How to Complete a United States Visa Application for Algeria (PLEASE NOTE THIS PAGE IS UNDER CONSTRUCTION AND IS NOT COMPREHENSIVE YET)

To visit Algeria as a United States citizen, you need to complete a visa application! Resources online were limited, so I wanted to make a comprehensive guide. At the time of writing this webpage, the Algerian consulate webpages are riddled with broken links and it can be hard to find answers about how and when to complete your application.

WHEN to complete the application

You can only send in your visa application a MAXIMUM of 90 days in advance from your departure date. The Consulate prefers 60 days before your departure date. Due to this, I recommend getting all-inclusive travel insurance that includes refunds for visa denials. You will need to book almost everything in advance.

Required Documents to Gather in Recommended Order of Completion

• Proof of financial resources or income
• Proof of your accommodations
• A copy of the airline itinerary
• Algerian Visa Application
• Proof of address within our Consular jurisdiction
• Two copies of pasport photos (These must be new photos, they are not just scans of your existing passport photo. Be sure not to wear too much makeup in your picture. Walgreens can take these photos for you).
• A copy of your passport, particularly the first pages with your photo and info on them. My copy was in black-and-white, this was OK.
• Your passport. YES, your ACTUAL passport, not a copy. Make sure you have two full bank pages and your passport will be valid for at least 6 months after your trip ends. If not, your visa will be denied. Your visa will be stamped inside of your passport and mailed back to you, this is why they need it.

Proof of financial resources or income

The Algerian government would like to make sure you have the financial resources to have a trip in Algeria. You can include a copy of your:

• Pay stub (this is the details of your paycheck)
• Bank statement (this is your monthly summary of your banking activity)

I personally included both documents to be safe, as well as a copy of my retirement savings.

Proof of Accommodations

Option One (the simplest, best option): A fancy hotel

Booking a fancy hotel online is the easiest option for your visa application. You need proof that you have booked an accommodation somewhere, and fancy hotels allow you to book online and will send you an email confirmation. Make sure your name is somewhere on the confirmation email, or you could probably include the "to" section of the email so the visa reviewer can see it was sent to you. If you are traveling with someone else, please be advised that if you're the opposite sex, you MUST legally be married to share one hotel room. In addition, make sure your partner's name is on the hotel confirmation, as well. I ended up just adding both of our names to the confirmation email myself, it was no problem.

Option Two (technically possible, but complicated): Staying in someone's home

The person you are staying with will need to write you an official invitation letter, then travel to the Algerian city hall and get the document notarized along with their ID card. Then, they'll need to mail you this notarized letter, which you can attach to your application. This is complicated due to the many points of failure. Also, every public building in Algeria had a huge line, so it's a big ask for someone who is already doing you the favor of letting you stay with them.

But what if I really want to stay in someone's home!?

My recommendation: book the fancy hotel, check in, then go stay with your friend. Hotels are not very expensive in Algeria and if you are fine eating the cost of the hotel, this will simplify things. However, you MUST check in at the hotel, or the Algerian government will legitimately come looking for you to make sure you are okay.

Option Three (not recommended): Staying in a cheap hotel

Most hotels in Algeria do not do online reservations. You will call the hotel and book on the phone in likely Darja or French, and then pay in cash upon arrival. This is not ideal because they would still need to get you that notarized letter from option 2, as you need proof of accommodations.

A copy of the airline itinerary

This is the easiest document, in my opinion. Book your flight, then print the confirmation email that lists your name and your flight information. Make sure it has all of your flight information and that it isn't just a receipt.

Algerian Visa Application

Step One: Download the Correct Visa Application Form

PLEASE NOTE: You must download the correct visa form depending on where you live in the United States. The process is otherwise the same.

• For residents of Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, North Dakota, South Dakota, Hawaii, Idaho, Kansas, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Oregon, Texas, Utah, Washington, and Wyoming: Consulate General of Algeria in San Francisco
• For residents of Alabama, Arkansas, Connecticut, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Tennessee, Vermont, Wisconsin: Consulate General of Algeria in New York
• For residents of North Carolina, South Carolina, Delaware, Maryland, Virginia, West Virginia, and Washington D.C.: Embassy of Algeria in Washington D.C.

Step Two: Complete the Application Form on the Computer

You must type your responses in the form, do not hand-write them.
Let's go over it section by section:

• Last Name: Your surname/family name.
• First Name: Your given name.
• Maiden Name: If you changed your last name after marriage, write your maiden name here. Otherwise leave this blank.
• Middle Name: If you have a middle name, write it here.
• Date of birth: Your birthday. Dates should be written in the international format: DD/MM/YYYY. For example, if my birthday was April 10th, 1980, I would write 10/04/1980.
• City of birth: The city in which you were born.
• State of birth: The United States state in which you were born.
• Father's name: Your father's full name. Include first, middle, and last name.
• Mother's maiden & first name: Your mother's full name, written with her maiden name. For example: If my mother was born as "Margaret Shelley Peters," but got married and changed her name to "Margaret Shelley Anderson," write "Margaret Shelley Peters."
• Marital status: Check the box that matches your legal relationship status. Please note that Algeria it is illegal to share a hotel room with someone of the opposite sex if you are not married.
• Gender: The legal sex listed on your passport. Please note that changing one's gender is illegal in Algeria.
• Present citizenship: The name of the country that you are a citizen of. For the United States, write the full country name: "United States of America."
• Citizenship at birth: The name of the country that you were a citizen of when you were born. For the United States, write the full country name: "United States of America."
• Full personal address: Your address, including the name of the country.
• Home phone: Your phone number, written in the following format: ###-###-####. Please note that the form does not allow non-US numbers to be entered. If you have an international phone number, I'd recommend screenshotting the form so you can enter your full phone number. If you do not have a home phone, enter your cell phone.
• Email: Your email address.
• Cell phone: Your phone number, written in the following format: ###-###-####. Please note that the form does not allow non-US numbers to be entered. If you have an international phone number, I'd recommend screenshotting the form so you can enter your full phone number.

