Non-immigrant visa application at US Consulates

All visa applicants (except the ones listed under exceptions in step 4 below), regardless of age, must make an appointment for a visa interview and fingerprint collection.

Application can either be made online or at US visa application centers located in 11 cities across India.

Pay the Application Fee and VFS Service Charge at a designated branch of HDFC Bank before applying for US non-immigrant visa. When you have paid these fees, make sure you obtain a two-page Visa Fee Receipt. The fees and charges must be paid by each applicant and are nonrefundable.
Exception: "Officials traveling on government business" and "Officials of international organization traveling for official purpose" do not need to pay this fee.
Once the fees are paid, you can either apply Online or submit a visa application across-the-counter at any US Visa Application Center located in 12 cities across India.

The fee receipt gets activated 2 working days from date of issue. Do not attempt to take an appointment till then. You will require the receipt number from the bar coded two-page visa fee receipt.

Step by step instructions

Emergency visa appointments criteria

Online appointment FAQ

You need to print your appointment letter and complete and print forms DS-156, DS-157, (if applicable) and DS-158 (if applicable). Hand written or typed forms are not accepted. Complete and printed DS-156 Form must have a barcode printed on the first page, and that would match barcode on your Visa Fee Receipt. Use a laser printer to print your application forms.

If you would like your spouse/child(ren) to travel to the US with you, apply for your visas at the same time. Book your visa interview appointments for the same day and attend your visa interview together. In this case, once you are done with the appointment and entering the information for the forms, you will be asked to print the appointment letter and the forms, one set for each applicant.

The US Embassy/Consulates control the number and allocation of view interview appointments, not VFS.
This step just for the U.S. Consulate in Mumbai:

Several mandatory documents need to be sent to VFS prior to the visa interview appointment.
Complete details
Report to the US Embassy or Consulate where your appointment for a visa interview is scheduled.

You may also want to avail the facility of optional "The Stars and Stripes Lounge" at Mumbai and Chennai.

You will need to bring the original HDFC bank fee receipt with its two-barcode stickers, your interview appointment letter and all original supporting documents as listed in the appropriate sections (Visitors or Business Visa, H1/H4 visa, L1/L2 visa, Student Visa) to the interview. For consulates other than Mumbai consulate, you will also need to bring the visa application forms and one recent photograph to the interview.

Exceptions:
- Children under the age of 14 are required to appear in person at the embassy/consulate for the interview along with both parents. In case one parent is unable to attend the visa interview, the absent parent should provide a letter to the other parent (who is going to attend the interview) that states that they have no objection to the child's application for a US visa.
- In addition, applicants who are 80 years old or older, and have not been previously found ineligible for a U.S. visa, are not required to come to the U.S. Embassy/Consulate to apply for nonimmigrant visas.
All other rules, requirements and fees for both a child's visa interview and for those 80 or older remain in effect.

There is no guarantee of visa issuance for those not appearing in person. After reviewing an application, the US embassy/consulate may still require him/her to appear in person for a visa interview at the embassy/consulate.
If you are issued a visa, your passport will be returned by the courier.

Passport delivery details

Important: It is recommended that you check the appointment availability before making travel arrangements or paying the visa application and service fees.
VFS and HDFC Bank holiday list

Reschedule/Cancel appointment

If your children or relatives are staying in US, they can book your appointment too. The web based appointment system gives you the facility to book an appointment from any where in the world. However, it is strongly recommended that you try and book your own appointment or ask someone dependable to book your appointment. In the past there have been several cases of applicants who used the help of others to book their appointments, found it had been cancelled due to some entry mistake or the application data entered was wrong. The application data is used for Visa processing, so it is critical that special attention is given to appointment fixing.

Appointments are not transferable. It is strongly recommended that you don't fall prey to people who try to hawk appointments. Such cases are reported to Consular office as misuse.

Under the new system, applicants are asked to complete their visa forms online using an interactive web site that assists applicants in avoiding errors in data entry. Applicants with confirmed appointments will also get PIN numbers, giving them access to 10 minutes of “free-talk time” by calling a national toll-free number. This talk time can be used to inquire about rules and regulations as well as to track return passport delivery. For the time being, the toll-free number is accessible from MTNL and BSNL lines only.

