🏛️ How to Fax an Embassy or Consulate Abroad
Take the fax number from the embassy or consulate's own website, your appointment confirmation or the letter that asked for the document. Select the country the office is located in, not the country it represents, enter the number in that country's format, upload your document and pay from $2.99 for up to 3 pages. The confirmation email is your timestamped proof. Delivery usually takes a few minutes and you are refunded automatically if it fails.
Send a fax to an embassy, from $2.99
📋 In This Guide
Why Embassies Still Fax
Diplomatic missions are government offices running on government rules, and most of those rules were written when a signed page on paper was the only thing that counted. Consular sections still ask for faxed copies of passports, invitation letters, sponsorship forms, police clearances and notarized affidavits, especially from applicants who are not in the country where the mission sits. US embassies abroad accept faxed documents for some citizen services, and many foreign consulates ask for supporting paperwork by fax before an appointment so the file is ready when you walk in.
Email has replaced fax at some missions, and a few have retired their fax lines entirely. That is why the first step is always the same: confirm, from the mission's own page, that the fax number is current and that fax is an accepted route for your document.
Finding the Real Fax Number
Three sources are reliable. The mission's official website, on its contact page or the page for the specific service you need, since visa and citizen-services sections often have different fax numbers. Your appointment confirmation or the request letter, which will state the number to use if fax is expected. A direct answer from the mission by phone or email, with the date and the name of the person who gave it.
Two sources are not reliable: a number copied from a forum or a third-party "embassy directory," and a number on old letterhead. Missions move, merge and renumber, and a wrong number can put a passport copy on a stranger's machine. We deliberately do not list embassy fax numbers on this page for that reason.
Check two things before you send: that the number is on the mission's own site or in a letter from the mission, and that the page says documents are accepted by fax for the service you need.
Send a fax to an embassy, from $2.99
Which Country to Select
Select the country the building is in, not the country on the flag. The Embassy of the Philippines in Tokyo has a Japanese number, so you select Japan and enter the number in Japanese format, dropping the leading zero. The US Consulate in Frankfurt has a German number, so you select Germany. The Embassy of India in Riyadh is a Saudi number, so you select Saudi Arabia. The price is set by that country, which is why an embassy fax can cost $2.99 to Europe or $6.99 to parts of Africa.
Then apply that country's rules for the local number: drop the leading zero in Japan, Germany, France and most of Europe and Asia; keep it in Italy; use the full 10 digits in Ivory Coast. Every country guide on this site has the rule in its first paragraph.
What to Put on the Cover Page
Your full name as it appears on your passport, your passport number or application reference, your appointment date and time if you have one, the section the fax is for (visa section, consular section, citizen services), the date, your email and phone, and one line listing what is attached. Put your reference number on every page so the sheets can be reassembled. Keep it to the pages requested; a 40-page fax to a consular section is the one most likely to be set aside.
Send a PDF, not photographs. Fax is black and white at a fixed resolution, and a phone photo of a passport bio page often arrives as a grey smear. Scan at 200 dpi or more and check that every stamp and date is readable on your own screen first.
Send a fax to an embassy, from $2.99
Timing and Office Hours
Send during the mission's working day in its local time, and remember that missions keep both their own country's holidays and the host country's. Gulf missions are generally closed Friday and Saturday. Many missions close to the public by early afternoon. A fax sent outside hours sits on the machine, which is fine if the machine is left on and a problem if it is not.
What It Costs
The price depends on the country the mission is in: from $2.99 for up to 3 pages to Europe, North America, Japan, Australia and most major destinations, up to $6.99 for the hardest-to-reach lines, with extra pages at $0.99. You see the exact price as soon as you pick the country, before you pay. There is no account and nothing renews. If the fax cannot be delivered the full amount goes back to your card automatically.
Why Faxes to Embassies Fail
Three causes cover almost every failure. A retired number. The mission moved to email and the line is dead; the website is the only place to confirm. The wrong country selected. Picking the flag country instead of the host country produces a number that does not exist. A busy line. Consular fax machines take one document at a time, and a visa deadline brings a queue. You are refunded automatically on failure and can resend; the mission's early morning is the quietest.
Why send it here
One price for the whole fax, shown before you pay, and nothing added at checkout.
Nothing is printed on your document. It arrives exactly as you uploaded it.
If it cannot be delivered, the money goes back to your card without you asking.
It works from anywhere. Send from any country, in any browser, with no account.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much does it cost to fax an embassy?
Is there a catch at $2.99?
Can I fax an embassy for free?
Do embassies still accept documents by fax?
Where do I find an embassy's fax number?
Can I fax my visa application itself?
What should the cover page say?
Which country do I select for an embassy fax?
Do I drop the leading zero?
The embassy lists the number with the international format, like +81 3 xxxx xxxx. What do I enter?
Can an embassy fax me back?
Do I get proof the embassy received my fax?
What time should I fax an embassy?
Is it safe to fax passport copies?
Why did my fax to the embassy fail?
Can I fax a US embassy abroad from the United States?
Can I fax a foreign consulate in the United States?
Can I fax a visa application centre instead of the embassy?
How many pages should I send?
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📖 Send a Fax From Outside the United States
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