A-2 Visa Requirements for Foreign Government Officials

To meet the A-2 visa requirements, you must be a full-time employee of a foreign government recognized by the United States, traveling solely to carry out official duties for that government, and you must apply at a U.S. embassy or consulate with a diplomatic note from your government, a completed DS-160, a valid passport, and a photograph. The A-2 covers government workers below senior diplomatic rank: embassy and consulate staff, military personnel on assignment, and delegation employees. Senior figures like ambassadors and heads of state use the A-1 instead.¹

Who Qualifies

The work you do in the United States must be governmental in character, as determined by the Department of State. Commercial activity, tourism, and personal business fall outside the category and require a different visa.

The people who typically qualify include:

Government officials and full-time staff assigned to a foreign embassy or consulate in the U.S.
Short-term government representatives sent for up to 90 days of official duties, based on a written request from their country.
Foreign armed service members stationed at a U.S. military base or assigned to a foreign embassy or consulate.
Staff members of European Union and African Union delegation representatives.

One rule catches people off guard: if you are a foreign government official performing official duties, you cannot enter the U.S. under the Visa Waiver Program or on a visitor visa. You have to obtain an A visa before traveling, even for a short trip.²

Family Members Who Can Come With You

Your immediate family can receive A-2 classification alongside you. That covers your spouse and unmarried children who are members of your household. The general age cutoff for dependent children is 21. Some bilateral agreements extend eligibility to 23, or up to 25 if the child is enrolled full-time at a post-secondary school.¹

Children who age out and want to stay in the U.S. for school typically need to change to F-1 or M-1 student status.

Documents You Need To Apply

Start with Form DS-160, the online Nonimmigrant Visa Application. Print the confirmation page with its barcode. If you are already on assignment in the U.S. and renewing, use Form DS-1648 instead.

Bring these to your appointment at the U.S. embassy or consulate:

A passport valid for at least six months beyond your planned stay, unless your country has an exemption.
The printed DS-160 confirmation page with barcode.
A photograph, uploaded during the DS-160 process, or brought as a printed photo if the upload fails.
A diplomatic note from your government confirming your name, date of birth, position and title, place of assignment, purpose of travel, description of duties, travel dates, anticipated length of stay, and information about any accompanying dependents.¹

The diplomatic note is the piece that distinguishes this application from other visa categories. Without it, your government has not formally identified you as an official traveler, and the consulate has no basis to issue an A visa.

Fees and Interview

A-2 applicants are exempt from the standard nonimmigrant visa application processing fee, which is currently $185 for most other categories.³

A separate reciprocity fee may still apply, depending on your nationality. Reciprocity fees mirror what your home country charges U.S. diplomats for similar visas, so the amount varies by country. Look yours up on the Department of State’s reciprocity schedule before your appointment.⁴

Interviews for A-1 and A-2 applicants are often waived, though a consular officer can request one at their discretion.¹

How Long You Can Stay

A-2 holders are admitted for “duration of status.” There is no fixed expiration date on your authorized stay the way there would be with a tourist or work visa. You can remain as long as you continue performing your official duties and hold your government position. When the assignment ends, you are expected to depart. If duties require an extended stay, your foreign mission can coordinate with USCIS for an extension.

What You Can and Cannot Do

Your A-2 authorizes activities directly connected to your government’s official functions in the United States: attending conferences, participating in meetings, performing administrative work at your embassy or consulate, and other tasks the Department of State considers governmental in nature. You cannot take outside employment, run a business, or perform commercial work in A-2 status.¹

Studying on the Side

You and your dependents can attend school in the U.S. as long as study is incidental to the primary reason for being here. You and your spouse may enroll part-time or full-time at any school. Minor children can attend K-12 schools, and unmarried minor children can attend post-secondary institutions. For dependent children between 21 and 23, or up to 25 under certain bilateral agreements, full-time post-secondary enrollment is actually required to maintain dependent status.⁵

If you or a family member wants to pursue study as the primary activity, you can apply to change status to F-1, M-1, or J-1.

