Visa in third country

Maria (name changed) holds dual citizenship in Russia and Turkey. She lives in Turkey and initially planned to apply for a U.S. visa there. However, the waiting time for an interview was too long, which could have delayed her trip until the summer—a time she wanted to avoid due to the heat.

We helped Maria explore other options. She decided to apply at the U.S. Consulate in Baku, where the wait time was much shorter. She also took the opportunity to visit family there. At the consulate, she was even able to arrange to pick up her passport the very next day.

Here’s what Maria shared about her experience:

Good evening, Katerina. Yes, they issued the visa in my Turkish passport. We’re heading out today to pick it up, and then we’ll go home.

A young man handled my interview, an American, but he spoke Azerbaijani. I didn’t need a translator. He was a kind, friendly person—may God bless him too.

He asked me questions. First, he asked who I was visiting. I said I was going to visit my son. For how long? I said 2-3 weeks at most. I explained that he would cover all my expenses from there.

I shared everything we had prepared together. Then he asked how many children I had. I told him about my son abroad, my three daughters, and my husband here. They all work, I said, and I have 11 grandchildren that I take care of. He smiled and asked about my health. I told him, “Thank God, I’m alive and well, helping with the grandchildren at home.”

That’s all, just a few simple questions. I was surprised at how easy it was—3 or 4 questions, and that was it.

So, Katerina, thank God, everything went perfectly.