Iranian Applicants

Ankara is the only Iranian immigrant processing post in Turkey. Other Iranian immigrant processing posts are Vienna, Abu Dhabi, Frankfurt and Naples. A petition must have been filed for the applicant in the U.S. and been assigned to Ankara by the National Visa Center before an appointment will be scheduled.

The information below is designed to help prevent some common problems faced by Iranian applicants. It is not a listing of visa requirements. Those requirements can be found elsewhere on this website.

Time in Ankara: For an initial interview, an applicant needs to have a medical exam in Turkey and have visa photos taken prior to the interview. A visa is normally received two to three working days after the interview via UPS. If documents are missing or an administrative process is pending, the visa will take longer to process and it is normally recommended the applicant return to Iran to wait.

Visas are only issued to applicants who are physically present in Turkey. Visas will not be sent to Iran or any other country. The only exception is for overcoming a missing administrative processing – one member of a family can return to Turkey on behalf of the entire family. The person returning to the Embassy must be one of the family members receiving a visa, not a US citizen or a friend.

As of September 7, 2004, all applicants aged 14 and over must be finger scanned. If a child turns 14 years of age while waiting for a visa, the child must also return to the Embassy for finger scanning before receiving an immigrant visa.

Administrative Processes: Most applicants from Iran require some type of administrative process before traveling to the U.S. Every attempt is made to obtain the proper administrative process before the interview. By filling out Forms DS-230 Part I and II  accurately and completely, the process will be quicker. The applicant’s entire employment history is needed, not just the past ten years. Responses such as "retired" or "self-employed" without an explanation of where the applicant worked will lead to delays in visa issuance. In addition, dates of every trip (not just the year) to the United States must be provided, not just the last three trips. If the applicant has stayed more than six months in the U.S. on a tourist visa, the applicant must bring to the interview copies of letters from DHS granting a visa extension. Generally administrative processes are received within two months, but occasionally it takes longer. Processes that have been pending a long time are routinely followed-up. It is worthwhile to bring to the Consulate’s attention by email any administrative process that has not come through within two months to make sure that a follow-up was sent. Sometimes the State Department visa office responds to the request stating that more time is needed to process. There is no other information given and the Consulate will not know the reason why it is taking longer, and, therefore, cannot give an estimate as to how much longer it will be. Follow-up for these cases can be done every four months.

Missing Documents: The National Visa Center collects documents for all files assigned to Ankara, conducts administrative processes, schedules appointments (for all files except K visas), and sends the files at the end of each month for the next month. Some files take an extended amount of time to process at NVC. Some of the applicant’s documents may have expired by the time of the immigrant visa interview. By keeping a copy of all documents sent to NVC, a quick look at them before the interview will show which ones may have expired.

Police certificates and documents related to military service are NOT required from Iran.

Rescheduling Interviews: Rescheduling of interviews is possible by email. Family members who are not already part of one file are encouraged to come for their interviews at the same time. Rescheduling of interviews may cause the administrative processes to expire, so it is best to check on the validity of the process before rescheduling. Every effort should be made to have children come for interviews before their 21st birthday. The Child Status Protection Act protects some children from "aging out," but does not apply in all cases. The best way to guarantee issuance for a child is to get it before the child turns 21.

Iranian Family Law: Iranian family law, based on sharia, is very different from U.S. family law, and can lead to complications in the IV process.

The U.S. government does recognize proxy marriages, but only if the marriage can be proved to be consummated (i.e., the couple were at the same place at the same time).

Revocable divorces are not recognized by the United States. If an applicant received a revocable divorce in Iran, it must be finalized, written as final on the divorce decree and registered in the birth certificate.

Applicants with multiple wives MUST divorce all but one before going to the U.S. If a visa is being issued for the purpose of marriage, all other marriages must have been terminated before the current marriage.

Adopting a child in Iran is a long, complicated process. Contact the Embassy via email before coming for an adoption visa.

Children’s Issues: If a one-time-only exit stamp can be obtained for the child, contact the Embassy before the interview to make sure the file is complete before the interview in order to avoid a possibly lengthy wait in Turkey.

Reminder: IR-5 visas (parents of U.S. Citizens) are for individuals only. Separate files and documents are required for each parent. Children under 21 of the IR-5 applicants do not qualify as part of a parent’s file.