6NON-NORDIC CITIZENS

Visa Applications by Non-Nordic Citizens

Applying for a Visa

To apply for a nonimmigrant visa, you must complete the on-line application andschedule an appointment.

Applicants should provide documents establishing an applicant's strong ties to acountry other than the U.S. (in most cases this is Sweden, but for some applicants onlyvisiting Sweden it woufld be their home country), such as:

business ownership and registration papers for a company, as well as the latesttax declaration (skatt declaration);

an old passport or an official notification letter from the Swedish governmentwhich demonstrates when the applicant first received a Swedish residencepermit;

a recently dated personbevis issued by the Swedish tax authority, includingcertification of marriage, spouse's name, and the names of all children. Also:personbevis of all immediate family members (i.e., spouse, children, parents),regardless of whether or not they intend to travel;

ownership papers for a house or apartment;

old passports which contain previously issued U.S. visas

Applicants who are unable to demonstrate sufficiently strong ties to Sweden or to theircountry of residence will not be issued a visa.

Applicants from certain countries whose applications are approved may be required topay an additional visa issuance/reciprocity fee. Please note that this issuance fee,unlike the processing fee, is not to be paid in advance by bankgiro. Applicants shouldconsult the U.S. Department of State's visa reciprocity fee table -http://travel.state.gov/visa/index.html for more information.

We strongly urge visa applicants not to purchase plane tickets or make anyother nonrefundable travel arrangements until a visa has been issued; visaapplicants should never assume that a visa application will be automaticallyapproved or that there will be no delay in processing.

Applicants Not Resident in Sweden

An applicant for a temporary visa who neither resides nor works in Sweden, or who willshortly cease residing or working in Sweden, may apply for a visa. However,individuals who are applying for a visa at a Consular Section far from theconsular district with jurisdiction over their home country should be aware

Non-Nordic Citizens | Embassy of the United States Stockholm, Sweden http://sweden.usembassy.gov/consulate/nonnords.html

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that they may have difficulty demonstrating permanent ties to their homecountry. A consular officer in Sweden may find it difficult to make a favorabledetermination as s/he will likely be unfamiliar with the social and economic conditions,language, and official documents of the applicant's home country. In such cases theapplicant may consider submitting his or her visa application at a U.S. Consular Sectionin the applicant's home country or at a U.S. Consular Section with routine responsibilityfor processing applications from the applicant's home country.

Similarly, non-Swedish researchers and scholars completing their research or studies atSwedish institutions and who now wish to continue their work in the United States asexchange visitors (i.e., J-visa holders) should be aware that it will be very difficult forthem to demonstrate strong and binding ties to Sweden, given the cessation of theirstudies or employment in Sweden, and thus very difficult to obtain a visa at the U.S.Embassy in Stockholm. Such applicants should consider applying for a visa in theirhome country or in a country to which they retain strong and binding ties.

Please Note: All persons from those countries designated as 'state sponsors ofterrorism' will be subject to an additional review before a visa can be issued. Thecountries subject to review are Iran, Syria, Sudan, and Cuba. Applicants who are bornin or who are citizens of those countries can expect a delay of up to eight weeks beforea visa can be issued, however this process could take even longer. For moreinformation please read about special processing at the State Department Website.

In addition, a limited number of applicants are subject to special security screeningprocedures, which affect about 2% of all visa applicants worldwide. We do not discussthe specific criteria used for selecting applications for security review. Applicantsselected for security review will be informed of the need for additional screening at theinterview and can expect delays of up to eight weeks before a visa can be issued. Insome cases, delays could be even longer.

We strongly recommend that applicants not purchase airplane tickets or makenonrefundable travel arrangements until they have actually received theirvisa; visa applicants should never assume their application will beautomatically approved.

This site is managed by the U.S. Department of State. External links to other Internetsites should not be construed as an endorsement of the views or privacy policies

contained therein.

Non-Nordic Citizens | Embassy of the United States Stockholm, Sweden http://sweden.usembassy.gov/consulate/nonnords.html

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