What is a consular fee?

When issuing visas, Russian citizens often pay consular fees. What is their purpose? In which legal relations can the corresponding payments be paid?

What is the purpose of the consular fee?

In accordance with a common definition, a consular fee is the amount that is transferred to the embassy or the specialized visa center of the state to which a citizen of another country is going to go, while for this he needs to obtain a visa. As a rule, the corresponding payment is a prerequisite for the consideration of a visa application, but it can not be regarded as a guarantee of its receipt.

However, it should be noted that in the legislation of the Russian Federation the concept under consideration can be disclosed in other contexts. Although, of course, in the general case, it is associated with the issuance of a visa to another state.

The size of the consular fee in the traditional sense, depends on which country the traveler is going to travel to, and for what purpose.

The amount of consular fees for the Schengen visa

For example, the corresponding payment for the registration of a tourist Schengen visa is 35 euros. In the event that a visa is issued urgently, the fee increases. In turn, there are certain grounds for reducing the relevant fee. In particular, these benefits are established for the following categories of citizens:

- children under 6 years;

- students of educational institutions who travel to the state issuing the visa for the purpose of training;

- close relatives of citizens of the state of the Schengen zone or people who are in the corresponding territory legally for a long period;

- pensioners, veterans, people with disabilities, as well as accompanying citizens;

- people traveling to a state issuing a visa for urgent medical treatment, as well as accompanying citizens;

- athletes, scientists, cultural figures;

- participants of humanitarian missions;

- journalists;

- representatives of the highest authorities.

The way in which the consular fee is paid depends also on the policy of the specific state issuing the visa.

The procedure for payment of consular fees for the registration of a Schengen visa

So, if it is a question of obtaining a Schengen visa, then the transfer of the corresponding payment in favor of a foreign state is usually carried out in cash at the embassy's cash desk or an accredited visa center. In some cases, it is possible to pay a visa at a bank with which the embassy has an agreement on accepting payments that constitute a consular fee. Sometimes it is possible to pay a corresponding obligation on a check - if, for example, the documents are sent to the embassy through a courier.

The consular fee for the Schengen visa, despite the fact that it is nominated in euros, is usually paid in rubles. The corresponding payment must be transferred in favor of the receiving state in the general case before its diplomatic structures will consider the documents for the visa. But in some cases it is allowed to pay a consular fee even before filing an application with the embassy.

A visa consular fee is usually a non-refundable payment. Having considered the peculiarities of its transfer in favor of the states of the Schengen zone, we will study the specifics of its payment to the US embassy.

Payment of consular fees for a visa in the US: nuances

Consular fee for a visa in the United States, as in the case of applying to the embassies of the Schengen states, is non-refundable, and can not be regarded as a guarantee of issuing a visa to a Russian citizen. Its type determines the value of the corresponding payment. Citizens of some states planning to visit the United States need to transfer an additional visa fee to the US embassy.

As with the Schengen visa, the US consular fee, although denominated in dollars, is actually paid in rubles. At the same time, the practice of transferring it through the bank's cash desk or through specialized Internet portals using a credit card is common. In particular, some Russian financial institutions have this option provided by corporate systems of remote customer service.

Consular fees for a visa in the US - personified. They can not be used by others. After transferring the relevant fee to the US Embassy, the visa applicant is given a receipt that is valid for 1 year. Pay the visa fee for a visa in the United States before you submit documents to the embassy. If the applicant does not send them within 1 year after the transfer of the payment in question to the embassy, he will have to pay again - if the person still wishes to subsequently issue a visa.

The size of the visa fee in the United States

The size of the relevant fee, as we noted above, depends on the type of visa, which, in turn, is determined by the purpose of travel of a Russian citizen to the United States. For example, for issuing basic visas relating to nonimmigrant - that is, tourist, student or confirming the status of a participant in the exchange program, it is necessary to transfer 160 dollars to the American embassy. Documents issued when working in the US, can cost more - about 190 dollars.

It can be noted that US legislation provides for the procedure for the issuance of certain nonimmigrant visas, under which a consular fee may not be paid. For example, it is possible if documents like A, G, C-2, C-3, NATO, as well as diplomatic ones are issued.

The fees in addition to the consular payment for a visa in the US

It can be noted that the consular fee for a visa in the United States is in many cases supplemented by a number of other payments. Their list depends, first of all, on agreements between the diplomatic structures of the United States and the state, whose citizens plan to enter the United States.

Among such fees is a payment to the SEVIS system, which is designed to monitor the status of US visitors who have received a visa in the framework of participation of certain programs. In general, the amount of the corresponding liability is about 200 dollars. As in the case of consular fees, this payment must be paid in favor of US immigration authorities before a Russian citizen sends an application for a visa to the US embassy.

Russian consular fees for citizens of the Russian Federation

At the beginning of the article, we noted that the legislation of the Russian Federation provides for consular fees that are not relevant to the processing of documents necessary for crossing the border with another state. In particular, Resolution of the Government of Russia No. 889, adopted on November 11, 2010, introduced the rates of consular fees for a number of services rendered by Russian immigration agencies. For example, a Russian consular fee, regulated by this source of law, may be levied on citizens of the Russian Federation outside of Russia for the issuance of identity documents.

Summary

Thus, the term under consideration can have quite a number of interpretations. In general, a consular fee is understood as payment in favor of the immigration structures of the state to which a Russian citizen is issuing a visa. However, in the legislation of Russia there are norms according to which Russians can pay consular fees in favor of their state - for example, for the purpose of issuing a passport while abroad.