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G-1 to G-5International organization representatives and employees

For government representatives to designated international organizations such as the United Nations, officers and employees of those organizations, their immediate family, and their personal employees.

At a glance

How you apply
Through the foreign government or the international organization. With limited exceptions, a consular officer issues a G visa only after receiving a note from the appropriate foreign office, mission or international organization (a diplomatic note). The interview is normally waived for genuine G-1 to G-4 applicants who are citizens of, or on assignment to, the country where they apply, but the visa application itself is not waived. Every G-5 visa applicant must be interviewed, even one who already had a G-5 visa to work for the same employer
Checked Oct 18, 2026[1]
How long you can stay
G-1 to G-4: for as long as the Secretary of State continues to recognize you as entitled to that status. G-5: an initial period of up to three years, then extensions of up to two years at a time; each extension request must include a statement signed by your employing official saying they intend to keep employing you and describing your work
Checked Oct 18, 2026[2]
Can family come
Yes. Immediate family receive the principal's G classification (G-1 to G-5): a spouse and unmarried sons and daughters under 21, or under 23 if studying full time at a post-secondary school, who reside regularly in your household and are not members of another household, plus certain other household members recognized as your dependents by the sending government or international organization and individually authorized by the State Department. For family of G-5 employees, State Department guidance says these cases are rare and closely reviewed. See Family High confidence
Checked Oct 22, 2026[1,3,4]
Can you work
G-1 to G-4 principals: only for the foreign government entity or the international organization. G-5: only for the official or representative who employs you. Dependents of G-1, G-3 and G-4 principals can apply for permission to work, with a State Department endorsement and employment authorization from U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), subject to the conditions under Family (for G-1 and G-3 dependents, a bilateral agreement or reciprocal arrangement with the country that employs the principal). A dependent or family member of a G-2 or G-5 principal may not be employed in the United States under these rules
Checked Oct 18, 2026[2,5]
Visa fee
No visa application fee for G-1 to G-5 applicants. Whether a visa issuance (reciprocity) fee applies depends on the rules described under Fees. Amounts and exemptions from 22 CFR 22.1 (eCFR current as of Oct. 1, 2026) High confidence
Checked Oct 18, 2026[1,6]

What G visas are

G visas are nonimmigrant (temporary) visas connected with designated international organizations. G-1, G-2 and G-3 are for foreign government officials and employees traveling for activities of such an organization, as opposed to dealings between governments, which are classified A-1 or A-2; G-4 is for the organization's own officers and employees; G-5 is for the personal employees, attendants and domestic workers of G-1 to G-4 principals. Each class also covers immediate family. An international organization here means a public international organization that the President has designated by Executive Order as entitled to the privileges, exemptions and immunities of the International Organizations Immunities Act (IOIA). The State Department lists the designated organizations, which include the United Nations, the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund (IMF), and a G-1 to G-4 visa may be issued only to someone traveling to, or in some cases passing through, the United States for activities of one of them. The State Department's classification table (22 CFR 41.12) lists five G visa symbols under the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA): G1 to G5.[1,4,7]

Official G visa symbols, from 22 CFR 41.12 (eCFR current as of Oct. 1, 2026)
SymbolClassSection of law
G1Principal Resident Representative of Recognized Foreign Government to International Organization, Staff, or Immediate FamilyINA 101(a)(15)(G)(i)
G2Other Representative of Recognized Foreign Member Government to International Organization, or Immediate FamilyINA 101(a)(15)(G)(ii)
G3Representative of Non-recognized or Nonmember Foreign Government to International Organization, or Immediate FamilyINA 101(a)(15)(G)(iii)
G4International Organization Officer or Employee, or Immediate FamilyINA 101(a)(15)(G)(iv)
G5Attendant, Servant, or Personal Employee of G1 through G4, or Immediate FamilyINA 101(a)(15)(G)(v)
Checked Oct 18, 2026[4]

Who qualifies

You are classifiable G only if the consular officer is satisfied that you fall within one of the G classes and are entering or passing through the United States in pursuance of official duties; if the purpose is anything else, you are not classifiable G. State Department guidance says G-1 holders, G-3 holders who are not on temporary duty, and G-4 holders who are not on temporary duty or in transit are expected to work for the government or organization essentially full time (at least 35 hours a week) and to live in the metropolitan area of the organization where they serve. A G visa may not be refused only because you are not a national of the country whose government you represent.[1,7]

