After you complete the steps on the Diversity Visa Process, including submitting the required immigrant visa application from (DS-260), and you are scheduled by KCC for the diversity visa interview, you must register with a courier service by visiting the following website: https://ais.usvisa-info.com/en-il/iv.  Registering will allow us to send you mail and will allow you to track the delivery status of your documents, especially your immigrant visa when issued.  Please note that you will not receive any documentation from our office if you do not register. Registration is not complete until you select a courier (Wassel or Israel Post).

Complete the visa application (Form DS-260) online for each immigrant visa applicant at https://ceac.state.gov/IV/Login.aspx and print the confirmation page.

If you were born in Jerusalem, indicate the  place of birth on the DS-260 form as “Jerusalem, Jerusalem.”  If you were born in the West Bank, indicate the place of birth “Name of the village/city, West Bank.” For example: if you were born in Deir Debwan,  Deir Debwan, Ramallah, West Bank.

Each immigrant visa applicant should bring his/her current passport on the day of the visa interview. In order to receive a full-validity visa, the passport should have at least eight months remaining validity as of the day of issuance.  Please double-check that the date of birth, place of birth, and spelling of all names on the online DS-260 application and your passport match exactly.  Information that does not match could result in significant delays in the processing of your visa.

Bring your original birth certificate (or a certified copy from the issuing government authority) as well as the original birth certificate (or certified copy) for every person named in the application.  You must also present birth certificates for all of your unmarried children under the age of 21, even if they do not wish to immigrate at this time.  Each birth certificate must state the names of both parents and the date and place of birth.  Please note that the mother’s maiden name, meaning her name prior to marriage, must be accurately listed on the birth certificate of the child.

If you or any person listed on the application legally changed a name, you must submit an original name change certificate for that person.   If any of your children are deceased, please provide the year of death.

If you or any of your children were adopted, bring a certified copy of the final adoption decree.  We will also need an original name change certificate for any individual in the case who has had a name change after or due to an adoption.

If you are married, please bring your original marriage certificate or a certified copy issued by the issuing government authority.  If you have been previously married, you must bring original proof of the legal termination of each previous marriage (e.g., death certificate of spouse, final decree of divorce or annulment). All original documents should be the exact same documents already submitted to KCC for your case.

You are required to obtain a police certificate from the country or countries in which you have lived for six months or more after turning 16 years of age.  These include the country of your nationality and the country of your current residence, as well as any other country in which you have been lived for more than one year or have been arrested for any reason.  If you are unable to obtain a police certificate from a specific country, please contact our staff for advice.

If you are Israeli citizens or Jerusalem ID holders (laissez passer) you may request the Israeli Criminal Information Certificate to be sent directly to U.S. Embassy Jerusalem’s Consular Section by applying at their nearest police station or online at https://forms.gov.il/globaldata/getsequence/getHtmlForm.aspx?formType=criminaldocument@police.gov.il (Note: instructions are in Hebrew only).

Former residents of Israel may apply in person at an Israeli consular or diplomatic missions or online using the link above.

All Palestinian ID holders living in the West Bank and Gaza must obtain a Criminal Information Certificate from the Israeli DCO (Civil Liaison Office) in the place of their residence or online at https://forms.gov.il/globaldata/getsequence/getHtmlForm.aspx?formType=criminaldocument@police.gov.il

(Note: instructions are in Hebrew only), as well as a Palestinian Non-Conviction Certificate from the Palestinian Authority Ministry of Justice in the place of their residence.  For more details on how to apply for the Non-Conviction Certificate please visit the Ministry of Justice website at: http://www.moj.pna.ps/.

If you have ever been arrested, detained, or convicted of a crime, you must obtain the original or a certified copy of each relevant, police, court, or prison record, even if the charges were ultimately dismissed or you were granted amnesty or pardoned.  You must provide a certified English translation of each of these court and prison records.  Please remember to ensure that your online DS-260 application includes each instance of arrest or conviction to avoid lengthy delays in the processing of your application(s).

