France US Embassy

[Mario001 11]

Just want to let everyone know that I got an email today from the US Embassy in France saying that my K1 interview has been scheduled for May 5th.

[Chauncey 138]

Are you part of any lawsuit?

[Mario001 11]

No

[Mario001 11]

Just want to add here a comment for future Portuguese people that go trough the K1 visa process.

The birth certificate, you can only get it by going to a "Loja do Cidadao" or "Registos". It's a paper that has both Portuguese English and French translation. It has a stamp, so it's not possible to get it online. It took be one week to get it. I had to make an appointment and then I got it there.
The police certificate you can get it online it's an online certified document. Getting it online or physically it's the same thing. It's just something printed. It has no stamping, but it says it's digitally certified. To access it you will need you "Chave Digital" if you don't have it you can sign up for it and it will take 4 business days. Getting the online certificate is instantaneous.

The doctor appointment was pretty straight forward. You go there in the morning (from 8 to 10am), they take your blood, do a chest X-Ray and a eye exam. After that you return at 5pm and get a normal doctor appointment where they check if you have all your vaccines, any diseases or physically problem.

You don't take the medical records with you, they will send them either by mail or a pdf to the embassy.

To the medical exam you need to bring: 1 Portuguese passport photo, vaccine card, passport, embassy appointment email, ID card (Cartao de Cidadao). The cost was 224euros.

 

Hope this helps!

 

[Mario001 11]

Just got back from my Visa Interview. Here is my feedback:
 

Let me share my experience of the K1-Visa at the France US Embassy. I did my interview today, May 5th 2021.
 

I am Portuguese, so I will comment on my experience and what was the necessary documents for a Portuguese Citizen. If you are not Portuguese the required documents or what they check could be different.

Embassy sends an email 3 weeks before the appointment.

You should book your medical appointment 15 days before your interview. The embassy says that you will get an envelope with the medicals but that information is outdated. After your medical they send the results by email to the embassy (If you do the medical in Lisbon). You don't receive anything. The medical exam is: Blood analysis, eye exam, chest x-ray, check your vaccines and do a general touch on your whole body to see if you have any lumps.

The police certificate is a document that you can get online. You pay by card and you are able to download the document. The document is exactly the same if you get it online or in person, so I strongly recommend that you get the document online to save time. To access the document you will need your "Chave Movel Digital" Be sure to have it, if not you can order online and you will receive it in 5 businesses days. I think the cost was 5euros

The birth certificate, you cannot get it online, you need to go to a "Loja do Cidadao" or "IRN" that offers this service and they will print it and stamp it. It took my one week to get the document because booking is a bit limited. Cost was 20euros
 

The website says that you need 1 One color photograph – 2 inches by 2 inches — for each applicant. This is outdated. They asked for 2 photographs 2inches by 2 inches. You can get this picture at any place, just be ready to pay extra because this is not a usual format in Portugal. I payed 10 euros for 3 photos!
 

I brought the I-134 and I-864 documents with me to the embassy, but they were not necessary. They didn't even ask for them. However, just in case you should have them (just don't put a lot of effort into them).

Additionally, you will need to get a chronopost envelope to give at the embassy. This can only be purchased in France at any La Poste office (there is a bunch of them, and one near the embassy). The envelope costs 59euros. Do not throw away the foam that comes inside the envelope.
 

If you are flying to Paris from Lisbon. I recommend that you fly to Orly or BVA, Both have really good bus routes that take you to Paris city center. It's much cheaper than flying directly to CDG airport. On my departure flight I flew Lisbon to BVA and took a 1hour bus (this bus departs the airport every 20min, and costs 16euros) to Paris. In Paris you can take the subway to your hotel. On my return flight I took the bus to Orly. It was 9.50euros.

I found that AirBnb was cheaper than a hotel.
 

