Warden Information

General Information on Visas and Visa Applications

06/07/04

U.S. EMBASSY
FREETOWN, SIERRA LEONE

The Consular Section at this Embassy closed in May 1997 and remains closed; the Section cannot and does not issue any type of visa for travel to the United States.  All Sierra Leonean nationals and citizens of other countries residing in Sierra Leone who wish to visit the United States must therefore apply at another U.S. Embassy or Consulate that issues visas.

NON-IMMIGRANT VISAS

Non-immigrant visas are required for short visits to the U.S. for business or pleasure, including tourist visits and visits to family and friends.  There are other categories of non-immigrant visas that allow legal employment or study for a specific period of time: these visas have special documentary and other requirements.  You must generally apply for a non-immigrant visa in person before a consular officer.  The consul will approve or deny your visa application after determining whether or not you meet all of the qualifications for the visa category appropriate for the purpose of your visit.  The consul’s decision will be based on all the information available, including information obtained from your visa application form and from the consul’s interview with you.

It is always best to apply for visas in the country of your citizenship, where the consular officer will be familiar with local social and economic conditions.  At present, that is not possible for Sierra Leonean citizens.  You must therefore apply for your non-immigrant visa at another U.S. Embassy or Consulate.  While you may apply at any such Embassy or Consulate, it is usually best to apply in a neighboring country where the consul may have some familiarity with conditions in Sierra Leone. The U.S. State Department has designated the U.S Embassy in Conakry as the non-immigrant visa processing for residents of Sierra Leone.   Wherever the application is made, however, you must be able to demonstrate that you can finance your projected trip and, most importantly, that you will leave the United States after a short visit.  If there is any doubt on this latter point, the consul can deny your visa application.  Each visa decision is made individually, based on the information available to the consul at the time of the application.

All applicants must pay a $100 application fee (either in U.S. dollars or in the currency of the country where the application is made); this fee is non-refundable and is retained even if the visa application is denied.  For Sierra Leoneans, there is no additional fee for the visa itself, should the consul approve the application.  (If you are a national of another country, there may be a separate additional charge for the visa itself.)  We advise every applicant to apply early.  No one - including those who have had previous visas - should assume that a visa would be issued.  We further advise against making travel arrangements - including the purchase of tickets - until the visa is in hand.  Possession of a travel ticket does not guarantee visa issuance; neither does possession of an invitation from a private individual, information about a particular meeting, or other evidence of your need or desire to visit the United States.

SPECIFIC NON-IMMIGRANT VISA ISSUES

APPLYING IN CONAKRY

Most Sierra Leonean applicants for non-immigrant visas apply at the U.S. Embassy in Conakry, which the U.S State Department has designated as the non-immigrant visa processing post for residents of Sierra Leone.  The American Embassy in Conakry has an appointment system for non-immigrant visa interviews.  The appointment system is designed to make the visa interview process more effective, efficient, and customer-oriented.  Applicants will have the assurance of a set interview day. The Embassy conducts interviews on Mondays, Wednesdays and Thursdays.

To request an appointment for interview at the American Embassy in Conakry, you may telephone: 224-41-15-20 ext. 4167   (from 07:30 - 16:30 Monday - Thursday, and 07:30 - 13:30 Friday), fax: 224-41-15-22 or e-mail:  (consularconakr@state.gov). The email is the most effective method of communication.  You must provide name, date of birth and passport number for each person planning to travel, including children.  Nobody will be interviewed without an appointment.      

Applicants need to be at the Embassy at 7:00 a.m. on the interview date with all relevant documents.  If the applicant misses a scheduled appointment, he/she must start the process all over again.  Applicants are advised to make an appointment well in advance of their planned travel.  All applicants, including children, must apply in person; each applicant must pay the application fee.  

Applicants are expected to pay their fees at the Ecobank in Conakry before attending the interview. The Ecobank does not accept payment in US Dollars. Check current exchange rate and pay in Guinean Franc. The bank will accept payment during its regular business hours, which are Mondays to Fridays 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., and Saturdays, 9:30 a.m. to 1:00 p.m.  Sierra Leonean applicants may pay the day before the interview or on the day of the interview.  If applicants show up for roll call on the date of the interview and have not yet paid the fee at Ecobank, they will be given some time to go to the bank and pay the fee that morning.  It is advisable to pay beforehand to avoid any eventuality.

The bank is less than a 10-minute walk from the Embassy.

Note:  The Ecobank receipt received will list an appointment date some date out in the future.  The applicants can ignore this date, since they will have already set their appointment through the Embassy.

Passport return is on Wednesday for Monday interviews, and on Friday for Wednesday and Thursday interviews.  In general, successful applicants will have their visas issued the same day.  Embassy Conakry does not accept supporting documents by fax, nor does it answer visa questions over the telephone. 

APPLYING IN BANJUL.  Only Sierra Leoneans resident in the Gambia (that is, living and working there with more ties to the Gambia than Sierra Leone) are eligible to apply in Banjul. For further information on applying in Banjul, please visit their website on www.usembassy.gm.

