Return of passport after interview at the US consulate

In addition to the actual application, the US visa application process also includes planning for the return of the passport after successful processing. The route by which the passport is to be delivered once the US visa application has been approved is determined during the appointment.

There are various options available for returning the passport, including personal collection or delivery by a courier service. The desired delivery method for the passport is stored directly in the personal visa profile online.

If the US visa is verbally approved by the consular officer during the interview appointment, the applicant's passport will be temporarily retained for visa issuance. Once the US visa has been printed and affixed to the passport, it will be returned to the applicant according to the selected delivery option.

Since the end of 2018, the return of the passport has been associated with additional costs, the amount of which may vary depending on the country of application.

Delivery options in Germany

In Germany, the delivery option for the passport or US visa is also specified before the visa interview. To enter the location or delivery information, you must first create a new visa profile or call up your visa profile on the website of the visa service provider U.S. Travel Docs. Once you have logged into the profile and made a new appointment, you can enter the delivery address.

In Germany, passports can either be collected in person (free of charge) or sent by Premium Delivery (subject to a charge). We present the two options below:

1. Personal Collection (free of charge)

Once the US visa has been approved, applicants can collect their passport from one of the Mail Boxes Etc. (MBE) locations.

Mail Boxes Etc. 0202 Berlin
Bundesallee 116, 12161 Berlin
Mon - Fri: 10:00 - 13:00 and 14:00 - 17:30 (except on public holidays, on December, 24 and December, 31)

Mail Boxes Etc. 2545 Garching near Munich
Schleißheimer Str. 15, 85748 Garching bei München
Mon - Fri: 10:00 - 17:30 (except on public holidays, on December, 24 and December, 31)

Mail Boxes Etc. 0009 Frankfurt
Eschersheimer Landstr. 42, 60322 Frankfurt
Mon - Fri: 09:00-13:00 and 14:00-18:00 (closed on public holidays, on December, 24 and December, 31)

The collection is free of charge and is available to all applicants in Germany. As soon as the passport is ready for collection at a selected location, applicants usually receive a notification by e-mail or text message.

Bild vom Visa-Profil mit den Zustelloptionen

Note

You can only pick up your passport in the city where the processing / visa interview takes place, as it is not possible to send documents between the different locations of the US consulates or the US embassy.

It is not permitted to collect the passport directly from the US consulate or the US embassy, as only the respective MBE locations are available for this purpose.

You must present a photo ID and the parcel number when collecting your passport. If you authorize another person to collect the passport on your behalf, this person must present a power of attorney, a photo ID and the parcel number. We recommend that the third person also provides a copy of the passport.

The passport will be kept for a maximum of 14 calendar days at the respective pick-up location.

2. Premium Home Delivery (subject to a charge)

As an alternative to personal collection, applicants can apply for postal delivery within Germany by UPS. To do this, applicants must enter their delivery address in their online visa profile and transfer a fee of currently 22.80 euros.

The Premium Service fee is charged per person and the number of applicants can be selected in the online profile.

Please note the following details regarding passport returns by courier service:

Delivery is made by UPS from Monday to Friday between 08:00 and 17:00. Saturday delivery is not possible.
Receipt of the delivery must be confirmed by signature by a person who accepts the parcel at the specified address. This does not necessarily have to be the person making the request.
Only one delivery attempt is made. However, if no person is present, the parcel is either
1. handed in to a neighbor or
2. taken to a UPS branch / drop-off point. Applicants have seven days to collect the shipment (e.g. by presenting an identity card or by power of attorney through another person). If the shipment is not collected within this period, it will be returned to the US consulate or US embassy. The delivery fee may then have to be paid again.
If the US visa is denied, the Premium Service (Home Delivery) fee can be refunded if payment was made by credit card or debit card. Visa applicants must request a refund within five business days by sending an e-mail to [email protected] and attaching a copy of the DS-160 barcode sheet or specify DS-160 barcode number. Once GTS Premium confirms the refund, the fee will be refunded within ten days.
Refunds for other reasons are not possible.
If the parcel happens to get lost by the deliverer / due to UPS, 100 euros will be refunded. Other compensations (e.g. travel cancelation costs etc.) are not possible.

Our recommendation

Usually there is hardly any difference in terms of time whether you choose personal collection or premium delivery. However, there are always cases where you are not notified that your passport is ready for collection at an MBE location. We therefore generally recommend premium delivery.

