The A Company

Apply for a U.S. visa for returning residents (SB-1) in Kosovo

Apply for returning resident status, book the visa appointment, pay the DS-117 fee, the consular officer decides your returning resident status, fill in the DS-260 application, register online, pay the U.S. visa fee, prepare the documents, send the documents the week before the interview, have the medical exam, attend the interview, the consular officer decides on your visa, get your passport, travel back to.

You live in Kosovo. Your passport is from Kosovo. Going to the U.S. Visa type Returning Resident (SB).

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What it costs

U.S. visa for returning residents (SB-1)
Returning resident application fee (DS-117)Paid to the U.S. Department of State, for Form DS-117.2$1801
Fee for the U.S. visa for returning residents (SB-1)Paid to the U.S. Department of State, only if the returning resident application is approved.2,3$2051
The A Company's serviceThe A Company prepares the DS-117 for returning resident status, books the visa appointment, tells you how to pay the DS-117 fee at the Embassy cashier, fills in the DS-260 application, registers you online for the return of your passport, pays the U.S. visa fee, prepares the documents for the interview, sends the documents to the U.S. Embassy the week before the interview, and books the medical exam. Paid to The A Company, half at the start, half before the interview.18€2,5001

Total€2,844

At the European Central Bank rate of October 14, 2026: €1 = $1.1195

Step 1: Apply for returning resident status (DS-117)

A permanent resident who stayed outside the United States longer than 1 year, or beyond the Re-entry Permit, needs a new immigrant visa. Apply at the embassy with Form DS-117, at least 3 months before you travel.3

Form DS-117, the returning resident application

Step 2: Book the visa appointment

The appointment for your visa interview. At the U.S. Embassy or Consulate in your home country. You book it online, where you also select your visa type, add dependents and confirm the visa payment. Keep the appointment letter that confirms your booking, because you present it at the interview.4

Visa appointment confirmation

Step 3: Pay the DS-117 fee at the Embassy cashier

In cash, in dollars or in euros, but not a mix of both. At the time of your appointment. It is $180. It is not refunded.4

The Embassy cashier's receipt for the DS-117 fee

Step 4: The consular officer decides your returning resident status

If it is approved, the Consular Section gives you an instructions package for the rest of the Returning Resident (SB-1) immigrant visa process.4

Form DS-117

Step 5: Fill in the DS-260 application

You and each family member immigrating with you fill in the DS-260 online. Print its confirmation page and bring it to the interview.5

The DS-260 confirmation page for the SB-1 visa

Step 6: Register online for the return of your passport

Your registration gives the Embassy the correct information to return your passport and documents after the interview. Before your visa interview appointment.6

The confirmation of the registration for the return of the passport

Step 7: Pay the U.S. visa fee

The visa application fee. Keep the receipt or its reference number safe.7

The visa fee receipt for the SB-1 visa

Step 8: Prepare the documents

Civil documents issued by the official authority, with certified translations when they are not in English or the official language of the country you apply from.8,9

Required

  • An open passport

    PassportYour current passport.10

  • The DS-260 confirmation page for the SB-1 visa

    DS-260 confirmationThe confirmation page of your DS-260, printed.5

  • A printed visa photo

    PhotoPhotos as the U.S. visa photo rules ask.8

  • Birth certificate

    Birth certificateYour birth certificate. The original or a certified copy. Some visas also ask for a photocopy.6

  • The panel physician's medical exam form (DS-2054)

    Medical exam resultsThe results of your medical examination. In a sealed envelope, if the physician gives them to you.6

  • The reentry permit, the main proof of returning resident status

    Proof of entitlement to returning resident statusProof that you are entitled to returning resident status.11

Step 9: Send the documents to the U.S. Embassy the week before the interview

All the required original documents. To the Consular Section of the U.S. Embassy in Pristina. On the Tuesday of that week, at 16:00.6

The A Company's envelope that brings the original documents back, with its shipping label

Step 10: Have the medical exam

You and each family member applying with you see an embassy-approved doctor, the panel physician, in the country of the interview.12

Required

  • Visa appointment confirmation

    Visa appointment confirmationYour interview appointment confirmation letter. It shows that you booked your appointment through the official appointment service.6

  • A Kosovo vaccination booklet

    Immunization recordsA copy of your immunization records.6

Step 11: Attend the interview at the U.S. Embassy in Pristina

A consular officer interviews you and decides whether you are eligible for the immigrant visa. Bring the printed DS-260 confirmation page.10

U.S. Embassy Pristina

Address
Arberia/Dragodan, Rr. 4 KORRIKU Nr.25, Pristina, Kosovo13
Phone
+383 38 59 59 300013
Email
PristinaVISAS@state.gov13
Website
xk.usembassy.gov13

