Please follow the steps below before your immigrant visa interview at the U.S. Embassy in Madrid, Spain.
IMPORTANT UPDATE:
From August 1st, 2023, visa applicants will have to visit the Embassy at least twice during the last part of the process. Once to complete the Document Review and a second visit for your visa interview, the day scheduled by the National Visa Center.
Your first visit to the embassy is for Document Review, to ensure you have all the necessary papers, collect fingerprints, submit photos, and verify passport information.
You must bring all the required documents, see the pre-interview checklist to make sure you have everything you need.
This process will reduce the time spent in our waiting room and – more importantly – significantly increase the chance your application will be approved in a shorter time.
You do not need to schedule an appointment for your Document Review. You have to come to the embassy on the same day you took your medical examination. The clinic will provide further instructions.
Your second visit to the embassy is for your actual visa interview and occurs on the date and time scheduled by the National Visa Center (NVC). If you do not complete Document Review before the day of your visa interview, you will be required to reschedule your visa appointment.
You need to register your appointment online. Registering your appointment provides us with the information we need to return your passport to you after your interview. Registration is free. Click the “Register” button below to register.
If you want to cancel or reschedule your appointment you must email the embassy at ivmadrid@state.gov.
As soon as you receive your appointment date, you must schedule a medical exam in Spain. Click the “Medical Exam Instructions” button below for a list of designated doctors’ offices in Spain. Please schedule and attend a medical exam with one of these doctors before your interview.
It is important that you bring all required original documents to your interview. We’ve created a checklist that will tell you what to bring. Please print the checklist below and bring it to your interview along with the listed documents.
Read our interview guidelines to learn about any special actions that you need to take before your visa interview.
All immigrant visa applicants, regardless of age, require a medical examination prior to the issuance of a visa. Only a physician accredited by the U.S. Embassy can perform this exam. It is your responsibility to schedule a medical exam with one of the doctors listed below, before your visa interview appointment at the U.S. Embassy. Medical examination results from other physicians will not be accepted. Schedule the medical examination at least three weeks before the day of the visa appointment.
You can see the information regarding the authorized clinic, the required documents and the medical exam fees in their website Unidad Médica Angloamericana.
The doctor will need the following items to complete the medical exam forms:
Any medical examination fees, including x-ray and blood test fees, must be paid directly to the examining physician.
The medical examination will include a medical history review, physical examination, and chest X-ray and blood tests (for applicants 15 years of age or older). The United States also requires tuberculosis (TB) testing for all applicants two years of age and older. Please be prepared to discuss your medical history, medications you are taking, and current treatments you are undergoing. More information on general medical requirements for U.S. immigrants is available from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's website.
U.S. immigration law requires immigrant visa applicants to obtain certain vaccinations prior to the issuance of a visa. Current immigrant vaccination requirements are available on CDC's website. You can also read Frequently Asked Questions about our medical examination requirements on Travel.State.Gov.
When your examination is completed, the doctor will either provide you with exam results in a sealed envelope or send them directly to the U.S. Consulate. IF GIVEN AN ENVELOPE TO CARRY TO YOUR INTERVIEW, DO NOT OPEN THIS ENVELOPE. Instead, bring it to your visa interview.
Any x-rays taken will be given to you. You DO NOT need to bring the x-rays to your visa interview unless you suffer from tuberculosis (TB). However, you must carry the x-rays with you when you travel to the United States for the first time. The medical report must be less than six (6) months old when you enter the United States as an immigrant.
Please use the list below to determine the items that every applicant must bring to the immigrant visa interview:
Applicants who fall into any category listed in italics below should bring these additional documents:
For family-based visa applications:
If you are married: Your original marriage certificate, English translation, and a photocopy.
If you were previously married: Your original divorce or spouse’s death certificate, English translation, and a photocopy.
If you are older than 16 years of age: The original police certificate from your country of current residence and countries of previous residence. If these three items are all true, you must bring a more recent police certificate to the interview:
1. You are older than 16 years;
2. You obtained a police certificate more than one year ago; and
3. You still live in the country that issued the police certificate.
For employment-based visa applications: Letter from your U.S. employer dated less than one month ago.
If you have ever been convicted of a crime: Court and criminal records, English translation, and a photocopy.
If you have served in any country’s military: Military records, English translation, and a photocopy.
If you are adopted: Adoption papers or custody documents, English translation, and a photocopy.
If you are the petitioner's parent: The original birth certificate of the petitioner, and a photocopy.
If you are the petitioner’s stepchild: The original marriage certificate of the petitioner and your biological parent, English translation, and a photocopy along with divorce records for any previous marriages of either parent.
Sending documents to the U.S. Embassy
If you need to send us any documents email us at ivmadrid@state.gov for instructions. You have to bring original documents to your visa interview.
Rescheduling or cancelling your interview
If you are unable to attend your appointment, please email ivmadrid@state.gov. There may be a significant wait before the next available appointment, so please attempt to attend the date already assigned.
For some family-based and employment preference visa categories, a visa became available within the month you have been scheduled by NVC. DV applicants should be aware that visas are numerically limited and must be issued by September 30 of the program year. There is no guarantee that a visa will still be available on the date of your rescheduled interview. Please carefully consult the Visa Bulletin before you decide to reschedule your interview.
