*** Effective January 26, all airline passengers to the United States ages two years and older must provide a negative COVID-19 viral test taken within three calendar days of travel. Alternatively, travelers to the United States may provide documentation from a licensed health care provider of having recovered from COVID-19 in the 90 days preceding travel. Check the CDC website for additional information and Frequently Asked Questions.
Waivers to the testing requirement may be granted by the CDC on an extremely limited basis when extraordinary emergency travel (like an emergency medical evacuation) must occur to preserve someone’s health and safety, and testing cannot be completed before travel. There are no waivers available for individuals who test positive for COVID-19. Individuals – or air carriers seeking to allow boarding by potentially qualifying individuals – who believe they meet the criteria for a waiver should e-email the U.S. Embassy in Madrid at spaincdcwaivers@state.gov. The U.S. Embassy will then submit the request to the CDC for consideration. PLEASE NOTE THIS IS A SEPARATE PROCESS FROM THE NATIONAL INTEREST EXCEPTION (NIE).
Source: https://es.usembassy.gov/covid-19-information/
The Consular Section is conducting as many visa interviews as possible. However, given the overwhelming demand for work and student visas and the continued need to adhere to COVID-related staffing and crowding restrictions, we regret that we will not be able to interview all applicants before their desired travel dates.
On June 29, 2021, the Department of State extended the validity of National Interest Exceptions (NIE) for travelers subject to restrictions under Presidential Proclamations (PPs) 9984, 9992, 10143, 10199, and similar subsequent PPs related to the spread of COVID-19. For more information please visit: https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/News/visas-news/extension-validity-for-nies-for-china-iran-brazil-south-africa-schengen-uk-ireland-india.html
For September we can only approve requests for earlier visa appointments for medical emergencies, all other expedite requests will be denied. However, we anticipate adding some additional appointments in limited visa categories later in the month for September dates and encourage applicants who need an earlier appointment to regularly check the appointment scheduling website for a September appointment date: https://ais.usvisa-info.com/es-es/niv
Applicants who cannot find an appointment before their originally planned travel date should speak to their university or employer to discuss their situation and options as soon as possible. For those with a DS-2019 or I-20, this discussion should include requesting an updated report date on the DS-2019 or I-20 to a new, achievable date as we cannot issue a visa or a National Interest Exception waiver for a program report date that has already passed.
More information: https://es.usembassy.gov/visas/
Last update by HB Studio: October 3, 2021