In a press release, it said the new charges would be:

** non-immigrant visa application fee, US$65, up from US$45, an increase that will recover the actual cost of service, including production of the Machine Readable Visa and processing through the sophisticated name-check technology.

** Immigrant visa fee, US$335, up from $325.

Adjustment to fees of services for American citizens overseas:

** Consular report of Birth Abroad documentation fee, US$65, up from US$40.

** Performance of notarial services will be lowered to a two-tiered schedule costing between US$20 to US$30, depending on the service rendered, up from US$55.

According to the release, the adjustments will bring the fees in line with the actual costs of consular services.

The embassy said the Department of State has revised its Schedule of Fees for Consular Services, effective June 1 next.

The new schedule will reflect changes in fees for consular services provided by the Department of State and U.S. Embassies and Consulates, with the exception of passport services which will come into effect on August 19, the embassy said.

It explained that the State Department is required by Federal regulations and law to recover the costs of most consular services through user fees, and must adjust the fee schedule periodically to comply with the requirement.

The last major revision of the fee schedule was in 1998 and the new schedule is based on a cost-of-service study conducted by an independent contractor, under the supervision of the department and reflects the cost of providing consular services in 2002, it said.

The embassy added that the new fees are essential to maintaining and improving high-quality customer service while taking advantage of advances in information technology and enhancing the security features of those services that are related to homeland security.