Step 12: The consular officer decides on your visa

If the visa is approved, you may pay a visa issuance fee, if one applies to your nationality. You are told how your passport with the visa will be returned to you.6

CEAC's Visa Status Check: the visa issued

Step 13: Get your passport with the U.S. visa

If your visa is approved, the passport comes back through the courier service. You get an email or a text message once the passport is ready.6

Step 14: Travel back to the United States

With the SB-1 immigrant visa, enter the United States before the expiration date printed on the visa.14

The Turkish Airlines e-ticket itinerary: Pristina, Istanbul, San Francisco and back

Ask us about this visa

Questions? Answers.

How does a U.S. immigrant visa start?

Not for an SB-1. If your returning resident application is approved, no petition needs to be filed for you. The U.S. embassy or consulate gives you the instructions for the rest.3

Who needs a returning resident (SB-1) visa?

A permanent resident who stayed outside the United States longer than 1 year, or beyond the 2-year validity of a Re-entry Permit, and now needs a new immigrant visa to return. The SB-1 is for those who stayed away for reasons beyond their control.3

What must I prove for an SB-1 visa?

That you were a permanent resident when you left the United States, that you left intending to return and still intend to, and that a long stay abroad was caused by reasons beyond your control.3

How much does the U.S. returning resident visa (SB-1) cost in Kosovo?

$180 for Form DS-117, and $205 for the visa if the application is approved.2,3

How much does the SB-1 visa cost?

$180 for Form DS-117, the returning resident application. If it is approved, $205 for the immigrant visa application (DS-260), plus the medical examination and vaccinations.2,3

Which documents do I need for an SB-1 visa?

Form DS-117, your Green Card (Form I-551), your Re-entry Permit if you have one, and proof of your travel dates, of your ties to the United States and intention to return, and that your long stay abroad was beyond your control.3

Which civil documents do I need for a U.S. immigrant visa?

A birth certificate, marriage and divorce certificates, and police certificates if you are 16 or older. They must be issued by the official authority in your country. Documents not in English, or in the official language of the country where you apply, need a certified translation.8,9

Who must attend the U.S. immigrant visa interview?

You, the principal applicant, at any age, and each family member immigrating with you who is at least 14 on the day of the interview. A family member with their own case number attends at any age. Your petitioner does not need to attend.10

How do I check the status of my U.S. visa application?

On the State Department’s Visa Status Check, at ceac.state.gov. Choose your visa type, then enter your passport number and the first five letters of your surname.15

Can anyone guarantee a U.S. visa?

No. Any claim that someone can guarantee a visa is fraudulent. A consular officer decides at the interview whether you qualify.16

Still have a question?

Official sources

Every fact on this page comes from an official page. Last checked on . Rules change.

  1. 1The A Company on Googlegoogle.com, last read October 28, 2026
  2. 2Fees for Visa Servicestravel.state.gov, last read October 11, 2026
  3. 3Returning Resident Visastravel.state.gov, last read October 11, 2026
  4. 4Returning Resident Visa - U.S. Embassy in Kosovoxk.usembassy.gov, last read October 11, 2026
  5. 5Step 6: Complete Online Visa Application (DS-260)travel.state.gov, last read October 11, 2026
  6. 6U.S. Embassy Pristina, Kosovo - PRItravel.state.gov, last read October 11, 2026
  7. 7Fees for Visa Servicestravel.state.gov, last read October 11, 2026
  8. 8Civil Documents FAQstravel.state.gov, last read October 14, 2026
  9. 9Step 7: Collect Civil Documentstravel.state.gov, last read October 11, 2026
  10. 10Step 11: Applicant Interviewtravel.state.gov, last read October 11, 2026
  11. 119 FAM 504.4 (U) PRE-APPOINTMENT PROCESSINGfam.state.gov, last read October 31, 2026
  12. 12Step 10: Prepare for the Interviewtravel.state.gov, last read October 11, 2026
  13. 13U.S. Embassy in Kosovo: Visasxk.usembassy.gov, last read October 11, 2026
  14. 14Step 12: After the Interviewtravel.state.gov, last read October 11, 2026
  15. 15Visa Status Checkceac.state.gov, last read October 15, 2026
  16. 16U.S. Embassy in Kosovo: Nonimmigrant Visa FAQxk.usembassy.gov, last read October 11, 2026
  17. 17The A Company: our numberstheacompany.ai, last read October 17, 2026
  18. 18The A Company: the sb servicetheacompany.ai, last read November 2, 2026