National Visa Center (NVC) - Fee Payment FAQ


General

Affidavit of Support (AOS) Fee

Immigrant Visa (IV) Fee

Online Payment

Mailing Addresses

 

General Fee Payment FAQ

Can the AOS or IV Application Processing Fee be paid at the US Embassy/Consulate General instead of submitting fees to the NVC?

If you received an AOS or IV Application Processing Fee bill from the NVC, the fees must be paid to the NVC for the following reasons. The NVC cannot complete the processing of an immigrant visa petition until the IV Fee is paid to the NVC for all applicants applying for an immigrant visa. Additionally, if the petition being processed by the NVC requires an Affidavit of Support, the NVC must receive payment of the AOS fee before the NVC can complete the processing of the file.

Can fees be paid through a bank abroad?

No, all payments must be made in U.S. dollars drawn on a U.S. bank.

Can fees be paid over the phone?

No, the National Visa Center does not accept fee payments over the phone.

Can fees be paid with personal check or credit card?

No, the National Visa Center cannot accept personal checks or credit card payments.

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Affidavit of Support (AOS) Fee FAQ

Is there only one AOS fee per case or does every applicant on the case need to pay one?

There is only one AOS fee charged per case.

Can the AOS fee bill be paid by the applicant?

You can forward the Affidavit of Support Fee Bill to the applicant if the applicant will be paying the AOS fee bill by cashier's check or money order. Alternatively, the applicant can log into the Immigrant Visa Invoice Payment Center and pay the AOS fee online.

Can the AOS and IV fee be paid together (on one bill)?

  • Payment by Online Payment (Option 1):  Yes, the AOS and IV fees can both be paid online.
  • Payment by Mailing a Cashier's Check or Money Order (Option 2): Yes, the AOS and IV fees can be paid together. Make sure the cashier's check or money order is prepared for the total dollar amount of the fees.  Again, all payments must be accompanied by the corresponding Option 2 Fee Bills. See Mailing Addresses for the mailing address for Combined Payments.

I paid the AOS fee for one case; do I have to pay the same fee for my other cases?

If you are a U.S. citizen with petitions for your spouse and/or child(ren) processing at the National Visa Center concurrently, you only need to submit one Affidavit of Support fee payment. (Note: if you are paying by cashier's check or money order, please mail all fee bills in one return envelope with one check on top.)

Who has to pay the AOS fee?

The following categories of immigrants are required to pay the AOS fee:

  • All immediate relatives of U.S. citizens (spouses, unmarried children under age 21, and parents of U.S. citizens age 21and older)
  • All family-based preference immigrants (unmarried sons and daughters of U.S. citizens, spouses and unmarried sons and daughters of permanent resident aliens, married sons and daughters of U.S. citizens, and brothers and sisters of U.S. citizens age 21 and older)

For additional information about the Affidavit of Support, see our website.

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Immigrant Visa (IV) Fee

Who has to pay the Immigrant Visa (IV) Application Processing Fee?

The IV Application Processing Fee payment is applicant-specific. Each applicant intending to immigrate to the United States must pay the IV fee.

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Online Payment

Will I need a user account and password?

You will need the following information from the fee letter that you received from the NVC:

  • Case Number
  • Invoice Identification Number

You will also need your bank's routing number and your checking (or savings) account number. If you are paying from your checking account, this information is available on the bottom of one of your checks. Additional guidance on locating this information will be available when you pay online as well as below.

What is an "ACH" payment?

ACH stands for "Automated Clearing House" and refers to an electronic debit from a checking or savings account, commonly known as a direct debit.

How quickly is my ACH (online check) payment processed?

ACH payments will generally settle within two or three business days from the initiation of the payment.

How do I find the routing number and check number for my checking account?

The routing number always is nine digits and begins with a 0, 1, 2, or 3. On a check, this number always is bracketed by this special symbol: check symbol

On a check, the checking account number generally is accompanied by this special symbol: check symbol

The image below may help you find the routing number, account number, and check number on a check. The order of these numbers may differ on your check and may include some special symbols different than those shown.

If a number includes a special symbol within it, ignore the special symbol when entering the number.

If you cannot determine the routing or account numbers, review a bank statement or contact your financial institution.

How will the transaction appear on my bank statement?

Affidavit of Support Fee payments will appear as NVC AOS FEE. Immigrant Visa Fee payments will appear as NVC IV FEE. If you are not sure what a particular payment is, the first point of contact should be your financial institution. They can help identify the payment history.

What payment systems are used?

The Department of State, Bureau of Consular Affairs has partnered with the Department of Treasury to develop the Immigrant Visa Invoice Payment Center. All online AOS and IV payments are processed by the Department of Treasury through the Immigrant Visa Invoice Payment Center.

Is making an online payment secure?

Yes, the Department of State uses 128-bit SSL encryption to protect your transaction information while you are logged into the Immigrant Visa Invoice Payment Center.

I'm not comfortable with making payments online; can I mail my payment?

If you wish to make a payment by mail, please refer the National Visa Center's Option 2 Instructions for Mailing a Cashier's Check or Money Order.

My Internet connection failed in the middle of my transaction, what do I do?

If the problem occurred before you entered your payment information, you can close your browser, log back in, and try again.

If you submitted your payment information and then experienced a problem, contact the National Visa Center before making another payment attempt.

Will I get an online receipt or confirmation e-mail when I make my payment online, so that I know the payment was successfully completed?

You will have the option of printing or e-mailing an online receipt when you make a payment online.

Can I save forms and submit them later?

No, the Immigrant Visa Invoice Payment Center does not allow you to save forms and submit them later.

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Mailing Addresses

To what address do I mail the IV Fee payment?

Mail the IV Fee Payment to the following address:

National Visa Center
PO Box 790136
St. Louis, MO 63179-0136

Before mailing your payment, please review the Option 2: Mailing a Cashier's Check or Money Order Instructions.

To what address do I mail the AOS Fee payment?

Mail the AOS Fee Payment to the following address:

National Visa Center
PO Box 790135
St. Louis, MO 63179-0135

Before mailing your payment, please review the Option 2: Mailing a Cashier's Check or Money Order Instructions.

I am mailing one check for the IV and AOS Fee payments. To what address do I mail the combined payment?

Mail the Combined Fee Payment to the following address:

National Visa Center
PO Box 790136
St. Louis, MO 63179-0136

Before mailing your payment, please review the Option 2: Mailing a Cashier's Check or Money Order Instructions.

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