Diplomats/Government Officials (A Visas)

Foreign officials who are traveling to the United States on official business must meet specific requirements to qualify for a diplomatic (A) visa under immigration law and obtain an A visa prior to their entry. For an A-1 or A-2 visa, you must be traveling to the U.S. on behalf of your national government to engage in official activities for that government. You cannot travel on a tourist visa using B1/B2.

The fact that there may be government interest or control in a given organization is not in itself the defining factor in determining if you qualify for an A visa; the particular duties or services that will be performed must be governmental in character or nature, as determined by the U.S. Department of State, in accordance with U.S. immigration laws. Government officials traveling to the United States to perform non-governmental functions of a commercial nature, or traveling as tourists, require the appropriate visa, and do not qualify for A visas.

Personal Employees of Diplomats/Government Officials (A Visas)

Personal employees, attendants, domestic workers, or servants of individuals who have a valid A-1 or A-2 visa may receive an A-3 visa, if they meet the requirements in 9 FAM 402.3-9. As part of the application process, the applicant must have an interview at the embassy or consulate. A written contract must be provided to the consular officer.  The employer must provide proof that the applicant will receive the minimum wage and be provided working conditions in accordance with U.S. law. In addition, the applicant needs to demonstrate that s/he will perform the contracted employment duties. The consular officer will determine eligibility for the A-3 visa. Applicants for A-3 visas must apply outside the United States.

If the employer is not the principal officer or deputy principal officer or does not carry the diplomatic rank of minister or higher, the employer must demonstrate that he or she will have sufficient funds to provide the minimum wage and working conditions, as reflected in the contract. Consideration is also given to the number of employees an employer would reasonably be able to pay.

To apply for an A-3 visa, the visa applicant must submit each of the items explained in the How to Apply section below.

C-3 Visas

C-3 is a classification for foreign government officials and members of their families and his or her attendants, servants or personal employees seeking merely to enter in transit through the United States to another country.

Note:

1. Qualified A visa applicants traveling to the U.S. for assignments of less than 90 days will be issued visas annotated “TDY” (temporary duty).
2. A diplomatic note must accompany all A and C-3 applications.
3. Local government officials representing their state, province, borough, or other local political entity and lecturers or university staff do not qualify for A visa status; they would generally require a B visa.
4. Applicants working at the ministry that do not have equivalent official organization in the U.S. do not qualify for a diplomatic visa.
5. Where an organization is essentially engaged in commercial and/or competitive activities (e.g., banking, mining, or transportation), an official traveling on behalf of such organization would generally not be qualified for an A visa.  Depending upon the purpose of travel to the United States, consideration may be given to other visa classification. 

International Organizations (G visas):

To qualify for an employee of International Organization G visa, the individual must be entering the United States in pursuance of official duties.

• G1 – Members of a permanent mission of a recognized government to an international organization
• G2 – Representatives of a recognized government traveling to the United States temporarily to attend meetings of a designated international organization
• G3 – Representatives of non-recognized or non-member governments
• G4 – Personnel proceeding to the United States to take up an appointment at a designated international organization, including the United Nations
• G5 – Attendants, Servants and Personal Employees of G-1/G-2/G-3/G-4.

See the listing of designated International Organizations in the Foreign Affairs Manual (9 FAM 402.3-7(N).

Note: A person who meets the foregoing requirements for G-1, G-3 (non-TDY), or G-4 classification is expected to perform services for the foreign government or international organization on an essentially full-time basis (at least 35 hours per week) and to reside in the metropolitan area of the international organization where the individual will be serving.

How to Apply

Depending on your type of passport and the purpose of your travel, the visa category, fee, and interview requirements differ. Please check the chart below to apply for your visa.

Purpose of Travel	Visa Category	Application Fee?	Interview?
Diplomatic passport holders
Official duty	A-1/ A-2/ C-3	No fee	No Interview
Non-official duty	B/ F/ M/ J etc	No fee	Interview required
Official passport holders
Official duty	A-1/ A-2/ C-3	No fee	No Interview
Non-official duty	B/ F/ M/ J etc.	Fee required	Interview required
International Organizations
Official duty	G-1/ G-2/ G-3/ G-4	No fee	No Interview
Exchange visitor applicants in a program with program number starting with G-1, G-2, G-3, or G-7 on Form DS2019
Exchange visitor	J1	No fee	Interview required
Personal Employees
Domestic Employee of A or G visa holders	A-3 or G-5	No fee	Interview required

＊Applicants from certain countries may be required to pay a visa issuance fee after their application is approved. The Department of State’s website has more information about visa issuance fees and can help you determine if an issuance fee applies to your nationality.

Contact: For questions or information about Diplomatic Visas, you may contact the Non Immigrant Visa section at dipvisasphnompenh@state.gov

The Diplomatic and Official Visa Services is open on Monday and Tuesday afternoons from 1:30 p.m. (13:30) until 3:00 p.m. (15:00) except for Cambodian and United States national holidays. A messenger from the organization is allowed to drop off the passport and visa application on behalf of the Diplomatic/Official visa applicant, in case the applicant does not need to be interviewed (A-1, A-2, G-1, G-2, G-3, G-4, or C-3 applicants do not need to be interviewed). The determination regarding qualification for a diplomatic or official visa is made by a Consular officer. Applicants will be instructed how to proceed if their purpose of travel does not qualify. Applicants DO NOT need to pay the visa application fee unless so instructed by a consular officer. The visa application fee is non-refundable, even if paid in error.

Required Documents and Application Procedures