The five G classes

  • G-1: foreign government officials and employees assigned for 90 days or more as members of their country's permanent mission to a designated international organization, whatever their rank, and their immediate family; under the law, the government must be recognized de jure (in law) by the United States and be a member of the organization. This covers the principal permanent representative as well as the mission's secretaries, chauffeurs and custodial employees. State Department guidance says mission members with a rank equivalent to diplomatic agents should be at least 21 when they enter, and that domestic employees of mission members are G-5, not G-1.[1,8]
  • G-2: foreign government officials and employees traveling for less than 90 days as representatives of a recognized government for activities of a designated international organization, and their immediate family; for example, to represent their government at the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA), or on temporary duty (TDY) at their country's mission to the organization. Military officers from countries outside the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) who assist the UN Secretariat with peacekeeping matters can also be G-2 (military officers from NATO member countries are classifiable NATO). So can people nominated by a member government and accepted to attend courses at the IMF's Institute or at the World Bank's Economic Development Institute.[1]
  • G-3: officials and employees representing a government that the United States does not recognize (rare), or a government that is not a member of the organization their activities relate to, whatever their rank, and their immediate family. This includes temporary duty travel by such representatives to temporary meetings of designated international organizations, such as a meeting of the UNGA and Security Council.[1]
  • G-4: officers and employees of a designated international organization, of any rank, traveling on its official business, and their immediate family. This covers taking up an appointment at the organization (including the United Nations), temporary duty travel on its behalf, and, for staff not assigned in the United States, passing through the United States on its official business. For officers and employees of the United Nations, the visa request must be an e-fax authorized by the Chief of the Transportation Section of the UN Secretariat. Domestic employees of the organization's personnel are G-5, not G-4.[1]
  • G-5: attendants, servants and personal employees of a person in G-1 to G-4 status, and their immediate family. See G-5 domestic employees below for the contract, pre-notification and interview rules.[1,8]

Family

Dependents of a G-1, G-3 or G-4 principal can apply for permission to work (employment authorization category (c)(4)). For this purpose a dependent is a family member habitually residing in the principal's household: a spouse; an unmarried child under 21; an unmarried son or daughter under 23 studying full time at a post-secondary school; an unmarried son or daughter who is physically or mentally disabled to the extent of being unable to adequately care for themselves or to keep their own household; and a few other groups. For G-1 and G-3 dependents, the basis is a formal bilateral employment agreement (one that includes people in G-1 or G-3 status) or an informal de facto reciprocal arrangement, which depends on the foreign state that employs the principal (under a de facto arrangement, the principal must also be a national of that state); G-4 dependents may be authorized on the State Department's favorable recommendation. A de facto arrangement and G-4 dependent work have further conditions, including that the principal's assignment in the United States is expected to last more than six months. The dependent submits Form I-566 to the State Department through the office, mission or organization that employs the principal (to the U.S. Mission to the United Nations if the principal is assigned to or employed by the UN); if the State Department's endorsement is favorable, the dependent applies to USCIS for employment authorization, presenting the endorsed I-566. Permission is granted in increments of up to three years, and a denial cannot be appealed. A dependent who works must pay all federal, state and local income and employment taxes and Social Security contributions, and has no immunity from civil or administrative jurisdiction for matters arising out of the job.[2,5]

G-5 domestic employees: contract and interview

G-5 covers attendants, servants and personal employees of a G-1 to G-4 principal. Attendants are paid from the public funds of a foreign government or from the funds of an international organization; servants and personal employees work in a domestic or personal capacity, are paid from the principal's private funds and come solely for that job. The employer must already be in G status in the United States, or hold a G visa and travel with or ahead of you, and a person employed by a U.S. permanent resident cannot get a G-5 visa. You and your employer must sign an employment contract, in a language you understand, that contains every term the State Department requires, including an hourly rate of at least the greater of the federal, state or local minimum wage, at least 35 usual work hours a week, at least one full day off each week, and the employer's agreement not to take or control your passport, visa, contract or other documents. Unless the employer is on a temporary assignment of less than 90 days, the foreign mission or international organization must pre-notify you to the State Department's Office of the Chief of Protocol, or to the U.S. Mission to the United Nations (USUN) if you will work for UN personnel, before a visa can be issued. You must be interviewed outside the presence of your employer or any recruitment agent. State Department guidance adds that officers and employees of international organizations (G-4) rarely hold the rank of minister or higher, so the consular officer must find that a G-4 employer has enough funds to provide the required minimum wage and working conditions.[1,3]

