COVID-19 Travel Restrictions and Exceptions

To reduce introduction and spread of new variants of SARS-CoV-2, CDC issued an Order effective January 26, 2021. It requires all air passengers arriving to the US from a foreign country to get tested for COVID-19 infection no more than 3 days before their flight departs and to provide proof of the negative result or documentation of having recovered from COVID-19 to the airline before boarding the flight. For more information on this testing requirement, see the CDC’s Frequently Asked Questions.

Additionally, to protect the public health, there are four presidential proclamations that suspend entry into the United States of all noncitizens who were physically present in any of 33 countries during the 14-day period preceding their entry or attempted entry into the United States. They are Presidential Proclamation 9984 (China); Presidential Proclamation 9992 (Iran); Presidential Proclamation 10143 (Schengen Area, United Kingdom, Ireland, Brazil, and South Africa); and Presidential Proclamation 10199 (India). For a full description of these Presidential Proclamations and potential exceptions to them, please visit Travel.state.gov.

COVID-19 and VISA Services  

We are only accepting applications from residents of Zimbabwe at this time. Non-resident applicants cannot currently apply for a U.S. visa in Zimbabwe and should reach out to the U.S. Embassy or Consulate closest to their place of habitual residence resumes visa services.

The pandemic continues to severely impact the number of visas we are able to process. We are making significant efforts with constrained resources to safely process visa applicants. The health and safety of our workforce and applicants remains paramount. We are implementing safeguards to keep staff and applicants safe, including mandating physical distancing in our waiting rooms, scheduling fewer interviews at a time, and following local health and safety regulations. Additionally, we remain on a limited staffing posture due to the pandemic. These necessary measures have temporarily reduced our visa processing capacity, requiring us to prioritize the most urgent and mission-critical cases. Applicants should expect very delayed response times and slow processing times.

As conditions related to Covid-19 allow, the U.S. Embassy in Zimbabwe has begun offering limited routine visa interviews to residents of Zimbabwe. Please check for open appointments at the Visas webpage of the U.S. Embassy in Harare. We interview for Nonimmigrant Visas on Mondays and Wednesdays.

If you are not able to find an open appointment and your case is a life-or-death emergency, please email  ConsularHarare@state.gov and we will try to schedule an appointment. Due to the volume of requests, if you do not receive a response from us, it is because your case does not meet the requirements for an emergency expedited appointment.

Additionally, the U.S. Embassy in Zimbabwe has resumed limited processing of visas that are eligible for a waiver of the in-person interview requirement.

In order to qualify for a waiver of the in-person interview, the following must be true:

• I have a previous U.S. visa in the same class as the visa I am renewing.
• I regularly reside in Zimbabwe.
• The visa I am renewing has been expired for less than 24 months.
• The visa I am renewing was not lost, stolen, or cancelled.
• I have not been refused a visa in the past, or since a past refusal I have been issued a visa in the class I am renewing.
• If I am applying for an F visa, I am continuing as student at the same school or in the same major for which my previous visa was issued.
• If I am renewing a C1 or D visa, I have a current employment letter.

Procedures If You Are Eligible for Interview Waiver Non-Immigrant Visa Renewal

The U.S. Embassy in Zimbabwe is no longer individually scheduling eligible renewal applicants by email.  Instead, on Monday afternoons from 1:30PM to 2:30PM, the Embassy will allow the first 15 interview-waiver applicants who are in line to enter the Consular section to drop off their documents for renewal. Applicants will be given a unique ticket to hold their place in line. Applicants can collect a line ticket on the Monday they will drop off their documents. To be allowed in line and into the Consular section for interview waiver renewal, applicants will need to appear in person with a valid passport matching their face and name and a DS-160 (Non-immigrant Visa Application) confirmation page matching the name and picture in the passport.

Applicants who do not meet ALL of the requirements above will be turned away from the waiting room and will be told to follow the normal procedures described above for reserving a non-immigrant visa interview.

Applicants are responsible for knowing what supporting documents they need, such as how much money they’ll need to pay, what type of photo is needed, and all other required supporting documents for their visa class. Requirements for all visa classes can be reviewed at the U.S. Visas page of Travel.state.gov.

Applicants who have already been scheduled by email to drop off their documents for interview waiver renewal can still come to the embassy at their scheduled time.

Payment of visa fees can be made only in USD cash.

Interview waiver cases are randomly selected for interview.

Visas that are approved are typically ready in two to three business days.

The issuance of a visa is never guaranteed, and we urge applicants to not make travel reservations until they have received a visa.

Because of limited staffing and other safety precautions due to COVID-19, applicants should expect delays in appointment availability and processing time on the day of their appointment.

The purpose of your intended travel and other facts will determine what type of visa is required under U.S. immigration law. As a visa applicant, you will need to establish that you meet all requirements to receive the category of visa for which you are applying.

See our Directory of Visa Categories on usvisas.state.gov to determine which visa category might be appropriate for your purpose of travel to the United States.