Please follow the steps below before your immigrant visa interview at the U.S. Embassy in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
You need to register your address online. Registering your address provides us with the information we need to return your passport to you after your interview. Registration is free. Click the “Register” button below to register.
Please note, the appointment you received from NVC does not appear on this website. There is no need to schedule an appointment on this website unless you want to change the appointment date provided by NVC. If you want to cancel or reschedule your appointment, you will be able to do so after you register your address.
As soon as you receive your appointment date, you must schedule a medical exam in Saudi Arabia. Click the “Medical Exam Instructions” button below for a list of designated doctors’ offices in Saudi Arabia. Please schedule and attend a medical exam with one of these doctors before your interview.
It is important that you bring all required original documents to your interview. We’ve created a checklist that will tell you what to bring. Please print the checklist below and bring it to your interview along with the listed documents.
Read our interview guidelines to learn about any special actions (including translators if you do not speak English or Arabic) that you need to take before your visa interview.
All immigrant visa applicants, regardless of age, require a medical examination prior to the issuance of a visa. Only a physician at a hospital accredited by the U.S. Embassy can perform this exam. It is your responsibility to schedule a medical exam at one of the hospitals listed below before your visa interview at the U.S. Embassy. Medical examination results from other hospitals will not be accepted.
JEDDAH
Abu Zinadah Hospital
Tel: 651-0652 or 651-5939
RIYADH
Olaya Medical Center
Tel: 464-5501
Al Warood Medical Center
Tel: 470-3355
Bring the following items to your medical exam:
You must pay all medical examination fees, including x-ray and blood test fees, directly to the examining physician.
The medical examination will include a medical history review, physical examination, and chest X-ray, gonorrhea test, and blood tests (for applicants 15 years of age or older). The United States also requires tuberculosis (TB) testing for all applicants two years of age and older. Please be prepared to discuss your medical history, medications you are taking, and current treatments you are undergoing. More information on general medical requirements for U.S. immigrants is available from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
U.S. immigration law requires immigrant visa applicants to obtain certain vaccinations prior to the issuance of a visa. Current immigrant visa vaccination requirements are available at the CDC's website. You can also read Frequently Asked Questions about our medical examination requirements at Travel.State.Gov.
When your examination is completed, the doctor will either provide you with exam results in a sealed envelope or send them directly to the U.S. Consulate. IF GIVEN AN ENVELOPE TO CARRY TO YOUR INTERVIEW, DO NOT OPEN THIS ENVELOPE. Instead, bring it to your visa interview.
Any x-rays taken will be given to you. You DO NOT need to bring the x-rays to your visa interview unless you suffer from tuberculosis (TB). However, you must carry the x-rays with you when you travel to the United States for the first time. The medical report must be less than six months old when you enter the United States as an immigrant.
Please use the list below to determine the items that every applicant must bring to the immigrant visa interview. Any documents that are not in either English or Arabic must be accompanied by a certified English translation:
Applicants who fall into any category below should bring these additional documents:
For family-based visa applications:
If you are married: Your original marriage certificate or certified copy, and a photocopy.
If you were previously married: Your original divorce decree, annulment papers, or spouse’s death certificate for each previous marriage, and a photocopy.
If you are older than 16 years of age: The original police certificate from your country of current residence and all countries where you previously lived, except for the United States. If these three items are all true, you must bring a more recent police certificate to the interview:
For employment-based visa applications: A letter from your U.S. employer dated less than one month ago.
If you have ever been convicted of a crime: Court and criminal records, and a photocopy.
If you have served in any country’s military: Military records, and a photocopy.
If you are adopted: Adoption papers or custody documents, and a photocopy.
If you are the petitioner’s stepchild: The original marriage certificate of the petitioner and your biological parent, and a photocopy along with divorce records for any previous marriages of either parent.
If you have ever been deported from the United States: Please obtain Form I-212, Permission to Reapply after Deportation, from the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS).
Sending documents to the U.S. Embassy in Riyadh
If the U.S. Embassy requests additional information or documentation from you, the consular officer will provide instructions on how to submit those to the embassy. You can also view Aramex document drop-off locations online at our Visa Customer Service Site.
Rescheduling or cancelling your interview
If you are unable to attend your appointment, please email RiyadhIV@state.gov. There may be a significant wait before the next available appointment, so please attempt to attend the date already assigned. For some family-based and employment preference visa categories, a visa became available within the month you have been scheduled by NVC. DV applicants should be aware that visas are numerically limited and must be issued by September 30 of the program year. There is no guarantee that a visa will still be available on the date of your rescheduled interview. Please carefully consult the Visa Bulletin before you decide to reschedule your interview.
Security screening procedures
All visitors to the U.S. Embassy in Riyadh must follow certain security procedures. Any visitor who declines to be screened by U.S. Embassy security personnel will be unable to enter the embassy. To avoid delaying your entry and that of those in line behind you, please bring only what is required for your interview.
Accompanying persons
The following persons may accompany a visa applicant to their interview:
Attorneys are not permitted to accompany clients into the waiting room or to their interview.
Immigrant visa fees
If you have not paid all required fees to either the National Visa Center or via the appointment website, please be prepared to pay these fees on the day of your interview.
All fees may be paid in either U.S. dollars or the Saudi Riyal equivalent. We accept cash and credit cards only. Please note that if you are found ineligible to receive a visa, the application fee cannot be refunded. A complete list of fees can be found at Travel.State.Gov.