Husband-Wife (Please note, if you are traveling with a spouse they will also need to complete a separate application).

• Last name (maiden name for wife): Write the last name of your spouse here. If you have a wife who changed her last name upon marriage, write the last name she was born with here.
• First name: The first name of your spouse. If they have a middle name, do not write it here.
• Date of birth: Their birthday. Dates should be written in the international format: DD/MM/YYYY. For example, if my spouse's birthday was April 10th, 1980, I would write 10/04/1980.
• City of birth: The city in which your spouse was born.
• State of birth: The United States state in which your spouse was born.

Children (Please note, if you are not traveling with your children you may leave this blank).

• Last and first name: Your child's name written with the last name first.
• Date of birth: Your child's birthday. Dates should be written in the international format: DD/MM/YYYY. For example, if their birthday was April 10th, 1980, I would write 10/04/1980.
• Place of birth: Include the city, state, and country.
• Citizenship: The country your child is a citizen of.

Type of travel document

• Ordinary Passport: Check this if you are using your United States passport to travel.
• Give precision: If you checked "other document," describe the document here. Otherwise, leave this blank.
• Number: This is your passport number.
• Issued on: The date your passport was issued. Dates should be written in the international format: DD/MM/YYYY. For example, my "issued on" date is May 1st, 2020, I would write 01/05/2020.
• Expire on: The date your passport expires. Dates should be written in the international format: DD/MM/YYYY. For example, my "issued on" date is May 1st, 2020, I would write 01/05/2020. Please note that your passport must be valid for at least six months during the entire duration of your stay or your visa will be rejected. Even if you luck out and your visa is approved, you will not be permitted to fly when you get to the airport.

Visa solicit for:

This is how many times you will be entering and leaving Algeria. We were only taking one trip so we selected "1 entry," however we ended up getting approved for several entries.

Occupation Section

• Occupation: Your official job title. If you are unemployed, leave this blank.
• Employer: The company that you work for. If you are unemployed, leave this blank.
• Address of employer: The address of the company that you work for, including the country. If you are unemployed, leave this blank.
• Office phone: The phone number of the company you work for. If they have an international phone number, I'd recommend screenshotting the form so you can enter the full phone number. If you do not have a job, leave this blank.

In case of transit

This is in case you are passing through Algeria and it is not your final stop. IF you are traveling to multiple countries, complete this section. Otherwise, leave it blank.

Address Section

• Address during your stay: The address of your hotel (or wherever you are staying). If you are staying in multiple locations, just write one of them here. (I contacted the consulate and confirmed that this is okay). You must book your hotel before filling this out.
• Purpose: The reason for your trip. This is the tourist visa, if you are traveling for other purposes I would use a different guide. In this section, I wrote "Tourism."
• Name of your contact in Algeria: If the Algerian government needs to check on you, this is who they should contact. If you are staying at a hotel, write the hotel name here.
• Phone: The phone number of your contact (or hotel), written in the following format: ###-###-####. Please note that the form does not allow non-US numbers to be entered, which is a bit silly considering you probably need to enter an Algerian phone number. I'd recommend screenshotting the form so you can enter your full phone number or using a seperate text box.
• Length of stay: Your total time in Algeria. For example, if I had a 2 week long trip, I would write "14 days."
• From: Your date of arrival in Algeria. Dates should be written in the international format: DD/MM/YYYY. For example, if my arrival date is May 1st, 2020, I would write 01/05/2020.
• To: Your date of departure from Algeria. Dates should be written in the international format: DD/MM/YYYY. For example, if I am leaving Algeria on May 1st, 2020, I would write 01/05/2020.

Last section

• Have you already visited Algeria?: Write "Yes" if you have, "No" if you haven't.
• Number of visits: Write the number of times you have been to Algeria. If you have never been, write 0.
• When?: Write the dates you have previously visited Algeria. If you never have, keep this blank.
• Length of stay: Write the amount of time you previously spent in Algeria. If you've never been, keep this blank.

Date and applicant signature

Print out TWO COPIES of your form and sign it. You must send each form with a wet signature (meaning the original signature, not a digital version or a copy). Near the signature, write today's date in international format: DD/MM/YYYY.

Proof of address within our Consular jurisdiction

This is to prove that you live in the jurisdiction of the San Francisco, New York, or Washington D.C. consulate. I recommend including:

• Utility bill (this is like water, electricity, gas, sewer, garbage, things like this). Make sure your name is on it somewhere.
• Bank statement (I would inlcude a second copy if you already included it in the "proof of income" step). Make sure your name and address is on this somewhere.
• Credit card statement. Make sure your name and address is on this somewhere.
• Homeowner's or renter's insurance policy. Make sure your name and address is on this somewhere.

It's probably overkill, but I sent all of the above documents just in case.