Fees

State Department visa fees from 22 CFR 22.1 (eCFR current as of Oct. 1, 2026), with State Department guidance in the Foreign Affairs Manual (9 FAM 402.3); USCIS form fees from Form G-1055, edition 10/07/26.
ItemFee
Visa application fee, G-1 to G-5No fee
Visa issuance (reciprocity) fee22 CFR 22.1 exempts (1) an official representative of a foreign government or of an international or regional organization of which the United States is a member, applicants for diplomatic visas, and their immediate families; and (2) an applicant transiting to and from United Nations Headquarters. State Department guidance says reciprocity fees are charged for G visas based on reciprocity, except in limited cases; no reciprocity fee is collected for G visas for travel to the United Nations, which must be issued free of charge
Form I-566 (interagency record of request for G dependent employment authorization, or change or adjustment to or from G status)$0
Form I-765 work permit, initial or renewal, for a dependent of a G-1, G-3 or G-4 principal (category (c)(4))$0
Form I-539, if filing into or out of G status$0
Form I-508, waiver of rights, privileges, exemptions and immunities$0
Form I-360 special immigrant petition, general filing$515
Checked Oct 18, 2026[1,6,9]

Renewing your visa and working within the rules

  • If you are in the United States in G-1, G-2, G-3 or G-4 status, you and your immediate family may apply to have your visas renewed by the State Department in Washington, D.C., if you are maintaining status and properly classifiable in that category, intend to reenter in that status after a temporary absence abroad, and were lawfully admitted in that status or changed to it through an application to USCIS. G-5 employees cannot renew their visas in the United States and must apply at a U.S. consular office abroad. A G-5 whose visa has expired but who remains in status and keeps working for the same employer does not need a new visa while staying in the United States, but must keep to the period of stay granted on their I-94 record (arrival-departure record) at admission. A G-5 who applies from inside the United States to extend the stay to keep working for the same employer needs no interview, but must give the State Department an updated contract that meets its requirements.[1]
  • Under the federal regulation on G status (8 CFR 214.2(g)), a G holder who is not the principal, such as a family member, and who works outside the scope of these rules or contrary to them may be considered in violation of the INA (the rule cites section 241(a)(1)(C)(i)). The same applies to a G principal who works outside the scope of their official position. An immigration attorney can explain what this means for your facts.[2]

Getting a green card

High confidence Certain long-term international organization employees and their eligible family members can apply for special immigrant status and become permanent residents (get a green card), as long as their organization remains recognized; this is part of the employment-based fourth preference (EB-4). A retired officer or employee qualifies if they are admissible to the United States and, while maintaining G-4 status, resided and were physically present in the United States for at least half of the seven years before applying for a visa or adjustment of status, had a combined period of physical residence here of at least 15 years before retiring, and filed Form I-360 no later than six months after retiring. The retiree's spouse can qualify too, and separate rules with their own time periods and deadlines cover a surviving spouse and an unmarried son or daughter (see EB-4). Separately, to apply for a green card from inside the United States (adjustment of status, Form I-485) while you hold G status, or a position that would entitle you to it, you must first sign and submit the written waiver required by INA 247(b), waiving certain rights, privileges, exemptions and immunities; that waiver is Form I-508, and its USCIS fee is $0 (Form G-1055, edition 10/07/26).[1,8,9,10,11,12]

Ask WELIVEINUSA Visa

Ask WELIVEINUSA Visa

Answers come from our sourced database and your own timeline, sorted into fact, public data, inference and unknown. No AI model is used in this version, so questions outside what we cover get an honest "not covered".

Questions people ask

Can I travel on a visitor visa or the Visa Waiver Program instead?

