What happy news! The time comes when I forgot to renew my The US VISA before the date of expired, yet I keep it calm and maintain my mind without any nervousness (But PLEASE don't do the same like I did!! Or else you don't know what will happen, lol). Then I just try to follow the rule from the US Embassy Jakarta website.. Here I shared step-by-step how to renew US VISA without being interviewed:
1. First thing that you need to do is TAKING A PICTURE!! Yes, you need to take 5cm x 5cm photo with white background (feel free to ask your photographer that you need PHOTO for US VISA, and ask whether you can get the soft copy, in a CD (or directly to your own flash disk), or not)
2. Secondly, fill Electronic Application of DS-160 form from https://ceac.state.gov/GenNIV/
(there you can put yours .JPEG photo and also they have an application to crop your photo to 5x5cm by this all you need to do is simply upload your softcopy photo from your CD or flash disk, the recent photo for sure, and upload it to the app and it will crop your photo), follow all the instructions and fill all the details that you need to fill, if you're going to renew your visa, they're going to ask your previous visa number (you can see from the right bottom of your US Visa, it contains 8numbers with RED FONT COLOUR). After you've fill all the form that is needed you're going to get Application ID number (10 numbers)
(This one is my old Visa that has stamped with Cancelled Without Prejudice)
3. After that do log-in (or make new user if you haven’t got any user id before) to: https://cgifederal.secure.force.com/?language=English&country=Indonesia
then follow every step that is needed on the application, then you're going to see Application ID to be filled (please fill application ID that you've got before) then follow every step that you need to fill again till it finished. Fill YES/NO to every question that you see.
4. When you've finished filling Apply for your VISA. You're going to be directed to pay for your VISA Fee (US$ 160, you must pay in Rupiah which converted by the embassy), you've got Virtual Account number (16 numbers) and you can select the payment option: Cash Payment and Electronic Fund Transfer. I prefer to pay in Cash Payment. I'm asking my friend to help me to pay the fee from CIMB Niaga Bank because I don't have an account there (of course, after I transfer my money to her, lol). In addition, US Embassy suggests to pay from CIMB Niaga, but US Embassy is using Bank of America in Jakarta. When you finished transferred visa fee, CIMB Niaga going to give you a green receipt (DON'T LOSE IT!!). Now all you need to do is waiting for the confirmation (it's usually 1x24hours) before you log-in back to the side to confirm receipt, REMEMBER!! your receipt number is your virtual account number!!
5. On the next day, at the time you transferred the fee from yesterday, you can log-in back to the site before https://cgifederal.secure.force.com/?language=English&country=Indonesia (input your e-mail and your password before), after you've entered then click "Continue" on the upper left side,
a. Nonimmigrant Visa – Confirmation (It has barcode of your confirmation number and photo visa)
b. Dropbox Confirmation
c. Visa Photo 5x5cm (2pieces)
d. The Receipt from Cash Payment (as I said before that I paid from CIMB Niaga Bank, so I gave the green one)
Bring ALL the documents to the nearest RPX (I choose RPX near Lawson at Jl. Prof. Dr Satrio No.64B, ex "Gado2 Camera" Casablanca, Jakarta 12310). They open at 10:00 a.m. – 15:00 p.m. (the Staff for US Visa is on the 2nd Floor)
When you had submitted your documents, the Staff is going to give you the receipt for you to bring it when your passport that has the latest US Visa on it already arrived back to RPX. Usually, you’re going to get the passport 7-10days, but it can be earlier to only next 5days.
If you're applying for the very first time, you're going to do an interview to know whether you're eligible to get the visa or not. Since I was interviewed 5 years ago, I didn't remember correctly the questions, but I can help you with some questions that I remember. The interviewer is going to ask you some questions:
1. What is your name, age, job (student/worker)? > just answer it. Your name, your DOB, your occupation based on the document you've submitted
2. How long you're going to stay? > just answer it for how long? a week, a month or several days.
3. Where're you going to stay? > just answer it whether you're going to stay in a hotel or with your relative.
4. With whom you're going to travel? > if you're going to travel by yourself or friends or family just say it
5. What is the purpose of applying? > answer it for travelling. Because at that time I went there to come to my brother's graduation, I answer with that too.
6. Are you not interested to live or work in the USA? (please!! don't get trapped with this question!!) as for these question I answer it that I only want to travel nothing else, also I still have my parents and family who is living in Indonesia, so I'm not interested in working or to living in the USA. (the purpose of this question is to know whether you're having any different motive to apply for the visa).
When you've finished the interview, you're going to get the white paper (that's if you're eligible to get the visa, these paper also giving you information where you should get your passport that has a visa on it), yellow paper (it means that they're still considering your visa), or red (it means you won't get the visa).
Well, those are questions that I remember. Hope those are going to help you. Just be confident and positive, Dress well and proper when you do your interview (please not wearing sandals and t-shirt. At that time I wore a red shirt and trousers. Wear a colour that makes you confident, just don't wear a dark colour, I don't think that's going to impress the interviewer)
1. What is your name, age, job (student/worker)? > just answer it. Your name, your DOB, your occupation based on the document you've submitted
2. How long you're going to stay? > just answer it for how long? a week, a month or several days.
3. Where're you going to stay? > just answer it whether you're going to stay in a hotel or with your relative.
4. With whom you're going to travel? > if you're going to travel by yourself or friends or family just say it
5. What is the purpose of applying? > answer it for travelling. Because at that time I went there to come to my brother's graduation, I answer with that too.
6. Are you not interested to live or work in the USA? (please!! don't get trapped with this question!!) as for these question I answer it that I only want to travel nothing else, also I still have my parents and family who is living in Indonesia, so I'm not interested in working or to living in the USA. (the purpose of this question is to know whether you're having any different motive to apply for the visa).
When you've finished the interview, you're going to get the white paper (that's if you're eligible to get the visa, these paper also giving you information where you should get your passport that has a visa on it), yellow paper (it means that they're still considering your visa), or red (it means you won't get the visa).
Well, those are questions that I remember. Hope those are going to help you. Just be confident and positive, Dress well and proper when you do your interview (please not wearing sandals and t-shirt. At that time I wore a red shirt and trousers. Wear a colour that makes you confident, just don't wear a dark colour, I don't think that's going to impress the interviewer)
PS: When you've got all the documents, please don't forget to double print all the documents that you need and also save the file as PDF, just in case the hard copy one is ruined or lost (hope it’ll never happen)
Then, happy to apply for the US Visa. Enjoyed your stay in the US and experience as many as possible experience such as sightseeing and shopping.