The new visa service system, which incorporates the prepayment of the non-refundable, nontransferable visa application fee, is expected to decrease the time visa applicants must wait for their interviews by encouraging the scheduling of appointments only by those applicants who actually will appear for their interviews.

In case you get any highly infectious disease such as conjunctivitis, you will not be allowed to enter into the consulate. Make sure to reschedule your appointment immediately after the date when you are expected to be fully recovered.

The United States Embassy and the U.S. Consulate Generals in Chennai, Mumbai, and Kolkata have ended the "drop box" facility for submitting U.S. visa applications.

Drop box facility has been ended beginning in July 2004, because U.S. consular sections in India have started collecting fingerprint impressions from all visa applicants. Fingerprints are not required for children under 14 years of age, adults over 79 years of age, and A-1, A-2, G-1, G-2, G-3, C-3 and NATO applicants. If you have a diplomatic or official passport but apply for other types of visas, you will be fingerprinted.

U.S. Consulate will collect electronic fingerprints for all 10 fingers from most visa applicants. Visas issued after fingerprinting are referred to as "BioVisas". At the time of the visa interview, applicants will be asked to electronically scan all 5 fingers of each hand. Applicants who are required to be fingerprinted and have a cut or blister or other temporary skin injury on any of their fingers may not be issued a visa until their finger heals before they can be fingerprinted. If a person lacks any of the fingers, prints from existing fingers will be taken. You must have clean hands for fingerprinting.
The scanned fingerprint data collected at time of visa application will be compared with fingerprint scans at the U.S. port of entry to prevent the use of U.S. visas by imposters and by those wanted for more serious offenses.

This is a worldwide program and is not targeted at any country or region. All United States visa issuing posts collect fingerprint data, complementing the U.S.-VISIT program in which nearly all visitors to the United States, including those from countries eligible for the visa waiver program, have their fingerprints and photograph taken at the airport on arrival in the U.S.

Due to elimination of drop box, more people will be interviewed and this will create more delays at all 4 consulates in India that already very busy. The longest delays are in Chennai, due to the higher volume of applications, but delays at all posts are at least several weeks long. Should a sufficiently quick appointment not be available on-line, each post has procedures in place to handle genuine requests for unanticipated urgent travel.

To avoid delays, visa applicants can take these steps:

Plan ahead. If you need to travel during summer, don't wait until the last minute to apply for an appointment. Make your appointment right away.
If you are not planning to travel until the end of summer, please wait until later to book your appointment. Consular officials anticipate that the wait for an appointment will be reduced once the summer rush is over.
Have your travel plans organized. On the application form and at the interview, applicants must provide details on when and where they will be traveling and where they will be staying. Complete all application forms fully.

Security Measures

The following are not permitted inside the visa sections:

All battery operated or electronic gadgets such as mobile phones, digital diaries, digital watches, pagers, cameras, audio/video cassettes, audio/video playing or recording devices, calculators, cameras, torches, flashlights, radios, compact discs (CDs), VCDs, DVDs, MP3's, digital audio players (such as i-Pod), floppies, laptops, palm tops or portable music players.
All ladies hand bags/purses. Only a small ladies pouch in hand will be permitted.
All bags such as travel bags, back packs, briefcases, suitcases, leather, jute or cloth bags and zip folders. Only an unsealed, transparent plastic bag containing your application-related papers will be permitted.
Any food item.
Sealed envelopes or packages.
Smoking items such as Cigarettes / cigars / match boxes / lighters.
Any sharp objects such as scissors, pen knives or nail files.
Weapons or explosive material of any kind.
Bottles of any kind.

Bring only the items and documents that relate to your visa application.

Umbrellas are allowed. Therefore, if it is a rainy season, or if you think it may rain on the interview day, remember to carry umbrella with you.

Bottle for baby milk, diaper, a pair of cloths for baby etc. are allowed. If you are carrying any milk bottle, you will have to taste it in front of the security guard.

The list provided above is not finite. Other items may be prohibited based on security staff discretion. Due to security concerns, the Consulate does not permit interested parties such as friends, relatives or business contacts to accompany nonimmigrant visa applicants to their interviews. However, interpreters are allowed to accompany hearing-impaired applicants.

Please do not bring extra people to your visa interview, including your American citizen children. Food items and bottles of any kind are not permitted to be brought into the building. Consulate recommends that you find a baby sitter for your minor U.S. citizen children.

