US set to open new visa center in Parañaque

MANILA – The US Embassy in the Philippines will launch an updated visa appointment system and open a new visa application center (VAC) at Parqal Building 8 in Parañaque City this month.

Immigrant and non-immigrant visa applicants seeking interview appointments from Sept. 28 onwards will be required to schedule a separate appointment at the VAC for photo capture and fingerprint scanning prior to their interview at the US Embassy in Roxas Boulevard.

The scheduling will be done through its new appointment system ustraveldocs.com/ph that will go live on Sept. 28.

"Applicants who have scheduled a visa interview before Sept. 28 will not be affected by this change and should proceed directly to their appointment at the Embassy," said the Embassy's advisory.

Meanwhile, applicants who have existing accounts in the current visa appointment system will be required to sign in to the new system using their already-registered email address to retrieve their user profile, which includes payment receipts and appointment information.

The VAC will offer appointment slots from 7 a.m. to 4 p.m., Monday to Friday, and from 7 a.m. to 11 a.m. on Saturdays.

Meanwhile, no appointment is needed for applicants who will pick up their passports or drop off interview waiver visa applications and other required documents from 7 a.m. to 4 p.m., Monday to Friday.

Additionally, the Embassy said it will launch a call center for customers with general, non-emergency American Citizen Services (ACS) inquiries.

US citizens can call consular hotlines at (+632) 7792-8988 or (+632) 8548-8223, or (703) 520-2235 for callers in the United States, with passport, citizenship, and notarial service questions.

The US Embassy will also launch a new and dedicated website and email at [email protected] for these ACS services on Sept. 28.

Inquiries not related to passport, citizenship, or notarials should still be sent to the embassy's ACS unit directly via [email protected]. (PNA)