Security screening procedures
All visitors to the U.S. Embassy must follow certain security procedures. Any visitor who declines to be screened by U.S. Embassy security personnel will be unable to enter the embassy. To avoid delaying your entry and that of those in line behind you, please bring only what is required for your interview.
Accompanying Persons
The following persons may accompany a visa applicant to their interview:
Visa applicants must request access for these persons by sending an email to ivmadrid@state.gov before the interview.
Attorneys are not permitted to accompany clients into the waiting room or to their interview.
Immigrant visa fees
If you have not paid all required fees to either the National Visa Center or via the appointment website, please be prepared to pay these fees on the day of your interview.
All fees may be paid in U.S. dollars or euros. We accept cash and credit cards only. Please note that if you are found ineligible to receive a visa, the application fee cannot be refunded. A complete list of fees can be found on Travel.State.Gov.
Do not make travel plans outside of Spain
If your visa is approved, we will keep your passport at the embassy while we prepare your immigration packet and print a visa for your passport. We will return your passport to you later via courier services only. If you have to travel within Spain while your passport is still with us, please make sure you have a valid picture ID other than your passport.
A consular officer can make a decision on a visa application only after reviewing the formal application and interviewing the applicant. There is no guarantee that you will receive a visa. Do not sell your house, car or property, resign from your job or make non-refundable flight or other travel arrangements until you have received your immigrant visa.
If more information is needed
Sometimes a consular officer is unable to make a decision on a visa application because they need to review additional documents or the case requires further administrative processing. When additional documents are requested, the consular officer will give you a refusal letter that asks you to submit additional documents. The letter will include instructions on how to send those documents to the Embassy.
Administrative processing takes additional time after the interview. Most administrative processing is resolved within 60 days. However, the timing varies based on the circumstances of each case. Before inquiring about the status of administrative processing, please wait at least 60 days after your interview.
What happens after visa approval
Passport, Visa, and Sealed Immigrant Packet – We will place your immigrant visa on a page in your passport. Please review your visa to make sure there are no spelling errors. We will also give you a sealed envelope containing documents that you must give to U.S. immigration authorities when you arrive in the United States for the first time. Do not open this envelope. You must carry it with you; do not put it in your checked luggage. If you receive X-rays during your medical examination, carry those with you and give them to the U.S. immigration authorities.
USCIS Immigrant Fee – All individuals who are issued immigrant visas overseas must pay a Immigrant Fee to U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) prior to traveling to the United States. This fee is for processing your residency status and printing your Permanent Resident Card. The only people exempt from paying this fee are: children entering the United States under the Hague Process, returning residents, and people traveling on a K visa.
When You Should Travel – You must enter the United States before the expiration date on your visa, which is usually six months from the date of your medical exam. Your visa cannot be extended and all fees are nonrefundable. The principal applicant must enter before or at the same time as other family members with visas.
Getting a Green Card – Your Form I-551 Permanent Resident Card, also known as a green card, will be automatically mailed to the address in the United States that you write in your visa application form. This is a very important document that proves you have permission to reside in the United States. Once you become legal permanent resident, you should not stay outside of the United States for more than one year. If you do, you will lose your status as a Lawful Permanent Resident.
Children’s Issues – Children are required to have certain vaccinations before they can enroll in school in the United States. Therefore, we recommend that you bring your child’s complete vaccination records with you to the United States. Additionally, if your child is adopted, you have full custody as a result of a divorce, or you share custody with the child’s other parent, we recommend that you bring a copy of all applicable adoption or custodial papers from the authoritative court in your home country. You will likely need these papers (translated into English) in the United States for issues such as school enrollment, medical care, and eventual citizenship.
Information for New Immigrants – Please visit the USCIS web page for helpful information on moving to the United States. You can read their publication “Welcome to the United States: A Guide for New Immigrants” online.
If you are interviewing for a Diversity Visa (DV), all of the above instructions apply to you. Please schedule and attend a medical examination prior to your visa interview; enroll in the required courier service; and gather the required documents.
Below are additional instructions that apply only to DV applicants.
Bring to your interview
In addition to the documents listed on the Pre-Interview Checklist in this package, DV applicants should also bring the following items to your visa interview:
Review your DV Lottery entry
Prior to your visa interview, we recommend that you review the data on your initial E-DV entry. On your initial E-DV application, you must have correctly entered your marital status. If you are legally married you must have listed your spouse, even if you are currently separated from him/her (unless your spouse is a U.S. citizen or Lawful Permanent Resident).
Additionally, you must have listed ALL of your living children who are unmarried and under 21 years old. This includes your natural children, your spouse’s children, or children you have formally adopted in accordance with the laws of your country.
Failure to have listed an existing spouse or children at the time of your entry in the Diversity Visa lottery will result in the denial of your visa and visas for your family. Any fees paid to the U.S. government in support of your visa application(s) are nonrefundable. If you failed to include a child who had already been born, or a spouse to whom you were married when you entered the lottery, you should not proceed with the visa application. You can review the eligibility requirements online.
Last Update: 1/8/2024
Calle Serrano, 75
28006 Madrid
