How can we help?

Please select from one of the options below:

I am a student and my appointment with the US Embassy in Stockholm has been cancelled. How can I get an emergency appointment?

The U.S. Embassy in Stockholm supports international student travel and is committed to processing student visa applications in a safe and orderly manner.

We are currently beginning to process student visa applications and are scheduling interviews through the emergency appointment system in order of program start date*. However, as a result of a significant visa interview backlogs, individuals with a start date in the fall 2020 academic year should work with their academic institutions now to make arrangements for a possible delayed arrival. Please share this email with your academic institution as proof that this situation is beyond your control.

If you intend to pursue your academic or exchange program this fall and have not yet requested an emergency appointment, we encourage you to return to your appointment profile in order to request an emergency appointment.

If you have requested an emergency appointment after March 16, 2020 for an F, J** or M visa and been refused, our office will re-open your emergency appointment request for an additional review.

We truly regret the inconvenience this causes, and are committed to getting as many students and exchange visitors back in for appointments as is safely possible. We hope to be in touch with you soon to schedule your appointment.

*In order to be offered an emergency appointment, the electronic SEVIS status must be valid. To inquire about your current SEVIS status please contact your program sponsor.
**Does not apply to the following exchange programs, unless the application falls under an National Interest Exception: Au Pair, Intern, Trainee.

My emergency appointment request with the US Embassy in Stockholm has been denied. Am I allowed to submit a new request?

Yes, the appointment system has been updated to allow you to submit a new emergency appointment request. Given the significant number of requests, we kindly ask you to be patient and allow the Embassy sufficient time to process your request. You will be notified via email as soon as you are allowed to schedule an emergency appointment.

I have a valid Student visa, can I return to the US?

Students that already have a valid F or M visa and a valid I-20 may now return to the United States without further administrative steps. Visit the U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) website to ensure that you follow any quarantine or social distancing requirements upon your return. Contact your airline to determine what documents you need to board the plane. You do not need a letter or other permission from the U.S. Embassy to travel to the United States from the Schengen area on your valid F or M visa.

What are the National Visa Interest Exceptions?

On July 16, the State Department announced that certain travelers subject to Presidential Proclamations 9993 and 9996 (which suspend travel to the United States from the Schengen Area, the UK, and Ireland), may qualify for a national interest exception for non-tourist travel to the United States. Travelers that may qualify for a national interest exception to the Presidential Proclamation include:

  • Humanitarian: For example, if you are having a child born to surrogacy in the United States; you require urgent medical treatment in the United States; or you have an immediate family member in the United States who is gravely ill.
  • Economic: Temporary travel that provides a substantial economic benefit to the U.S. economy. Examples may include: Technical experts and specialists to install, service, maintain, or receive training for vessels, machinery and other specialized equipment used by U.S. and foreign firms with a substantial investment in the United States; Senior-level managers and executives, and their dependents, who provide strategic direction necessary for the success of the company or venture; Professional athletes, dependents, and essential staff who enter the United States to participate in major sporting events, which bolster the U.S. economy.
  • Investors: Travel in connection with investment or trade in the U.S. economy that generates a substantial economic impact, including investors and treaty-traders and the senior-level employees who provide strategic direction or expertise essential to the success of the investment, and their dependents.
  • Students: All students, and their dependents, traveling to the United States to: pursue a full course of study per INA 101(a)(15)(F) or INA 101(a)(15)(M); or participate in an exchange program as a bona fide student per INA 101(a)(15)(J).
  • Academics: All exchange visitors and their dependents traveling to the United States as a nonimmigrant under INA 101(a)(15)(J) in the following categories: Professors, Research Scholars, Short Term Scholars, Specialists.

I was approved for a National Visa Interest Exception. What next?

Answer: If approved, the exception is valid only for 30 days from the date of approval and is valid for a single entry to the United States. An individual who departs the United States and wishes to return must be re-assessed for a national interest exception. Students, investors, and academic researchers do not need to be re-approved for each entry to the United States. F and J visa travelers are reminded that they must still meet all Student and Exchange Visitor Program (SEVP) requirements. All individuals are reminded that their admission remains subject to a determination by Customs and Border Protection officers at ports of entry and that they may be subject to a 14-day quarantine upon arrival. DHS requires travelers using a NIE waiver to fly into one of 15 specifically designated airports found here.

I posess a valid visa or ESTA. Do I qualify for a National Interest Exception?

Travelers that already have valid nonimmigrant visas or ESTA and believe they qualify for a national interest exception (NIE) for economic, investor, or exchange visitor related purposes must verify with a consular official that they qualify. To do so, travelers must send the following information along with supporting documentation to StockholmNIV@state.gov. Supporting documents may include a letter of invitation, confirmation of your medical treatment in the United States, letter from the U.S. business explaining the economic impact of your travel on the U.S. economy, etc. Due to a large volume of inquiries it may take up to ten business days to review your documents and qualifications. You will be notified by e-mail if you meet the NIE requirements. Print out that e-mail as confirmation of your excepted status.

  1. A scanned copy of your visa (if applicable)
  2. A scanned copy of the biographic page of your passport
  3. Reason for travel (and any supporting documentation)
  4. Proposed travel itinerary
  5. Your e-mail address
  6. Your phone number

I don’t have a visa but I have a life and death emergency situation. How can I request a visa?

If the purpose of your travel to the United States if for a life-or-death emergency and you believe you qualify for one of the exceptions to the National Interest e-mail the Embassy at StockholmNIV@state.gov to discuss your purpose of travel.