Overview
U.S. Embassy Khartoum has been suspended since 22 April 2023, when armed conflict between the Sudanese Armed Forces and the Rapid Support Forces forced the evacuation of all American diplomatic personnel and the closure of the embassy compound at Kilo 10, Soba. The address remains the post's address of record on the State Department's published post list, but no in-country visa, passport, or routine consular services are available.
For Sudanese immigrant visa applicants — family-based petitions, K1 fiancé(e) cases, and Diversity Visa selectees — case files have been transferred to U.S. Embassy Cairo, which is the State Department's designated alternate post for Sudan IV processing. Applicants who had a case previously docketed at Khartoum should contact the dedicated Sudan IV inbox at CairoSudanIV@state.gov for case-transfer and rescheduling instructions, and should verify the State Department's current visa-issuance policy for Sudanese nationals before incurring travel, document-translation, or medical-exam costs.
For Sudanese non-immigrant visa applicants — visitor (B1/B2), student (F1/M1), exchange (J1), and temporary worker categories — there is no single designated alternate embassy. Applicants must apply at any U.S. embassy or consulate where they are physically present and that accepts third-country-national cases. In practice this commonly means Cairo, Doha, Riyadh, Nairobi, Kampala, or Addis Ababa, depending on which post the Sudanese passport holder can lawfully reach. Each post operates its own DS-160 routing, online appointment system, and OFC biometrics location, and each post sets its own rules on third-country-national acceptance, so confirming with the chosen post before paying the non-refundable visa application fee is essential.
For U.S. citizens with Sudan-related consular needs — passport renewal or replacement, Consular Reports of Birth Abroad, notarial services, federal-benefits documentation, federal voting under UOCAVA, and emergency assistance — services are handled by U.S. Embassy Cairo's American Citizen Services unit. The State Department's Overseas Citizens Services line remains the after-hours channel for emergencies involving U.S. citizens in Sudan. The Smart Traveler Enrollment Program continues to be the recommended way for any U.S. citizen with current Sudan presence to receive embassy alerts and to be reachable in an emergency.
The sd.usembassy.gov web presence continues to publish operational notices, evacuation history, and routing guidance for Sudanese applicants and U.S. citizens. Until in-country operations resume, the practical reality for any Sudanese visa pathway and any U.S. citizen consular need is the same: the work happens elsewhere — primarily at U.S. Embassy Cairo for immigrant visas and ACS, and at applicant-chosen posts for non-immigrant visas.
Visa Services
Non-immigrant visa processing for Sudanese applicants is not centralised at a single alternate post. Applicants must locate a U.S. embassy or consulate where they are physically present and that accepts third-country-national cases. Common destinations for Sudanese B1/B2, F1, J1, and H/L category applicants include Cairo, Doha, Riyadh, Nairobi, Kampala, and Addis Ababa, but acceptance and appointment availability vary by post and by applicant nationality. Each chosen post sets its own DS-160 submission process, online appointment scheduling, OFC biometrics location, document requirements, and interview-waiver eligibility for renewal cases. Sudanese applicants should confirm both that the post accepts third-country-national applications from Sudanese passport holders and that interview slots are open before paying the visa application fee, which is non-refundable. Wait times, current fee schedules, and the visa categories accepted at each post are published by the individual posts and by the State Department's visa-information pages.
Consular Services
American Citizen Services for U.S. citizens in or with ties to Sudan have been routed to U.S. Embassy Cairo since the April 2023 suspension. The Cairo ACS unit handles passport renewal and replacement, Consular Reports of Birth Abroad for U.S.-citizen children born in Sudan, notarial services, federal-benefits documentation including Social Security and Veterans Affairs paperwork, federal voting under UOCAVA, and emergency assistance for U.S. citizens involved in arrest, hospitalisation, welfare-and-whereabouts cases, or fatalities in Sudan. Routine appointment scheduling, document requirements, and walk-in availability follow the Cairo ACS unit's published procedures. The Smart Traveler Enrollment Program continues to be the recommended way for U.S. citizens currently in Sudan to receive embassy security alerts and to be locatable by Overseas Citizens Services in an emergency.
Service Area
U.S. Embassy Cairo is the State Department's designated alternate post for immigrant visa processing and American Citizen Services covering the entire Republic of Sudan, including Khartoum, Omdurman, Bahri, Port Sudan, Wad Madani, Kassala, El Obeid, Nyala, El Fasher, and the Darfur, Kordofan, Blue Nile, Red Sea, and Northern State regions. Non-immigrant visa applicants are not assigned to a specific alternate post and must locate an accepting third-country embassy in person.
Appointment Information
No in-person appointments are available at the Khartoum compound. For immigrant visas, applicants previously scheduled at Khartoum should contact the dedicated Sudan IV inbox at CairoSudanIV@state.gov for rescheduling and document-routing instructions; new IV interviews are scheduled by the National Visa Center after case transfer to Cairo. For non-immigrant visas, applicants book directly with the U.S. embassy or consulate where they intend to apply, using that post's own appointment system. For ACS appointments, the Cairo American Citizen Services unit is the operational point of contact and follows Cairo's appointment-scheduling and walk-in rules.
Special Notes
The Khartoum embassy compound at Kilo 10, Soba is closed and unstaffed; the local landline does not receive in-person calls and is retained as the post's address of record only. Sudanese passport holders intending to apply at a third-country U.S. post should be aware that the ability to do so depends first on holding a valid Sudanese passport and a valid entry visa or residence permit for the chosen third country. Applicants from Sudan should always check the State Department's current visa-issuance policy and the most recent Sudan travel advisory before incurring application, travel, or medical-exam costs; in-country emergency consular assistance from the U.S. government is not currently available inside Sudan.