Hi folks. Just wanted to share my experience making a single entry type O visa from the consulate in NYC. I, started back in February approximately 4 weeks before leaving to come to LOS.

First time applying I went to the NYC consulate web site and applied from there. I, first obtained my Covid Insurance for a 90 day stay, picked my ASQ hotel, and bought a 1 way ticket. Applied thru the consulate website got an email to mail to send all supporting documents.  Insurance, ASQ, bank statements, flight itinerary,  wife's Thai ID, marriage certificate, printed application, money order, photos, passport, and return envelope. Mailed everything out on a Monday. Went to check the mail on the following Sunday as I have a PO Box and don't check it every day. The embassy sent everything back including the money order with a paper saying I needed to apply on the evisa website. My bad on that one but, none the less I was a little upset that they never mentioned the evisa site in the email since it cost me $58.00 to mail everything express mail with return envelope. Sent them an email back explaining I was not too happy about the lack of communication in their prior email. They said they would put a visa officer on the case. At this point I had about 3 weeks before departure. I, started to sweat it out a bit as everything said that it could take up to 15 working days.

I, applied for a second time on the evisa website and paid the $80 for the type O visa. It took about 3 days to get my application approved from there. I, then mailed everything back to the embassy and sent an email stating I had less than 3 weeks before leaving. I, got the visa within 2 days.

After I applied for the COE and got approved for that in 2 days.

It was definitely stressful to say the least because of the time frame from which I started the process to actually leaving.

Doing the PCR test was a whole other headache. My flight out was early on a Monday morning. I called several clinics to find out what the time frame was for the results to come back. All of them said 48-72 hours as non of them could guarantee a 24 hour return.

I, found a clinic that did testing for travel and could obtain the fit to fly certificate at the same time but, again they could not guarantee the results within 24 hours. I, took the PCR test and a rapid test just to be safe on Friday night at around 5:00. They approved my fit to fly certificate on based on the rapid results. I, did get the results for the PCR test on Saturday around 3:00 in the afternoon. When I got to the airport I almost was not able to board because they said my test should have been done no later than Saturday morning at 5:00 am. Luckily a supervisor at check in read the details and it specifically said that the test was to be done no later than 72 hours before the first point of embankment. She noted the time of my test results and said that I was ok to board the flight. Needless to say the whole process was pretty stressful. 

Hope this helps anyone that is planning on coming to the LOS. Good luck.

 

The only consulate I will use in the USA is the one in Los Angeles.

I didn't know there was an option. I, thought it went by the state you lived in and the consulate serving that jurisdiction. I, live in New Hampshire.

2 hours ago, DerbyDan said:

The only consulate I will use in the USA is the one in Los Angeles.

 

2 hours ago, Ban Mai Guy said:

I didn't know there was an option. I, thought it went by the state you lived in and the consulate serving that jurisdiction. I, live in New Hampshire.

You have to do it at the embassy or at the official designated official consulate for where you are living.

New York is the one you would use if living in New Hampshire.

This from the embassy website. 

  I too recently did the same visa with the NYC embassy, I did the whole application online and printed and mailed my documents and passport with a return envelope priority mail, the next day through a facebook group someone asked about where to find the receipt from payment with bar code Of course I panicked because I did not see that either on the website and didn't see it mentioned anywhere, so after a few messages back and forth with the guy who posted that he was able to figure it out and told me where to find it so I printed those and mailed them the next day with a note of apology and asked if they could please put those two together, I included my passport number and every number on my application. I never heard from them through email but kept checking the tracking number for the two packages and after they got there a few days later I started checking the tracking number of the return envelope for my passport and miraculously it got back with the visa attached in only 1 week. I am very pleased with the NYC embassy so far. Still have to do the COE but my trip is for June 24 so will wait a little while yet as I'll be getting my second vaccine on May 7. The 72 hour covid test will probably be the most stress of the whole thing!! I don't know of anywhere close to me to get it. The closest place I found is 40 minutes away but I guess that's not too bad. 

   

5 hours ago, Tedly said:

The 72 hour covid test will probably be the most stress of the whole thing!! I don't know of anywhere close to me to get it. The closest place I found is 40 minutes away but I guess that's not too bad. 

