The US Embassy in Russian Federation resumed the acceptance of tourist visa applications on March 1

Press service of the US Embassy in Russia announced that a receipt of the tourist visa applications resumed on March 1. According to NYC-brooklyn.ru, received from the Department of State, applications are accepted from individuals who are re-entering the country and have reason to expect that their application will be granted without an invitation to an interview.

These are B1/B2 visitor visas for Russian citizens who arrive in the United States on a temporary visit for business, medical treatment or as tourists. So far such applications have only been accepted at the Consulate General of the USA in Ekaterinburg. The U.S. mission in Moscow emphasized that the number of applications under consideration is strictly limited, explaining this by security measures during the fight against the coronavirus, as well as a response to the denial of entry permits to American diplomats in Russia.

It should be noted, that in March 2020, restrictions were imposed on the US missions in Moscow, Vladivostok and Yekaterinburg, caused by the COVID-19 virus pandemic. In late 2020, the State Department announced to Congress that it would shut down the U.S. Consulate in Vladivostok and temporarily suspend the representative office in Yekaterinburg.

In January of 2021, many Russians began to apply for visas at the U.S. Embassy in Kazakhstan, as the offices in Nur-Sultan and Almaty began accepting applications again. However, one should not count on fast processing of applications, because since March 2020, the Kazakh consulates have accumulated a huge number of applications not only from citizens of the country, but also from residents of Russia, Ukraine, Belarus, Moldova, Georgia and other states.