These pages are intended to provide general information regarding U.S. Consular Services in Canada available to American Citizens, Canadian Citizens, and Third-Country Nationals. We also provide access to the Visa Information Services Centre for those individuals who require an appointment at one of the U.S. Consulates in order to obtain a visa.
If you are an American Citizen in Canada, you may contact the Embassy or nearest U.S. Consulate directly. Use the link below for more information about consular services available to you.
If entering the U.S. by air, you must present a valid Canadian passport. If you enter by land or water after January 31, 2008, you must be prepared to present either a valid Canadian Passport or a government issued photo ID (such as a driver's license) and a birth certificate or other proof of citizenship. Persons 18 years and younger need only present a birth certificate or other proof of citizenship.
If you are a Canadian citizen, you do not require a visa to visit the United States for periods of less than 180 days.
Citizens of certain other countries do not require a visa to visit up to 90 days. Use the link below to find detailed information.
- If you do not possess a valid passport from a visa waiver country, or
- If you intend to visit longer than 90 days, or
- If you intend to work or study in the U.S.
Then you must qualify for the appropriate visa outside the United States. Detailed information is provided herein or at the website of the U.S. Embassy in your country of residence. Refer to the complete list of official U.S. Embassy Web Sites.
All visa applicants in Canada are seen by appointment only.
The fee for using this service is CA$8.75 payable by one of the following credit cards:
- VISA
- MasterCard
- American Express
If you require additional information, please call one of the following U.S. Embassy Information lines:
1-888-840-0032 from either the U.S. or Canada - you will be asked to provide your credit card number. CA$1.59/minute
1-900-451-2778 from within Canada - you will be charged CA$1.89 per minute
1-900-443-3131 from within the U.S. - you will be charged US$1.89 per minute
Many office phones and all pay phones are set to block calls to 900 numbers. If the 900 telephone service is not available to you, please use the 888 number above.
If it is not clear where to find the information you are seeking - either by using the main navigation menu at the top of every page or the Amcits Site Map then we recommend that you use the Search function linked below. Enter keywords and be directed to the pages which contain those words.
Amcits.com is an officially contracted website of the Consular Section of the U.S. Embassy in Ottawa, established to provide comprehensive information on U.S. consular services in Canada. To visit the official U.S. Embassy Ottawa web site, please click below. Please beware of other web sites that purport to offer advice or expedited appointments for large fees. They have no connection with the U.S. government.