Do not make travel plans outside of Saudi Arabia
If your visa is approved, we will keep your passport at the embassy while we prepare your immigration packet and print a visa for your passport. We will return your passport to you later via courier services only (see Step 1). If you have to travel within Saudi Arabia while your passport is still with us, please make sure you have a valid picture ID other than your passport.
A consular officer can make a decision on a visa application only after reviewing the formal application and interviewing the applicant. There is no guarantee that you will receive a visa. Do not sell your house, car or property, resign from your job or make non-refundable flight or other travel arrangements until you have received your immigrant visa.
If more information is needed
Sometimes a consular officer is unable to make a decision on a visa application because he/she needs to review additional documents or the case requires further administrative processing. When additional documents are requested, the consular officer will give you a refusal letter that asks you to submit additional documents. The letter will include instructions on how to send those documents to the Embassy.
Administrative processing takes additional time after the interview. The timing to resolve the administrative processing varies based on the circumstances of each case. Before inquiring about the status of administrative processing, please wait at least 90 days after your interview.
What happens after visa approval
Passport, Visa, and Sealed Immigrant Packet – We will place your immigrant visa on a page in your passport. Please review your visa to make sure there are no spelling errors. We will also give you a sealed envelope containing documents that you must give to U.S. immigration authorities when you arrive in the United States for the first time. Do not open this envelope. You must carry it with you; do not put it in your checked luggage. If you receive X-rays during your medical examination, carry those with you and give them to the U.S. immigration authorities.
USCIS Immigrant Fee – All individuals who are issued immigrant visas overseas must pay an Immigrant Fee to U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) prior to traveling to the United States. This fee is for processing your residency status and printing your Permanent Resident Card. The only people exempt from paying this fee are: children entering the United States under the Hague Process, returning residents, and people traveling on a K visa.
When You Should Travel – You must enter the United States before the expiration date on your visa, which is usually six months from the date of printing. Your visa cannot be extended and all fees are nonrefundable. The principal applicant must enter before or at the same time as other family members with visas. Unless they are eligible for benefits under the Child Status Protection Act, children who are issued a visa before turning 21 years of age must enter the United States before their 21st birthday to avoid losing their immigrant status.
Getting a Green Card – Your Form I-551 Permanent Resident Card, also known as a green card, will be automatically mailed to the address in the United States that you write in your visa application form. This is a very important document that proves you have permission to reside in the United States. Do not travel outside of the United States until you receive your Permanent Resident Card. Once your card is issued, you should not stay outside of the United States for more than one year. If you do, you will lose your status as a Lawful Permanent Resident.
Children’s Issues – In the United States, children are required to have certain vaccinations before they can enroll in school. We recommend that you bring your child’s complete vaccination records with you to the United States. If your child is adopted, you have full custody as a result of a divorce, or you share custody with another parent, you should bring a copy of all applicable adoption or custodial papers from the authoritative court in your home country. You will need these papers (translated into English) for issues such as school enrollment, medical care, and eventual citizenship.
Information for New Immigrants – Please visit the USCIS web page for helpful information on moving to the United States. You can read their publication “Welcome to the United States: A Guide for New Immigrants” online.
If you are interviewing for a Diversity Visa (DV), all of the above instructions apply to you. Please schedule and attend a medical examination prior to your visa interview; enroll in the required courier service; and gather the required documents.
Below are additional instructions that apply only to DV applicants.
Bring to your interview
In addition to the documents listed on the Pre-Interview Checklist in this package, DV applicants should also bring the following items to your visa interview:
Review your DV Lottery entry
Prior to your visa interview, we recommend that you review the data on your initial E-DV entry. On your initial E-DV application, you must have correctly entered your marital status. If you are legally married you must have listed your spouse, even if you are currently separated from him/her (unless your spouse is a U.S. citizen or Lawful Permanent Resident).
Additionally, you must have listed ALL of your living children who are unmarried and under 21 years old. This includes your natural children, your spouse’s children, or children you have formally adopted in accordance with the laws of your country.
Failure to have listed an existing spouse or children at the time of your entry in the Diversity Visa lottery will result in the denial of your visa and visas for your family. Any fees paid to the U.S. government in support of your visa application(s) are nonrefundable. If you failed to include a child who had already been born, or a spouse to whom you were married when you entered the lottery, you should not proceed with the visa application. You can review the eligibility requirements online.
Print a copy of this page. When you go to your medical exam appointment at one of the embassy-approved hospitals listed above in Step 2, bring the copy with you. The physician will need it to complete the medical exam report. Don’t forget that you must also bring your passport and the other items listed above on page 2.
Embassy of the United States of America
Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
Date: _______________________
To: Physician-in-charge
The individual(s) accompanying this letter is (are) making application(s) for an immigrant or fiancée visa(s) to the United States. The United States Public Health Regulations currently in force require that each applicant present a current physical and medical examination for syphilis and stool examination for presence of parasites.
The Panel Physician must make careful comparison of the identity of the visa applicant to the photograph attached to the alien’s passport or to other documents of identity.
Medical Forms-DS 2053, DS 3024, DS 3025 and DS 3026, as appropriate, should be completed, endorsed by the Panel Physician, and returned to the U.S. Embassy together with any X-rays taken and copies of the laboratory reports. It should be clearly understood that all costs will be borne by the applicants(s).
Last Updated: 1/25/2024
P.O. Box 94309
Riyadh 11693
Saudi Arabia
