to the visa process which have added to the cost of ensuring the safety of the over 50 million travelers to the United States.

The U.S. Embassy, in close cooperation with the Czech government, is working hard to include the Czech Republic into the Visa Waiver Program (VWP).  In September, senior Homeland Security officials came out to discuss the new law with Czech counterparts.  Many of the new conditions have been fulfilled by the Czech Republic.  Most importantly, at 6.7 percent the Czech Republic is well under the 10 percent refusal rate required by the law.  The U.S. Department of Homeland Security has several new systems it must also put in place in order to implement the new law, and we know it is working very hard to do so as quickly as possible.

Even as we work towards the Czech Republic’s inclusion in the Visa Waiver Program, the Embassy is constantly striving to improve visa services to the public.  In the last year alone we have added an online appointment system, made an electronic visa application form available, modernized the waiting area and during the next year we hope to go to a completely paperless application system. Most Czechs receive a nonimmigrant visa valid for ten years.

Information for Visa Applicants

Applicants who pay the visa application fee after December 31, 2007 must pay $131.

Those applicants who paid the prior $100 application fee before January 1, 2008 will be processed without further payment only if they appear for a visa interview before January 31, 2008.

Applicants who paid the prior $100 application fee and appear for visa interviews after January 31, 2008 must pay the difference ($31) before they will be interviewed.

More detailed information on how to apply for a visa to travel to the United States is available on the official U.S. Embassy Prague website at http://prague.usembassy.gov/general_information.html.