Visa package home deliver - US Embassy Paris

[shadow0gabe 0]

Just a question for individuals who process through the US Embassy in Paris. I'm confused on how the courier services work. My spouse received her appointment letter for her interview on February 8th, 2017 and the email stated to register for her appointment on https://ais.usvisa-info.com/en-fr/iv/information/iv_services and followed what was applicable to her. 

I have received a Consular interview appointment date from the National Visa Center (NVC), Kentucky Consular Center (KCC), or the Consular Section and I have been instructed to register my appointment on this site.

We filled out her personal information as needed, but when it came to the delivery address step, we don't have the option to change the country, the default is France. We are currently living in Belgium due to my military orders and we have the ability to receive the Visa package via U.S. postal box on the military installation or to our current physical address in Belgium. I assume choosing the Belgian address would be faster to receive (we leave at the end of February, beginning of March due to new military orders).

 

Be mindful she is a Portuguese citizen who lives with me in Belgium due to my military orders and I seen on the "How to apply" page https://fr.usembassy.gov/visas/immigrant-visas/ 

 

"If issued, the Embassy will ship the visa and documents to you in approximately 7-10 business days. For residents of France shipment will be via TNT. Portugal/Azores residents must provide a Chronopost envelope, 2 Kg format 25x36cm for Union Europeen international delivery. Chronopost envelopes are only available from the French post office La Poste. Visas are not available for pickup on the day of the interview."

 

So basically she has to provide a Chronopost envelope? However as stated before, we can't change the country (default France) on the delivery address and we can't proceed to the next step by registering her interview appointment on the date we were provided until the delivery address step has been complete. And we don't want to put a random address in and risk not being able to change it after we register her appointment.

 

We already sent an email to the US Embassy in France via contact form (email) which is the only way we have experienced on getting in contact with someone, but they do take 2-5 days to reply. So I was hoping anyone may have had a similar situation and provide some advice.

 

Please and thank you in advance!

 

 

[Ticia24 0]

Don't worry about it now, it's a website glitch. Just remember to mention it to the Consulate Officer who will interview her. You can also ask to write your address on the chronopost envelope before giving it to them.

For any issues try calling the Embassy through their skype contact, from my experience they rarely respond to emails...

[shadow0gabe 0]

4 hours ago, Ticia24 said:

Don't worry about it now, it's a website glitch. Just remember to mention it to the Consulate Officer who will interview her. You can also ask to write your address on the chronopost envelope before giving it to them.

For any issues try calling the Embassy through their skype contact, from my experience they rarely respond to emails...

So you just input your current mailing address without being able to change the country and then you notified the Consulate Officer at the interview about it? Just trying to get clarification before I do it.

I guess it's either or when it comes to getting in contact with them, because I tried the skype and regular phone line with no luck with an actual person. I've only been keeping contact via email, but they do take the full 5 days.

I greatly appreciate you for replying! Thank you!

[Ticia24 0]

2 hours ago, shadow0gabe said:

So you just input your current mailing address without being able to change the country and then you notified the Consulate Officer at the interview about it? Just trying to get clarification before I do it.

I guess it's either or when it comes to getting in contact with them, because I tried the skype and regular phone line with no luck with an actual person. I've only been keeping contact via email, but they do take the full 5 days.

I greatly appreciate you for replying! Thank you!

 

Sorry i forgot to say... must use the Embassy address in Paris.

 

Quote

Residents of Portugal/Azores only:  Use the Embassy address for your mailing address: Immigrant Visa Unit, 4 Ave Gabriel, Paris 75008.

Immigrant Visas US Embassy & Consulates in France

 

You're welcome, i just had my interview last week if you need more info feel free to ask.

[shadow0gabe 0]

17 hours ago, Ticia24 said:

 

Sorry i forgot to say... must use the Embassy address in Paris.

 

Immigrant Visas US Embassy & Consulates in France

 

You're welcome, i just had my interview last week if you need more info feel free to ask.

Oh okay awesome and thanks again, however I only seen that statement under the K-1 and not the IR-1 for the mailing address as Portuguese. Sorry for doubting you, we received an email about it today and now I'm getting confused.

This is the email we got today..

 

Dear Sir, Madam,

We only deliver the visa in “France Metropolitaine” not in any other country, even next to France.

The visa is a sticker inside the passport plus one large orange sealed envelope containing your documentation.
Either you contact the U.S. Embassy in Brussels and ask for a transfer of your file (for the interview in Belgium) or you select a valid relative’s address in France where the beneficiary will stay few days (between 5 to 12 days) to receive the visa. 

Sincerely

IV Unit

 

 

 

It just doesn't make sense, even if we were still stationed in Portugal they would still require us to use someone's address in France? I'm confident at least half of the applicants don't know someone in France they can trust with these important documents. 

 

I'm going to go ahead and input the Embassy's mailing address since we are basically in the same step. We don't have time to have the case transferred to Belgium and I'm sure if I explain it to the Consular officer they'll understand. I assume the individual who replied to my email didn't look into my wife's case number and quite understood what I asked (I didn't state she was Portuguese in the email). Even then, they do mail to another country, Portugal, so the email reply kind of contradicts this.

 

It's just frustrating due to how little time we have left.

 

Edited January 26, 2017 by shadow0gabe
formatting, added in a few words

[Ticia24 0]

23 hours ago, shadow0gabe said:

Oh okay awesome and thanks again, however I only seen that statement under the K-1 and not the IR-1 for the mailing address as Portuguese. Sorry for doubting you, we received an email about it today and now I'm getting confused.

Yeah I'm K1 and living in Portugal so maybe your case will be different...

 

But if you get the chronopost envelope (it costs 59 euros) they should be able to send the package to any european country. I assume your spouse belgian address is already on the visa application so they already have it but it's always best to remind them at the interview.

 

 

[shadow0gabe 0]

17 hours ago, Ticia24 said:

Yeah I'm K1 and living in Portugal so maybe your case will be different...

 

But if you get the chronopost envelope (it costs 59 euros) they should be able to send the package to any european country. I assume your spouse belgian address is already on the visa application so they already have it but it's always best to remind them at the interview.

 

 

Yeah I already exchanged many emails these past couple days with them (they responded pretty fast). They stated they can't send the visa package to our Belgian address, they only send to France addresses and Portugal/Azores. We thought about sending it to her dad in the Azores, but that would take too long. The Embassy told us we have to switch to the US Embassy in Brussels and the case will be transferred. Hopefully the case file doesn't take too long and we get an interview date soon. It only took about 3 business days for it to transfer from the NVC to Paris, so hopefully it doesn't take longer than that.

 

I hope no one else runs into this problem, because when we applied for her Visa initially, we were  in Belgium. So I'm not sure why the NVC assigned her to Paris. Everything was going smoothly until this. :/

 

I'm very thankful for your help.

[borodine01 94]

Hello Everyone,

 

can someone please let me know what's the email address for the embassy. every email address I used bounce back.

[Snowycave 0]

Hello mate 

i had interview on 21 feb and before interview i had to make an appointment and i gave a address of france to make an appointment and in the time of interview the consular asked me a chronopost envelope (2kg eu ) and address of portugal (since i am a temporary residend of portugal ) and  now i am in confuse where will my passportbe delievered . Its 5 of march and i have nothing response