APPLYING ELSEWHERE.  While the consul’s basis for decision is identical, and the general outlines of the application process are similar wherever the application is made, each U.S. Embassy or Consulate has its own procedures for visa applications, including hours of operation.  (In some cases, for instance, you may have to make an appointment ahead of time to apply.)  These procedures sometimes change because of Embassy staffing or because of changes in the number of applicants.  If you intend to apply anywhere other than at the U.S. Embassy in Conakry, we recommend you contact the Consular Section of the Embassy you intend to apply at before traveling to verify their visa application procedure.  The Embassy in Freetown will make every effort to have correct, updated information about the application process in Conakry.

STUDENT VISAS: If you are applying for a student visa, you must have evidence that you are qualified for the proposed course of study. Each applicant must present a Form I-20 from the school itself, indicating that he/she has been accepted at the institution. Additionally, the school must register the student’s acceptance in the ISEAS system so the Embassy can verify the student’s status electronically.  Applicant must have in hand the financial means to cover the full cost of at least the first year of schooling (including lodging and living expenses), without needing to work; and must be able to demonstrate that he/she has a residence abroad and does not intend to abandon course.

DOCUMENTS.  At the time of the interview, each applicant must have

• A completed visa application form (DS-156 and DS-157)
• Passport valid for a minimum of six months beyond the application date
• $ 100 application fee
• One passport-sized photo 2 inches square (50 x 50 mm) showing full face (applicant should face the camera) with the head centered in the frame. It is preferable that both ears be exposed. The head (measured from the top of the hair to the bottom of the chin) should measure between 1inch to 1⅜ inches (25mm X 35mm) with the eye level between 1⅛ and 1⅜ inches (28mm and 38 mm) from the bottom of the photo. Photograph should be taken against a white background and without head covering except for religious reason. Photos should be stapled or glued to form DS-156. If the photo is stapled, it should be placed as far away as possible from applicant’s face.    
• In addition, applicants should have evidence of their ability to finance their trip and their ties to Sierra Leone, which would compel them to return after a short visit to the United States.

It is particularly important to answer all the questions on the DS-156 and DS-157 fully and truthfully.

PASSPORTS:  The application processes, with the exception noted below under “Official Visitors”, is the same for everyone, regardless of the kind of passport (regular, service or diplomatic) you have.  The most important thing is the reason for your application - not what kind of passport you have, what position or office you hold, to whom you are related, or what position or office you may have held in the past.

“RENEWING” VISA: If you had a visa previously, you need to check with the Embassy where you plan to apply for its procedures in such cases.   However, you still have to submit a visa application form.

VISA VALIDITY: Each visa application must be based on plans for a specific trip.  If application is approved, it is the consul’s decision on how long the visa is valid (in other words, the date by which you must enter the U.S.), and whether to grant you a visa, which may be used only for that trip or for other similar, trips in the future as well.  The visa itself does not guarantee entrance into the United States: the final decision on your admittance to the U.S. will be made by the U.S. Immigration and Naturalization Officer (INS) when you arrive.  In addition, the visa itself does not determine how long you will be allowed to remain in the U.S.; that is also determined made by the INS officer.

OFFICIAL VISITORS: There are only a few exceptions to the visa procedures given above, and they only cover specific kinds of visits to the U.S. by official representatives of the Government of Sierra Leone.  If you are an official representative of the Government of Sierra Leone and you are:

• Joining the staff of the Sierra Leonean Embassy in Washington, its Mission to the UN in New York, or an international organization headquartered in the United States;
• Attending a meeting as an official delegate of the Sierra Leone Government (e.g., the UN General Assembly, an international meeting taking place in the U.S., or a meeting at the invitation of the U.S. Government); or
• Traveling to the U.S. for a short-term training sponsored by an international organization, such as the World Bank or the International Monetary Fund, you may qualify for a visa that exempts you from the requirement of a personal application and the $ 100 application fee.

In such cases, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation will forward your passport, along with a diplomatic note, to the U.S. Embassy in Freetown.  That Embassy will review the Application; make a preliminary judgment whether the application falls under these procedures; and, if so, notify the U.S. Embassy in Conakry that the Embassy of Sierra Leone in Conakry will forward the application.  It is crucial that these applications are presented to the U.S. Embassy in Freetown several weeks before travel date so that there is adequate time to review the application, return the application and passport to the Ministry for forwarding to Conakry, have the visa issued, and have the passport returned to Freetown.

All other visits by representatives of the Government of Sierra Leone are subject to the regular procedures for obtaining a business or tourist visa - including a personal appearance and interview by the consul, in Conakry or elsewhere, and the payment of the $ 100 application fee.

IMMIGRANT VISAS

At present, all Sierra Leonean regular immigrant visa (IV) cases are processed at the U.S. Embassy in Dakar, Senegal, which is where the applicant must apply.  All Sierra Leonean diversity visa (DV) cases are processed at the U.S. Embassy in Abidjan, Cote d’Ivoire.

All Sierra Leonean immigrant visa cases held at this Embassy in May 1997 have been sent to the National Visa Center in New Hampshire; the Embassy no longer has files on these cases, and all questions concerning them should be addressed to the National Visa Center.

Updated August 18, 2004