Most of the business customers we support use the premium service and have the passport delivered to the company address. In this case, please ensure that the company name is stated in the return address.

If applicants absolutely wish to have their documents collected, we advise them to collect them themselves and not have them collected by a third party in order to avoid potential problems.

Delivery options in Europe

The delivery of the passport is handled slightly different in each country, i.e. depending on the US consulate. Both the amount of the delivery fee and the available payment options may vary from country to country and should therefore always be checked individually. All changes can be viewed online in your visa profile.

Below are a few selected examples:

In European countries such as Austria, Hungary and Switzerland, the fee for the delivery service can be paid via PayPal, for example. The fees range between 12 euros and 35 euros.
In the Czech Republic, you can bring a stamped envelope so that your passport can be returned to you by post.
In France, the fees for the delivery of the passport with the US visa are already included in the application fees and do not have to be paid separately.

Our visa services

We advise you on the choice of the appropriate visa category and take over the complete processing for you or your company.

First contact: We clarify which visa or which visa types are applicable in your case.
Worldwide support: We will assist you with your request, no matter where you are located.
Assignment: We send your HR department and the respective employees all the necessary documents and checklists.
Visa processing: We take care of checking, correcting and compiling the application documents.
Visa Interview Preparation: We will disburse the visa application fee for you and arrange the visa interview appointment. In addition, each applicant will be prepared by telephone for the formalities and procedures at the US Consulate.
Visa issuance: We check your visa for accuracy and prepare your employees for entry into the USA by telephone.

Learn more about our services

Changing the delivery option

It is possible to change both your delivery address and the delivery option at a later date. This change is free of charge and must be made on the GTS platform.

1. Change of delivery address for premium delivery

If you have opted for Premium Home Delivery and paid the delivery fee, you will receive a confirmation e-mail from GTS Premium. This e-mail contains a link in case you want or need to change the delivery address again.

2. Change of delivery option (premium delivery instead of pick-up)

If you would like your passport to be sent by post or premium delivery instead of personal collection, you can arrange this as follows:

Shipment number received by e-mail
Enter your tracking number on the website https://gtspremium.com/#/redirect-shipment. You then have the option of paying the Premium Service fee and specifying your preferred delivery address.
"Only" UID number available
Enter the UID number from your visa profile on the website https://gtspremium.com (you will find it at the top right next to your user name). You then have the option of determining the number of applicants, paying the Premium Service fee and specifying your preferred delivery address.

Changes to passport delivery are only possible up to 23:59 on the day before your visa appointment. If possible, no changes should be made after this time. However, if you change the delivery address or option after this deadline, there is a risk that there will be a delay in the delivery of your passport.
From the first day after the visa appointment, no more changes to the passport delivery are possible.

Duration of passport delivery

The passport will be retained at the US consulate and sent by mail with the visa after processing. It normally takes around seven to ten days to return the passport.

However, there may be fluctuations in the delivery of passports depending on the season. Depending on the volume of orders

the processing times at the US consulate or US embassy and
the delivery times on the part of the transportation service provider

may be shortened or lengthened.

With a bit of luck, you could have your passport in your hands within a few days. In the worst case scenario, it can take up to two weeks to return your passport. It is therefore advisable to plan a buffer for passport delivery.

Status request and passport tracking

You will be notified by e-mail and text message that your passport has been delivered to the desired address or is ready for collection at the selected location. If you need an update in the meantime and would like to check the status of processing, you have several options.

You can check the status of your visa application online at the earliest three working days after the interview appointment and thus see whether your visa has been approved or rejected.

You can track the return of your passport in various ways.

1. Online tracking with passport number

You can enter your passport number directly on the website of the visa service provider U.S. Travel Docs to check the shipment status.

2. Online tracking with tracking number

Alternatively, you can visit the website of the courier service UPS to track the sending of your passport. Please have your tracking number ready.

3. Passport tracking by e-mail

You can also send a query by e-mail to [email protected] by entering your passport number in the subject line and / or in the body of the e-mail. You will then receive an automatic reply with the shipment status.
Please do not write any additional text in the e-mail.

If you have processed your visa application via our US Visa Service, our visa consultants will receive the shipment notification and inform you about the shipping status.

Note

US embassies and US consulates do not provide information on the status of passport shipments. Therefore, please avoid contacting the US consular offices regarding the return of your passport.