Due to security issues and limited space within the Consulate, only visa applicants are permitted entry. Consulate recommends that applicants keep to a minimum the number of persons escorting them, as the area around the consulate gets crowded. Friends and relatives of applicants are requested not to wait outside the visa gate where heavy vehicular traffic can present a danger to those who congregate on the streets. Family members are instead encouraged to meet visa applicants at nearby restaurants and alternate meeting spots.

Interested parties

Interested parties such as friends, relatives, attorneys, or business contacts are not permitted to enter the consular or attend the visa interview of a nonimmigrant visa applicant or intervene on their behalf during the interview.

If an interested party wishes to provide information to a specific consular section concerning a particular visa applicant, they are encouraged to supply this information directly to the applicant. The applicant can then bring this information to their visa interview.

It is not advisable for an interested party to send letters to the Consular Section in anticipation of a visa application. Due to the high volume of applicant, consulate may be unable to provide these letters to the Consular Officer who will interview the applicant.

Interview

Persons of age 80 years or more are not required to be present for a visa interview.

Children under the age of 14 are required to appear in person at the embassy/consulate for the interview along with both parents. In case one parent is unable to attend the visa interview, the absent parent should provide a letter to the other parent (who is going to attend the interview) that states that they have no objection to the child's application for a US visa.

Arrive no earlier than 15 minutes prior to the appointment time. If your interview is scheduled at the U.S. embassy in New Delhi, report to Gate 6 which is known as Visa Gate. Those arriving more than 30 minutes late may be turned away without an interview. Applicants should keep the appointments they make to ensure that the system works as smoothly as possible. No bags, briefcases allowed inside the consulate. Just take big plastic carry bag to put everything into. The Consular Section is closed on American and Indian Holidays.

The consulate does not permit interested parties such as friends, relatives or business contacts to intervene on behalf of a non-immigrant visa applicant during an interview. If any such party wishes to present facts to the Embassy concerning a particular visa case, they are encouraged to supply this information directly to the applicant, for them to bring in person.

Interview preparation tips for
visitors visa
H1 visa
student visa

Once you reach the consulate, clear the security check, and deposit your passport and other relevant documents at the window. You will be given a token number. After receiving the token, please be seated and wait to be called to an interview booth by announcement of name and token number. If you are a blanket L-1 visa applicant and if you are issued visa, you will have to pay visa issuance fee by the demand draft. For all other applicants, there is no visa issuance fee effective November 8, 2006.

Tips:

Have all mandatory documents in your hand when you approach the counter windows outside the Consular Section.
Don't push folders or sealed envelopes through any of the counter windows outside or inside the Consular Section.
Your passport(s) and visa application(s) must be in your hand when you approach the counter windows inside the Consular Section. This is not applicable at the US consulate in Mumbai as all the documents would have been sent to VFS at least 5 days prior to the interview.
If you are returning to the Consular Section because of a 221g visa denial, join the queue to enter the building and ask at the counter windows outside the Consular Section how to proceed.
Interpreter can attend an applicant's visa interview if the applicant speaks another language and the Visa Section approves the presence of an interpreter.
You must present only valid and legitimate documents. Fraud or misrepresentation can result in permanent ineligibility for a U.S. visa.
Issuance of a visa is not guaranteed just because you bring supporting documents.
Consular officer relies primarily on the verbal visa interview to determine eligibility for a visa.
Supporting documents must only be shown when asked for by a Consular Officer.
It is not necessary to bring duplicates of supporting documents, unless it is requested.

Visa Issuance:
Photocopy of the passport that you submitted earlier along with the application will be stamped indicating that you have received a visa. Make sure to collect that. Your passport will be returned to you within 7 business days after your personal interview at the American Consulate. Your passport will be delivered to you at your home address noted on the visa form unless you have indicated that you require the same to be returned at your office address.

If you would like to have your passport delivered to an alternate address, look at passport delivery details.

At the time of delivery of your passport you will be required to handover the Airway Bill issued to you by Blue Dart when collecting your application pack and photocopy of passport with the stamp. Blue Dart will not deliver the passport if the Airway Bill and photocopy of passport with stamp are not surrendered. It is not essential for the passport holder to receive the passport in person, however the receiving person must have the pick up Airway Bill and photocopy of passport with stamp.

Visa Refusal:
Better luck next time. Read visa refusal for more details. Your passport and other documents are handed back to you by the consular officer.