At the embassy you arrive and you need to wait to be called in. I was let in at exactly my interview time. I had to leave all my food with the officer. Inside the embassy you go to 3 different people:
*  First booth - Asks for the DS-160 and your passport, they then send you to another booth
* Second booth - The lady asks for your Birth Certificate, Police Record, Passport, Medical Record (in case it was not submitted by email from the hospital), the chronopost envelope, 2 passport photos and the Fiaance statement that she is still free to marry.
* Third booth - Finally you have the interview. To be honest, the interviewers was really not putting a lot of effort. It felt like he just had a checklist to fill out, and that's it. He just asked:
        * Is your fiance a US citizen or a Greencard holder?
        * Where did you meet? (You don't even need to give details)
        * Please show me one picture you two together.

And that's it. Total time at the embassy from entry to exit was 45min. If you have an appointment in the morning you can book a flight in the afternoon (ex: 4pm) and you will have enough time to arrive at the airport after the interview.

PS - Don't forget that when you do the DS-160 you need to select France Consulate and not Lisbon.

 

[Jsilva718 2]

Hello Mario,

 

Thank you very much for this valuable information. I have a few questions, did you walk out of the embassy with the visa? Also, how many days where you in France prior to your appointment? Can you kindly provide the info for the medical office you visited in Lisbon?

 

Thank you kindly,

 

T&J

[Mario001 11]

Hey!

You don't come out with the visa. They will say if it's approved or not, and it will take 10-15 days for you to get your passport back plus some extra documents that you need to bring with you (medical exam).

The medical office, is the one that is on the required documents. You cannot do it in another place:https://fr.usembassy.gov/visas/immigrant-visas/finacee/ and here https://fr.usembassy.gov/wp-content/uploads/sites/50/Portuguese-panel-physician-letter-2020.pdf

 

You need to arrive on the day prior. Depends on the available flights that you get and your embassy appointment time.

let me know if you have more questions!

[Jsilva718 2]

Mario, 

You were able to fly back into Portugal without a passport? Also, they send the passport w/ visa to your home address in Portugal? Was there anyone in the embassy that speaks Portuguese?

 

Thanks again

[Mario001 11]

Yes, you can fly back with you Cartao de Cidadao. if you dont have one, you dont leave your passport at the embassy, but take it with you. You will then have to email it to the embassy. 
Yes, they send it to your portugal home address. That-s why you need the chronopost envelope.

There was one lady that spoke Portuguese, but expect to only speak english

In general you can fly inside Europe with your ID card. The equivalent to flying inside the US with your driver's license

[Mario001 11]

To provide an additional update. Today I got an email saying that my passport is going to be shipped to me. It will take 3 business days for it to arrive. It will be delivered either by DHL or chronospot (DPD). It took the France US Embassy 7 bussiness days to receive this email

[JobbinsKnobbins 240]

On 5/14/2021 at 6:07 AM, Mario001 said:

To provide an additional update. Today I got an email saying that my passport is going to be shipped to me. It will take 3 business days for it to arrive. It will be delivered either by DHL or chronospot (DPD). It took the France US Embassy 7 bussiness days to receive this email

When you got the birth certificate and criminal history; did you need a notarized translation or are you able to request it in English?

Thanks for the updates!

[Mario001 11]

You are welcome!

 

You don't need any notarized or translation of any of the documents. The document already comes write in multiple languages including English.

 

It comes like this:

Nome/Name: XXX

Data de nascimento/Date of birth: XXX

 

Same for the police records

 

 

[Christian And Van 6]

Hey Mario,

Thank you so very much for all of this information!!

Congrats on the acceptance and moving to the States!

I have a quick question, for the packets, and scheduling the interview at the Paris Embassay...was anything done via mail, or was all done via email up until to point of the passport being sent?
I ask, because we are going to move at the end of June, and wondering if I will need to change the mailing address in Lisbon.

Thanks so much!

[Mario001 11]

It's all taken care for by email. Yes you will need a Portuguese address to receive the packets!