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How to Pay the U.S. Visa Fee in Kuwait

Kuwait uses the USTravelDocs system. Interviews are held at the U.S. Embassy in Kuwait City.

Payment methods in Kuwait

MethodCurrencyNotes
Cash at VFS VAC or Travel ClubKWDPrinted deposit slip required. Cheques are not accepted
Online cardKWDLocally issued Visa or Mastercard only
Online card via ElavonUSDMastercard

If your card was not issued in Kuwait, read this first

This is the detail that catches out a large share of applicants here, because so many are expatriates holding a card from home.

The dinar card option accepts only a local Visa or Mastercard. A card issued in India, Egypt, the Philippines, Lebanon, the UK or anywhere else will not work on that route, however valid it is.

If you do not hold a Kuwaiti card, you have two working options:

  • Pay in USD through the Elavon route, which takes Mastercard.
  • Pay cash at a VFS VAC or Travel Club location.

Trying the KWD route with a foreign card wastes the attempt and delays the application, because you cannot book an interview until a payment posts. Check where your card was issued before you choose the method — not after it declines.

Whichever card you use, the billing address must match the card. A mismatch is a common cause of a declined payment.

The deposit slip expires

For cash payment you print a deposit slip from your profile and take it to VFS or Travel Club. The slip carries an expiration date, and an expired slip is refused — the agents will not take it.

Generating a new one is free and immediate, so print the slip on the day you are actually going, not days in advance. Pay the exact amount shown on it; a different amount can block scheduling.

Keep the receipt — it cannot be reissued

The cashier's receipt carries the CGI reference number, and that number is what lets you schedule the interview. If the receipt is lost it cannot be replaced. Photograph it before you leave the counter.

Step-by-step

  1. Submit your DS-160 and keep the barcode confirmation page.
  2. Create a profile on the USTravelDocs site for Kuwait and start an application.
  3. Select the correct visa class — paying the wrong amount for your type can stop you scheduling.
  4. Choose a method your card can actually complete.
  5. Pay, and keep the receipt and CGI reference number.
  6. Wait for activation, then book your interview in Kuwait City.

How long before you can book

Allow up to one business day from payment for the receipt to activate — Monday to Friday, excluding U.S. and Kuwaiti public holidays.

Note that the working weeks differ: the Kuwaiti weekend falls on Friday and Saturday, while the system counts Monday to Friday. A payment made on a Thursday can therefore sit longer than you expect.

Fee amounts

  • $185 — B visitor, F and M student, J exchange, C transit, D crew, I media
  • $205 — H, L, O, P, Q, R petition-based work visas
  • $315 — E treaty trader and investor
  • $265 — K fiancé(e)

Questions commonly searched in Kuwait

Can I pay the U.S. visa fee with a foreign credit card in Kuwait?

Not on the dinar option — that one accepts locally issued Visa and Mastercard only. Use the USD Elavon route, which takes Mastercard, or pay cash at VFS or Travel Club.

Where do I pay the fee in cash?

At a VFS VAC or Travel Club location, with the deposit slip printed from your profile. Cash only — cheques are not accepted.

My deposit slip expired. Have I lost the money?

No — an expired slip means the payment never happened. Generate a new slip from the site and use that one.

I lost my receipt. Can I still schedule?

Not without the CGI reference number, and the receipt cannot be replaced. Keep it with your passport and photograph it when you receive it.

Can I use a fee paid in Kuwait for an interview elsewhere?

No. The fee is tied to the country where you apply.

Official sources

Paying from a nearby country

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