Confirm every figure against the official source before you rely on it β fees and processing times change without notice.
| Visa type | Visitor visa (business / tourism) |
|---|---|
| Where to apply | Online, then in person at the US Embassy in Manila |
| Application fee | TO VERIFY |
| Processing time | TO VERIFY |
| Interview | Required for most applicants |
| Typical validity | TO VERIFY |
| Passport validity | TO VERIFY |
The order matters. The gap between booking an appointment and attending it is usually the longest part, so start earlier than feels necessary.
Everything you enter here follows you into the interview. Answer carefully and keep a copy β you'll want to remember exactly what you said.
Paid before you can book. Generally non-refundable and non-transferable if you're refused.
Availability moves with the season. Check current wait times before making any plans.
Bring your documents, but expect the decision to rest largely on your answers. Consistency with what you filed matters more than the volume of paperwork.
The core list. Your situation may call for more β someone self-employed, recently hired, or being sponsored by family will each need to show something different.
A one-page checklist of everything above, ordered by when to start each item. Print it, tick it off, bring it with you.
We did too. Everything on this page stays free β the kit is for the part that's harder to research: actually putting the file together.
Earlier than feels necessary. Appointment availability, not paperwork, is usually the bottleneck, and it swings hard with the season.
No. Booking non-refundable travel before you hold an approved visa is an expensive way to put pressure on yourself.
There's no published figure that guarantees anything. What's assessed is whether your finances are consistent with the trip you're describing and with the rest of your situation.
Yes. What matters is whether something has genuinely changed β reapplying with an identical file usually produces an identical result.
These are the only authoritative sources. This page is a plain-language summary of them, not a substitute for them.