Electronic Visa Application Form (EVAF) Required by US Embassies Worldwide Beginning Wednesday, November 1, 2006

As of November 1st, all applicants worldwide who wish to apply for tourist, student, or other non-immigrant visas to the United States must complete the visa application form on the internet using the Electronic Visa Application Form, or EVAF accessible through http://evisaforms.state.gov
Due to this new requirement, after tomorrow, October 31, visa applicants submitting a handwritten or typewriter typed DS-156 visa application form will be turned away by the US Embassy in Harare. 

The U.S. Department of State has established this new requirement on a worldwide basis to improve efficiency and customer service.
The internet based EVAF allows for quicker and more accurate data entry.  Customers do not have to wait for consular officials to enter the data manually, and therefore can have their applications processed faster. 
Filling out the form online is free and applicants can fill it out from their home, office or any public access computer terminal.  Select Standard Chartered Bank branches that already accept payments for visa processing fees will be offering internet access for EVAF processing. Further information and instructions on how to fill out the form are available at http://evisaforms.state.gov and http://harare.usembassy.gov. 
For more information on how to apply for a visa to visit the United States, please visit http://harare.usembassy.gov/ or call 250-593 x550.

###

Contact
Paul Engelstad
Public Affairs Officer
HararePas@state.gov