Work Authorization for Spouses and Children

Family members are not automatically authorized to work. A spouse or unmarried dependent child can apply for an Employment Authorization Document, but the request runs through diplomatic channels. Your mission first submits Form I-566 to the Department of State, which reviews and endorses the request. If favorably endorsed, the Department of State forwards Form I-765 (Application for Employment Authorization) to USCIS for processing.⁶ Dependents of A-1 and A-2 officials file under eligibility category (c)(1) on the I-765.

Once approved, the authorization is unrestricted: any employer, any type of job, not limited to work related to the diplomatic mission.⁷

Taxes

The tax treatment is favorable compared with most work visas, but much of it depends on reciprocity with your home country.

Your official government salary is exempt from U.S. federal income tax if two conditions are met: you perform services similar to what U.S. government employees perform abroad, and your home country grants an equivalent tax exemption to American government employees working there. If your country does not offer that reciprocal exemption, you may owe U.S. income tax on your salary. Many countries also have bilateral tax treaties with the U.S. that separately exempt diplomatic wages, so check whether a treaty applies to your situation.⁸

You are exempt from U.S. Social Security and Medicare taxes on wages paid in your official capacity. This exemption does not extend to A-3 domestic workers, who may owe these taxes unless a totalization agreement between the U.S. and their home country provides otherwise.⁹

Days spent in the U.S. under an A visa (other than A-3) do not count toward the substantial presence test the IRS uses to determine U.S. tax residency. Your time on official assignment generally will not trigger broader U.S. tax obligations on worldwide income. Unlike students and exchange visitors, A-2 holders are not required to file Form 8843 to claim exempt days.⁸

A Note on Immunity

Immunity is one of the most misunderstood aspects of A-2 status. It varies by your specific role at the mission, not just your visa class. The framework comes from the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations for embassy personnel and the Vienna Convention on Consular Relations for consulate staff.

Diplomatic agents, who typically hold A-1 visas, enjoy near-complete immunity from criminal prosecution and broad immunity from civil lawsuits. Most A-2 holders sit in the administrative and technical staff or service staff categories, with more limited protection. Administrative and technical staff have full immunity from criminal jurisdiction but civil immunity only for acts performed in official duties. Service staff receive the narrowest protection, covering only official acts, and can be compelled to testify as witnesses.¹⁰

The practical takeaway: an off-duty car accident or private dispute is not necessarily covered. Your home government can waive your immunity, and for serious incidents, the U.S. government may request that it does.

Bringing a Domestic Worker

Personal employees and domestic workers do not travel on an A-2. They apply separately for an A-3 visa, which involves additional safeguards against labor exploitation. The A-3 requires a written employment contract signed by both employer and worker, guaranteeing at least the greater of the federal or state minimum wage or the prevailing wage for the area, along with normal working hours, overtime, at least one full day off per week, and a commitment not to withhold the worker’s passport or personal property.

After the first 90 days, wages must be paid by check or electronic transfer to a bank account solely in the worker’s name. You must also cover all travel costs related to the employment. Consular officers review the contract at the interview and must be satisfied you can support the required wages and conditions. A-3 applicants pay no visa application fee but must appear for an in-person interview, unlike the principal A-2 holder.

1
U.S. Department of State. Visas for Diplomats and Foreign Government Officials
2
Department of State Foreign Affairs Manual. 9 FAM 402.3 Officials and Employees of Foreign Governments
3
Department of State. Fees for Visa Services
4
U.S. Department of State. U.S. Visa: Reciprocity and Civil Documents by Country
5
ICE. Nonimmigrants: Who Can Study?
6
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Form I-765 Instructions for Application for Employment Authorization
7
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. USCIS Policy Manual, Volume 10, Part A, Chapter 2 – Eligibility Requirements
8
Internal Revenue Service. Publication 519 (2025), U.S. Tax Guide for Aliens
9
Internal Revenue Service. Aliens Employed in the U.S. – Social Security Taxes
10
Foreign Affairs Manual. Immunities of Foreign Representatives and Officials of International Organizations in the United States