The US Embassy in Athens – A Guide to Contacting and Visiting

The doctor will require the following documents and items to complete the medical exam forms:

Your passport, Four color photos (5x5cm), taken without wearing eyeglasses, taken in full-face view directly facing the camera, and taken within the last six months.

1. Your visa interview letter.
2. Your passport, Four color photos (5x5cm), taken without wearing eyeglasses, taken in full-face view directly facing the camera, and taken within the last six months.
3. A copy of your immunization records.
4. The fees for the medical examinations as you’re expected to pay for the medical examination.
5. Male applicants over 18 years old must present their “Type A” military record.
6. Complete U.S address and telephone number.
7. Type of your visa and your DS-260 Confirmation Page.

Tip 3: After the medical exam has been completed, it is very essential that you bring some required original documents to your interview. Here is a list of documents you’re to take long with you when heading for the interview:

1. A copy of your NVC interview letter
2. Unexpired passport valid for six (6) months beyond your intended date of entry to the United States and a photocopy of the biographic page (where your name and photo are located).
3. Two (2) color photographs of each person applying for a visa (5cm x 5 cm).
4. Confirmation page from the Form DS-260 Application for an Immigrant Visa that you are expected to have submitted online at https://ceac.state.gov/iv/
5. Your original birth certificate and a photocopy (Note: Failure to provide the correct birth certificate may delay you obtaining your Visa).
6. Medical examination results in a sealed envelope (if the physician gives you these results).
7. Confirmation page from your online registration of a pickup location at a DHL courier service.
8. Original or certified copies of birth certificates for all children of the principal applicant (even if he or she is not accompanying).

Also there are some special documents for certain categories of people and they include:

For family-based visa applications:

1. The appropriate Form I-864 Affidavit of Support for each financial sponsor along with a photocopy of the sponsor’s IRS transcript or most recent U.S. federal income tax return, and any relevant W-2s.
2. Proof of your U.S. petitioner’s status and domicile in the United States (photocopy of a U.S. passport, naturalization certificate, or lawful permanent resident card).

3. You will need to provide evidence of the relationship between the petitioner and visa applicant (such as photographs, letters, or emails).
4. If you are married: Your original marriage certificate and a photocopy and if you were previously married: Your original divorce or spouse’s death certificate, and a photocopy.

For people older than 16 years of age:

You must provide a more recent police certificate to the interview that states that:

1. You are older than 16 years
2. You obtained a police certificate and submitted it to NVC more than two years ago.
3. You still live in the country that issued the police certificate.

For employment-based visa applications: Letter from your U.S. employer dated less than one month ago must be included.

For those that have served in any countries military: Military records and a photocopy must be included.

For those that are adopted: Adoption papers or custody documents (English translation) and a photocopy must be included.

After the submission of these documents, reading the written application and speaking with the applicant; the consular officer would now decide whether to grant a visa. You cannot be certain that you will be granted a visa until after the interview; the officials will store your passport at the embassy while they create your immigration package and print a visa for your passport if your visa application is granted. Your passport will be returned to you later only through courier services.

The embassy will then stamp a page in your passport with your immigrant visa after it has been approved. Please check your visa for typos before submitting it. Additionally, they will send you a sealed envelope with papers that you must present to American immigration officials when you land in the country for the first time. Keep this envelope closed. You cannot check it in with your luggage; you must bring it with you. Note that there may be other requirements but for now this is a simple guideline you can follow for visitation.

For passports services that include renewal and getting a new passport, here is a list of documents you will be required to bring along with you to the embassy as a US citizen:

1. Evidence of US citizenship which may include and is not limited to your birth or naturalization certificate, report of birth abroad or an expired, undamaged US passport
2. Valid government issued identity card which may include your foreign passport, driving license, Greek identity card or military identity card (Note that they must have a photograph of you attached to them).
3. Two 2*2 inch US passport sized photograph as Greek passport sized photograph are not accepted
4. For applicants below 16 years of age, a birth certificate must be presented and both parents are expected to be present with their child while having their valid government issued photo identity card with them.
5. For applicants above 16 years of age, their valid government issued photo identity card would be required

6. The non-refundable application fee if you’re getting a new passport. This cost about $105.00 for children under the age of 16 and $145.00 for people above the age of 16 and you’re to pay in fee to the person at the cashier when you get to the embassy.

RESOURCES AVAILABLE TO US CITIZENS IN ATHENS

Some resources available at the embassy to US Citizens residing in Athens include: emergency assistance, medical services, and community resources

Medical Services: Unfortunately, the US government does not provide medical insurance to its people living abroad; therefore they are not responsible for paying medical expenditures. The cost of a citizen traveling abroad is typically not covered by Medicare or Medicaid; therefore you should buy insurance before leaving.

