Nonimmigrant Visas

The Consular Section of the U.S. Embassy in Bern is responsible for providing visa services to those seeking to enter the United States for a temporary period and for those wishing to take up indefinite or permanent residence in the United States.

Please visit our Global Support Services (GSS) website for complete information on applying for a nonimmigrant U.S. visa, including a directory of nonimmigrant visa categories.

U.S. Embassy Bern prioritizes services for those who are citizens and residents of Switzerland and Liechtenstein. Non resident applicants should expect significant wait times. More information can be found here.

  • You are strongly advised to not book your travel before you have received your visa.
  • Your passport and visa will be delivered  only to a mailing address in Switzerland or Liechtenstein. If you do not have a mailing address within these countries, please begin your application from the country in which you reside. Find your country of residence on the list of U.S. embassies and consulates: https://www.usembassy.gov/
  • Average delivery and processing time following the visa interview is a minimum of five (5) business days.
  • U.S. Embassy Bern does not permit pickup of visas in person.
  • The only return delivery option available is registered mail A+ postage via Swiss Post. You will not have to sign for the envelope when it arrives.
  • U.S. Embassy Bern is unable to refund a mistaken transfer of funds. Verify that your fee amounts are correct before transferring funds.

Questions about your previous travel to the U.S.? You can check your official I-94 departure and entry records at U.S. Customs and Border Protection.

View Travel History

  • No More Paper Form I-94 – New Arrival/Departure-Record Process for Foreign Visitors (April 29, 2013)
  • Your own individual arrival and departure date records (covering the last five years) can be retrieved from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s/Customs and Border Patrol information link at: https://i94.cbp.dhs.gov/I94/#/history-search Over the next few months, U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) will phase out the paper I-94 Arrival/Departure form for most non-immigrant travelers. CBP will instead gather travelers’ arrival/departure information automatically from electronic travel records. Travelers will not need to do anything differently upon exiting the U.S. Travelers previously issued a paper Form I-94 should surrender it to the commercial carrier or to CBP upon departure. Travelers who need the information from their admission record to verify immigration status or employment authorization will be able to get it online at http://www.CBP.gov/I94.
  • I just returned from the United States and discovered that I did not turn in my I-94 departure record. What should I do?  If you departed by a commercial air or sea carrier (airlines or cruise ships), your departure from the U.S. can be independently verified, and it is not necessary to take any further action, although holding on to your outbound (from the U.S.) boarding pass – if you still have it – can help expedite your re-entry next time you come back to the United States. If you failed to turn in your I-94 Departure Record, please send it, along with any documentation that proves you left the United States to: DHS – CBP SBU
    1084 South Laurel Road
    London, KY 40744
    U.S.A.
  • Do not mail your Form I-94 Departure Record or supporting information to any U.S. Consulate or Embassy, to any other CBP office in the United States, or to any address other than the one above. Only at this location are we able to make the necessary corrections to CBP records to prevent inconvenience to you in the future. The London Kentucky office does not answer correspondence, so please do not ask for confirmation that your record has been updated. More information can be found at: U.S. Customs & Border Protection website.

Directions to the U.S. Embassy:

The U.S. Embassy is within walking distance of Bern Hauptbahnhof (main station) approximately one mile (1.6 km) away. Click here for an interactive map of the embassy location.

By Public Transportation:

  • Passengers arriving by train should consult the maps posted throughout the station for Tram 9 Wabern (blue arrow) and use the escalators or stairways of the main exit to reach street level.
  • Proceed to the tram stop right opposite the main terminal. It is situated between the Heiliggeist church and the bank UBS. Make sure the destination on the tram is WABERN.
  • Get off the tram at stop “Monbijou” (2nd stop from train station).
  • Walk back uphill approximately 150 yards/meters (opposite the tram’s direction), take the first street to your right (Kapellenstrasse). Continue on Kapellenstrasse until you reach Sulgeneckstrasse (about 300 yards/meters). The embassy is the white office building on the other side of the street with the security fence around it.

By Car:

  • Driving to Bern from Zurich/Basel/Lausanne on the A1, change to the A6 in the direction of Thun/Interlaken as you approach Bern;
  • Take exit Bern-Ostring;
  • Follow the tram lines and blue signs for Lausanne/Fribourg;
  • Go three-quarters around the second roundabout, still in the direction Lausanne/Fribourg, continue straight past the next three traffic lights;
  • After the third light, you will drive onto a four-lane bridge crossing the river, merge into the far right lane as you cross the river (do not drive into the underpass);
  • Take a right turn at the next intersection into Monbijoustrasse and another immediate right into Giessereiweg which will soon turn into Sulgenrain (follow the white sign for Zentrum);
  • Follow Sulgenrain until you arrive at Sulgeneckstrasse and turn left;
  • After approximately 200 yards/meters you will find the embassy to your right with the security fence around it.
  • Since Sulgeneckstrasse is a one-way street, it is advisable to park your car soon after you enter the street. There is limited pay parking around the Embassy; you may have to park one to two blocks away. Limited blue zone parking is available on Rainmattstrasse (first street to the right after embassy building).

To get more information on nonimmigrant visas, please visit: https://ustraveldocs.com/ch/.