Passport and Visa Delays

The Department of State’s Bureau of Consular Affairs is currently experiencing technical problems with our overseas passport and visa systems.  This issue is not specific to any particular country, citizenship document, or visa category. We apologize for the inconvenience and are working urgently to correct the problem and restore full operability.

U.S. passport applications accepted overseas or after May 26, 2015 are affected by this delay.  If you applied for a U.S. passport overseas during this time frame and have travel plans within the next 10 business days, please consider requesting an emergency passport at the U.S. Embassy or Consulate at which you originally applied.  Please contact the Consular section for information about how to apply for an emergency passport by calling Monday –Thursday from 5:00-6:00PM or emailConsularAsmara@state.gov.  

Applications for a U.S. visa made after June 8, 2015, are also affected by this delay.  Nonimmigrant visa applicants who did not submit their DS-160 online application prior to June 9, 2015, should reschedule their interview appointments.  Individuals with urgent travel should call Monday –Thursday from 5:00-6:00PM or email ConsularAsmara@state.gov.