2007 Press Releases

Application Fees for Non-Immigrant Visas to Increase on January 1, 2008

Freetown, December 28, 2007
Contact: PAO Danna Van Brandt
Tel: 076-515-000

The U.S. Embassy in Freetown wishes to inform applicants that, effective January 1, 2008, the application fee for U.S. non-immigrant visas will increase from $100 (Le 300,000) to $131 (Le 393,000). This worldwide increase will permit the U.S. Department of State to recover the costs of security and other enhancements to the non-immigrant visa application process. The application fee can still be paid at the Siaka Stevens branch of Sierra Leone Commercial Bank in Freetown.

Beginning January 1, all visa applicants will be required to pay the new $131 (Le 393,000) application fee. Applicants who paid the $100 (Le 300,000) application fee before the January 1 fee increase may be processed for a visa if they are scheduled and appear for an interview on or before January 31. Applicants who paid the $100 (Le 300,000) fee and are scheduled to appear for a visa interview after January 31 must pay the $31 (Le 93,000) difference at the U.S. Embassy consular section before their interviews.

The U.S. Department of State is required by law to recover the cost of processing non-immigrant visas through the collection of the Machine-Readable Visa (MRV) application fee. Due to new security-related costs, new information technology systems, and inflation, the present $100.00 MRV fee is now lower than the actual cost of processing non-immigrant visas. The U.S. Department of State has been absorbing the additional cost for some time, but is no longer able to do so and, therefore, is forced to institute this fee increase.

The U.S. Embassy in Freetown looks forward to continuing to serve our customers in Sierra Leone and wish everyone a happy and healthy holiday season.