I, found this to be the most stressful also. I, had to drive about an hour away to find a place that did rapid, PCR, and fit to fly certificate. No place would guarantee a 24 hour turn around with the results including where I went. Most said within 48 hours. I, did have the results back in 24 hours. I, went on a Friday evening got my test at 5:30 pm. My flight out was at 6:00 am Monday morning. At check in the computer said my test was to be done no sooner that 6:30 am that Saturday. After going round and round with the supervisor at the airline desk they agreed I was OK to go I was still within the 72 hour period upon first point of embarking on the trip. My flight was Boston to Chicago and in Chicago they checked my papers again. Test results, fit to fly, and COE. 

9 hours ago, Ban Mai Guy said:

I, found this to be the most stressful also. I, had to drive about an hour away to find a place that did rapid, PCR, and fit to fly certificate. No place would guarantee a 24 hour turn around with the results including where I went. Most said within 48 hours. I, did have the results back in 24 hours. I, went on a Friday evening got my test at 5:30 pm. My flight out was at 6:00 am Monday morning. At check in the computer said my test was to be done no sooner that 6:30 am that Saturday. After going round and round with the supervisor at the airline desk they agreed I was OK to go I was still within the 72 hour period upon first point of embarking on the trip. My flight was Boston to Chicago and in Chicago they checked my papers again. Test results, fit to fly, and COE. 

 Did they give you an actual paper certificate or email?  My wife got worried when I told her that I think they text or email the results. She said we need a real document from the testing place. She's probably right (She usually is, even when she's not )

   LOL

 

20 hours ago, Tedly said:

 Did they give you an actual paper certificate or email?  My wife got worried when I told her that I think they text or email the results. She said we need a real document from the testing place. She's probably right (She usually is, even when she's not )

   

I, ended up getting both the rapid test and PCR test. I, got a paper certificate for the rapid test and the results from my rapid test was used for my fit to fly certificate. The clinic called the next day with the results from the PCR test and emailed them to me so I could print them out.  I, did the rapid test just as a precaution that I didn't get the results from the PCR in time for my flight. I, had to pay for both test which was just over $300. 

3 hours ago, Ban Mai Guy said:

I, ended up getting both the rapid test and PCR test. I, got a paper certificate for the rapid test and the results from my rapid test was used for my fit to fly certificate. The clinic called the next day with the results from the PCR test and emailed them to me so I could print them out.  I, did the rapid test just as a precaution that I didn't get the results from the PCR in time for my flight. I, had to pay for both test which was just over $300. 

 I think I maybe don't fully understand the type of test, I read that we need RT/PCR is this one test? Or is RT rapid test and PCR another and do you need both or is it one or the other? Sorry if I sound stupid, but this can be  confusing for me until I understand it better. Thanks for you help.  

On 4/25/2021 at 6:34 PM, Ban Mai Guy said:

I, found this to be the most stressful also. I, had to drive about an hour away to find a place that did rapid, PCR, and fit to fly certificate. No place would guarantee a 24 hour turn around with the results including where I went. Most said within 48 hours. I, did have the results back in 24 hours. I, went on a Friday evening got my test at 5:30 pm. My flight out was at 6:00 am Monday morning. At check in the computer said my test was to be done no sooner that 6:30 am that Saturday. After going round and round with the supervisor at the airline desk they agreed I was OK to go I was still within the 72 hour period upon first point of embarking on the trip. My flight was Boston to Chicago and in Chicago they checked my papers again. Test results, fit to fly, and COE. 

I think you got your test resulted on Saturday after 0630 which is okay but close. 

 

Did you get RT-PCR test or just PCR test and/or rapid antigen test?

4 hours ago, gt162 said:

I think you got your test resulted on Saturday after 0630 which is okay but close. 

 

Did you get RT-PCR test or just PCR test and/or rapid antigen test?

 

13 hours ago, Tedly said:

 I think I maybe don't fully understand the type of test, I read that we need RT/PCR is this one test? Or is RT rapid test and PCR another and do you need both or is it one or the other? Sorry if I sound stupid, but this can be  confusing for me until I understand it better. Thanks for you help.  

Sorry about that I got a rapid test and the RT-PCR and yes my results for the RT-PCR test came back around 3:30 pm that Saturday. The time of of the results was noted at check-in.