If you served in the military, please bring your original military discharge or release certificate.

Israelis who served in the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) should obtain form 807 from the IDF, which is   granted upon discharge to a soldier from mandatory service.

Israelis who were exempted from military service should bring a military exemption certificate (IDF form 830) or an exemption letter from the Israeli Defense Forces citing the reason why they were exempted.

You may apply for these forms online by visiting the following website: Apply forms

You may also order the forms by calling the IDF on the following number: 03-5691000 or FAX: 03-5699400. If you are not able to obtain IDF form 807, please bring an explanation or documentation from the IDF, in the form of an official letter, regarding your inability to obtain it.

You will need two identical (5 cm x 5 cm, or 2 inch x 2 inch) photographs with a plain, light background taken within the last six months.  The photographs should be taken with the applicant directly facing the camera and without glasses.

Head coverings are permitted; however, the photographs must clearly show the face of the applicant from the crown of the head (hairline) to the tip of the chin and from ear to ear.

For more details please see here.

Each diversity visa applicant is required to show that they are unlikely to become a “public charge” when in the United States, or primarily dependent on the U.S. Government for subsistence.  To do this, you should be prepared to convincingly present evidence of independent resources to the consular officer on the day of your interview.  These could include income, savings, investments, or evidence of other assets you may own.  If the evidence you provide is not sufficient, you may be required by the officer to submit a signed I-134 Form by a sponsor, as well as evidence of the sponsor’s current financial circumstances.

Prior to your visa interview, we recommend that you review the data on your initial E-DV entry.

Failure to have listed an incorrect country of eligibility or chargeability* and failure to have listed an existing spouse or child at the time of your entry in the Diversity Visa lottery will result in the denial of your visa and visas for your family.  Any fees paid to the U.S. government in support of your visa application(s) are nonrefundable. If you failed to include a child who had already been born at the time of your DV entry, or a spouse to whom you were married when you entered, you should not proceed with the visa application.  You can review the eligibility requirements here online.

* Persons born in the areas administered prior to June 1967 by Israel, Jordan, Syria, and Egypt are chargeable, respectively, to Israel, Jordan, Syria, and Egypt. Persons born in the Gaza Strip are chargeable to Egypt; persons born in the West Bank are chargeable to Jordan; persons born in the Golan Heights are chargeable to Syria.

In many cases the non-refundable immigrant visa fee has been paid by the petitioner in the United States.  This fee is in addition to the fee required to file the I-130 petition.  If the fee was not paid in the United States, you must pay it to the consular cashier before you will be interviewed by a consular officer.  The immigrant visa fee is $325 U.S. dollars, or the equivalent in Israeli shekels at the current Consulate exchange rate.  This fee is subject to change and based on the Department of State Schedule of Fees.

Payment at the Consulate must be made in cash or with U.S. credit cards.  No bank checks or personal checks will be accepted.

You must schedule a medical exam with an approved physician ONLY after you are scheduled for a visa interview through NVC or U.S. Embassy Jerusalem’s Immigrant Visa Unit.  Instructions on how to schedule a medical exam appointment with one of our panel physicians can be: please hyperlink this site here: https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/us-visas/visa-information-resources/list-of-posts.html

You should provide a certified English translation of all documents that are not in English, Arabic or Hebrew.

Contact us to report a change of address, a change in your personal status (such as a marriage), the death of the petitioner or applicant, or the birth of a child.  Email jerusalemivinquiries@state.gov.

Please do not send us any documents unless you are specifically requested to do so. We look forward to seeing you soon.

If you are a Gazan immigrant visa applicant residing in the Gaza Strip and you need to schedule a visa interview or reschedule your original appointment, please email us at jerusalemivinquiries@state.gov.

You may also visit the Hyperlink this site https://il.usembassy.gov/embassy/ for more details on how to schedule an appointment for Gazan applicants.