• The NATO visa is available for NATO Nonimmigrant aliens that are citizens of nations that belong to the North Atlantic Treaty Organization.
• The NATO Visa applicant can be classified as under the following categories: NATO-1 through NATO-5 are officials, employees, or persons associated with NATO, and members of their immediate families, who may enter the United States in accordance with the NATO Status of Forces Agreement or the Protocol on the Status of International Military Headquarters set up pursuant to the North Atlantic Treaty (Paris Protocol).
• The following specific classifications shall be assigned to such NATO non-immigrants:

(1) NATO-1—In order to qualify for NATO-1 visa status the applicant must be a principal permanent representative of a Member State to NATO (including any of its subsidiary bodies) and either be the NATO Secretary General, Deputy Secretary General, Assistant Secretaries General and Executive Secretary of NATO; other permanent NATO officials of similar rank; and the members of the immediate family of such persons.

(2) NATO-2—The NATO 2 visa is available for other representatives of Member States to NATO (including any of its subsidiary bodies) including representatives, advisers and technical experts of delegations, and the members of the immediate family of such persons; dependents of members of a force entering in accordance with the provisions of the NATO Status of Forces Agreement or in accordance with the provisions of the Paris Protocol; members of such a force, if issued visas.

(3) NATO-3—The NATO 3 visa is available for official clerical staff accompanying a representative of a Member State to NATO (including any of its subsidiary bodies) and the members of the immediate family of such persons.

(4) NATO-4—The NATO 4 visa is available for officials of NATO (other than those classifiable under NATO-1) and the members of their immediate family

(5) NATO-5-- The NATO 5 visa is available for experts, other than NATO officials classifiable under NATO-4, employed on missions on behalf of NATO and their dependents.

(6) NATO-6-- The NATO 6 visa is available for civilians, and members of their immediate families, who may enter the United States as employees of a force entering in accordance with the NATO Status of Forces Agreement, or as members of a civilian component attached to or employed by NATO Headquarters, Supreme Allied Commander, Atlantic (SACLANT), set up pursuant to the Paris Protocol.

(7) NATO-7 The NATO 7 visa is available for attendants, servants, or personal employees of nonimmigrant aliens classified as NATO-1, NATO-2, NATO-3, NATO-4, NATO-5, and NATO-6, who are authorized to work only for the NATO-1 through NATO-6 nonimmigrant from whom they derive status, and members of their immediate families.

• How long cant the NATO visa holders be in the United States? The NATO-1, NATO-2, NATO-3, NATO-4, and NATO-5 aliens are normally exempt from inspection. NATO-6 aliens may be allowed admission for duration of status. NATO-7 aliens may be admitted for not more than 3 years and may be granted extensions of temporary stay in increments of not more than 2 years. In addition, an application for extension of temporary stay for a NATO-7 alien must be accompanied by a statement signed by the employing official stating that he or she intends to continue to employ the NATO-7 applicant, describing the work the applicant will perform, and acknowledging that this is, and will be, the sole employment of the NATO-7 applicant.
• Who falls under the definition of a dependent of a NATO-1, NATO-2, NATO-3, NATO-4, NATO-5, or NATO-6? For purposes of employment in the United States, the term dependent of a NATO-1, NATO-2, NATO-3, NATO-4, NATO-5, or NATO-6 principal alien, as used in this section, means any of the following immediate members of the family habitually residing in the same household as the NATO-1, NATO-2, NATO-3, NATO-4, NATO-5, or NATO-6 principal alien assigned to official duty in the United States. The immediate dependents of a NATO visa holder are:

(i) Spouse;

(ii) Unmarried children under the age of 21;

(iii) Unmarried sons or daughters under the age of 23 who are in full-time attendance as students at post-secondary educational institutions;

(iv) Unmarried sons or daughters under the age of 25 who are in full-time attendance as students at post-secondary educational institutions if a formal bilateral employment agreement permitting their employment in the United States was signed prior to November 21, 1988, and such bilateral employment agreements do not specify under the age of 23 as the maximum age for employment of such sons and daughters;

(v) Unmarried sons or daughters who are physically or mentally disabled to the extent that they cannot adequately care for themselves or cannot establish, maintain, or re-establish their own households. The Service may require medical certification(s) as it deems necessary to document such mental or physical disability.

• Can a dependent of a NATO visa holder work in the United States?

The answer is Yes. A dependent of a NATO-1, NATO-2, NATO-3, NATO-4, NATO-5, or NATO-6 principal alien assigned to official duty in the United States may accept, or continue in, unrestricted employment if:

1. The Office of the Secretary of Defense, Foreign Military Rights Affairs (OSD/FMRA), certifies, with State Department concurrence, that a NATO Member State allows appropriate employment in the local economy for dependents of members of the force and members of the civilian component of the United States assigned to duty in the NATO Member State.

2. Both the principal alien and the dependent requesting employment are maintaining NATO-1, NATO-2, NATO-3, NATO-4, NATO-5, or NATO-6 status, as appropriate.

3. The principal alien's total length of assignment in the United States is expected to last more than 6 months;

4. The employment of a similar nature for dependents of members of the force and members of the civilian component of the United States assigned to official duty in the NATO Member State employing the principal alien is not prohibited by the NATO Member State;

5. The proposed employment is not in an occupation listed in the Department of Labor's Schedule B or otherwise determined by the Department of Labor to be one for which there is an oversupply of qualified United States workers in the area of proposed employment.

6. The Schedule B restriction does not apply to a dependent son or daughter who is a full-time student if the employment is part-time, consisting of not more than 20 hours per week, of if it is temporary employment of not more than 12 weeks during school holiday periods; and

7. The proposed employment is not contrary to the interest of the United States. Employment contrary to the interest of the United States includes, but is not limited to, the employment of NATO-1, NATO-2, NATO-3, NATO-4, NATO-5, or NATO-6 dependents.

8. A dependent applying under the terms of a de facto arrangement must also attach a statement from the prospective employer which includes the dependent's name, a description of the position offered, the duties to be performed, the hours to be worked, the salary offered, and verification that the dependent possesses the qualifications for the position.

9. A dependent must also submit a certified statement from the post-secondary educational institution confirming that he or she is pursuing studies on a full-time basis.

10. Dependents who are granted employment authorization under this paragraph are responsible for payment of all Federal, state, and local income taxes, employment and related taxes and Social Security contributions on any remuneration received.