Not for official business. State Department guidance says government officials and employees going to their country's mission to a designated international organization, or to its temporary meetings, should obtain G-1, G-2 or G-3 visas, officers and employees of designated international organizations should obtain G-4 visas, and personal employees of G-1 to G-4 principals must obtain G-5 visas; none of them can travel on a visitor visa or under the Visa Waiver Program (VWP). If you are entitled to G classification and not to A or NATO-1 to NATO-6, you are classified G even if you are also eligible for another nonimmigrant classification. If you are a foreign government representative to an international organization and are also traveling on official business as a foreign government official under the A rules, you are issued an A visa instead, if otherwise qualified. A trip that adds some personal activity can still be G: the guidance gives the example of a World Bank employee traveling for World Bank meetings who also attends a golf tournament as a spectator, which is classifiable G-4. Passing through is different: an officer or employee not assigned in the United States who gets a G-4 to transit on the organization's official business must also hold a B visa if they expect to spend time in the United States for personal business or pleasure.[1,7]

I am already in the United States on another visa and an international organization has hired me. What happens?

State Department guidance says a person in the United States in a status other than A or G who accepts employment with a foreign mission or an international organization must first change to the correct A or G status before starting work; the same applies to an A or G holder whose new job requires a different classification. For people changing into G status to serve in the UN community, the U.S. Mission to the United Nations (USUN) coordinates every step. For people from the embassy and consulate communities, the applicant first submits Form I-566 to the State Department's Office of Foreign Missions (OFM); once OFM favorably endorses it, the diplomatic mission or international organization submits a completed change-of-status package to the State Department, which coordinates with USCIS. Some people cannot change status in the United States and may have to leave and apply for the G visa at a U.S. embassy or consulate abroad before coming back and starting work; for example, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) will not change the status of someone who entered under the Visa Waiver Program. A Form I-539 filed into or out of G status has a USCIS fee of $0 (Form G-1055, edition 10/07/26). An immigration attorney can apply these rules to your facts.[1,9]

I am from Taiwan. Can I get a G visa?

Not as a representative of Taiwan. State Department guidance says representatives of Taiwan, including employees of the Taipei Economic and Cultural Representative Office (TECRO), may not receive A or G visas, and that U.S. visas may never be placed in diplomatic or official passports issued by Taiwan. Individuals assigned to TECRO as designated employees, and their qualifying immediate family members, are classifiable E-1; other representatives of Taiwan traveling on short-term business on behalf of Taiwan authorities are classifiable B-1/B-2 (B-1/B-2 or C-1 when passing through the United States), and the guidance says representatives of Taiwan may also be eligible to travel under the Visa Waiver Program. The A visa page explains the TECRO rules in more detail.[1]

Related categories

Content last reviewed: Oct 18, 2026 · General information, not legal advice.

Sources

  1. 1.9 FAM 402.3 - Foreign government officials (incl. 402.3-5(I) AIT and TECRO)U.S. Department of State (Foreign Affairs Manual) · USCIS Policy Manual · Checked Sep 27, 2026
  2. 2.8 CFR 214.2(g) - Representatives to international organizationseCFR (Office of the Federal Register) · Regulation · Checked Oct 18, 2026
  3. 3.22 CFR 41.21eCFR (Office of the Federal Register) · Regulation · Checked Oct 18, 2026
  4. 4.22 CFR 41.12eCFR (Office of the Federal Register) · Regulation · Checked Oct 18, 2026
  5. 5.8 CFR 274a.12 - Classes of aliens authorized to accept employmenteCFR (Office of the Federal Register) · Regulation · Checked Sep 27, 2026
  6. 6.22 CFR 22.1 - Schedule of fees for consular services (Department of State)eCFR (Office of the Federal Register) · Regulation · Checked Sep 27, 2026
  7. 7.22 CFR 41.24eCFR (Office of the Federal Register) · Regulation · Checked Oct 18, 2026
  8. 8.8 U.S.C. 1101 (INA 101) - Definitions, incl. 101(a)(15)(E), (H), (L), 101(a)(44), 101(a)(45)U.S. House of Representatives, Office of the Law Revision Counsel · Statute · Checked Sep 27, 2026
  9. 9.Fee Schedule (Form G-1055) - USCISUSCIS · Form / instructions · Checked Oct 12, 2026
  10. 10.Green Card for International Organization Employees - USCISUSCIS · Agency page · Checked Oct 18, 2026
  11. 11.Employment-Based Immigration: Fourth Preference EB-4 - USCISUSCIS · Agency page · Checked Oct 18, 2026
  12. 12.8 CFR 245.1eCFR (Office of the Federal Register) · Regulation · Checked Oct 18, 2026