Private hospitals look more like United States but are very expensive, so it is strongly advised that you make inquiries about the fees first, settle all bills in Euros, and request a formal receipt. Public hospitals typically operate with skeletal staffs and may find it difficult to find a doctor or someone who can speak English. In addition, medical treatment can be more scarce and restricted to clinics on islands and outside of Athens.

Emergency Assistance: A U.S. citizen’s arrest, a U.S. citizen’s death, victims of crime, and international parental child abduction are all included. Dial 112 in cases of life-or-death situations. Additionally, the following numbers are offered for US citizens in need of emergency services, such as aid with a death, an arrest, a medical condition, a child’s welfare, an ongoing kidnapping, or an injury: Additionally, you can call +(30)(210) 721-2951, which is open from 8:30 AM to 5:00 PM, Monday through Friday, excluding Greek and US holidays.

Additionally, you can contact the ACS by email unit at: [email protected] or by calling the after-hours emergency line at +(30)(210) 721-2490 if you’re calling from the US (Time difference note: It is seven hours later in Athens than in Washington DC).

For emergency financial assistance for US citizens based abroad and offered by the embassy, visit http://travel.state.gov/content/passport/en/emergencies/financial- assistance.html

Also you can contact this number: +(30)(210) 721-2951 which is available Monday to Friday, 8:30A.M to 5:00 P.M, except on Greek and US holidays. You can also use the after-hours emergency number: +(30)(210) 721-2490 – and if you’re dialing from US, you can call 1- 888-407-4747 or email the ACS unit at: [email protected]

Community Resources: The phrase “community resources” refers to a broad range of things that could be beneficial to the community. As long as it offers local residents aid or a service, this could be anything. They could be local companies, associations, government agencies, or even regular people.

Opportunities abound despite the challenging economic situation Greece is going through, and the economic and commercial staff at the Embassy is prepared to help you in any way they can. The economic reforms Greece has agreed to implement will build the groundwork for a prosperous and sustainable future, and the US strongly supports them. They have collaborated closely with the Greek government and the

American-Hellenic Chamber of Commerce to promote a more welcoming investment environment where American businesses can compete in all industries as they work to protect and advance new and emerging technologies as well as strengthen intellectual property rights. To expand American market dominance in Greece, the embassy makes considerable use of trade promotion, commercial lobbying, and market access support.

With a variety of services to suit their needs, the U.S. Commercial Service can assist its residents in selling their goods in Greece. The U.S. Commercial Service will collaborate with you to help you reach your objectives, regardless of whether you are an experienced exporter looking to increase your sales in this market or if you are a first-time exporter to Greece who needs new trading partners or joint venture partners in Greece or even the Balkans. Visit the website https://www.trade.gov/greece/ for additional details.

Some of the embassy’s roles in promoting safety and security for US citizens in Athens include:

1. Taking direct responsibility for security of mission- including security from terrorism and protecting all US government personnel on official duty and their dependents
2. Carefully using mission resources through regular reviews of programs, personnel and funding levels.
3. Reshaping the mission to serve US citizen interests and values and to ensure that all executive branch agencies attached to the mission do likewise.
4. Serving US citizen with professional excellence, the highest standards of ethical conduct, and diplomatic discretion.

There you have it then, the straightforward guide to contact and visit the US Embassy in Athens. We first began by discussing the purpose of having a US Embassy and how you can contact and have access to it is,

we included the address, phone number, fax number, email, and website for the US Embassy which is located at 91 Vasilisis Sophias Avenue, 10160 Athens, Greece and may be reached by phone at +(30)(210) 721- 2951, via fax at +(30)(210) 729-4444, or by mail at [email protected], while https://gr.usembassy.gov/. After that, we shifted our focus to the guidelines and paperwork needed to visit the embassy for an interview and we talked about you have to book an appointment online to be able to have access to the embassy as well as what to anticipate after completing this process.

Finally, we talked about services and resources available to US citizens in Athens, how to access these resources and finally discussed the embassy’s role in promoting safety and security for US citizens in Athens.

We sincerely hope you enjoyed our content. However, we’d love to get your feedback on what works and what doesn’t. Have we forgotten to add anything? Are there any additional topics you’d want to see covered here? Are you interested in knowing more about the Embassy?

You can learn more here as well as on the embassy’s website, but the most crucial thing you can do when you want to visit the US embassy in Athens is to make sure you adhere to the laid-out guides in this post. Good luck guys! Till next time…